VPN. Problem with some software

Question

linux

There is a pptp VPN server on Ubuntu 12.04. There are problems with the operation of several programs installed on client Windows machines.

First of all - the Explorer. When you try to access a computer on the network where the server is located (via VPN), it gives an error about the wrong address, although if you enter ip in the address bar, there are no problems. The same thing happens with other software. In particular, RDP crashes when trying to log in, and, for some reason, disconnects the VPN connection at the same time.

One interesting thing unites all the software: all programs use the name of Windows machines for their work (browsers work quite easily with a local web server, but a program for communication between employees that uses the name of the machine as a username does not work).

What could be the reason? How to diagnose the problem more accurately?

Answer 1

enable vpn-server settings:
bcrelay
and
proxyarp the
first for broadcasting, the second for arp requests to go through - and you can do without WINS.

Answer 2

It seems to me that WINS translation is simply missing. This helped me

Answer 3

And I would advise you to raise the local dns server.

Answer 4

Broadcasts in networks with Windows are evil (they rarely work normally, although they may have already been fixed on 7).
It is better to set up a WINS server.
DNS - there you have to configure the entire zone.