VPN Support and Troubleshooting

Setting up a VPN service on your computer is usually very straight forward, however there are a number of possible problems that can arise and many reasons why it may not work for you. This page attempts to provide some information to our users to try and help reduce these issues and allow you to diagnose and fix the problem yourself.

There is a great deal of information on the main VPN index page as to how to set up and configure your VPN connection. There is also a lot of information on pre-requisites and restrictions that you may want to check.

If nothing on the main VPN page helps you fix the problem connecting then please continue reading below.

Troubleshooting procedure

1) Try again later

If your VPN connection was working recently and has suddenly stopped it may just be that the server is temporarily down, unavailable or too many users are connected (318 users max). So the first thing to do is try again later.

2) Connected to the Internet

To connect to the VPN server you need to be connected to the Internet first. The default settings are usually set so that if not already connected your computer will try to connect to the Internet via your usual Internet service provider (ISP) first and then once connected will try to connect to the VPN server. This is one of the questions asked when you set up the VPN settings for the first time and it normally offers you your current ISP as the default method of connection. If this is not happening you can change the settings or just connect to the Internet first manually.

3) Error XXX

There are a number of error messages that can appear when a VPN connection is unsuccessful and they usually have a number like error 721. By searching for this error message and number on www.google.com you can often find what the message means and why it has appeared. Also you can often find out how other people have dealt with the problem themselves.
A common error number is 'Error 800 - Unable to establish the VPN connection' which is related to the use of an ADSL broadband Router device which has an out of date software version installed on it (please see the "Router / Firewall firmware" section below for more information on this).

4) ping vpn.soton.ac.uk

Try pinging the VPN server whilst connected to the Internet. Open a command prompt by clicking on Start -> Programs -> Accessories -> Command prompt (some times called ms-dos prompt) And then type: ping vpn.soton.ac.uk
If you get replies from the server then this means the server is up and running and you can speak to it ok. If you cannot get a reply even with a simple ping then either the server is down temporarily or the problem is something to do with your computer or your internet connection.

5) Check VPN settings

If later on you can still get ping replies but cannot connect then it maybe your settings have accidentally changed. You should check that you are definately trying to connect to vpn.soton.ac.uk (or its older alias name sucs-ras.soton.ac.uk, both will work) and that there are NO SPACES in the 'Hostname' setting. Also read through the setup guide on the main VPN index page to check the settings are still configured correctly.

An even btter you can try setting up a new VPN connection from fresh using the setup guides. Note that the Microsoft Windows Connection Setup wizard will setup all the basic settings required and all the more advanced settings behind the scenes should be left as the default ones.

6) At what stage does it fail?

If you are sure all of your settings are correct then have a think about the error message you have received (if any) and see if it relates to any of the issues listed below. Also the number of possible problems it could be can be reduced by watching how and when the connection attempt fails. If it fails as it is trying to connect (I.e. before the 'verifying username and password' stage) then see the 'failing to connect' section below. If you can connect but cannot login successfully then see the 'failing to verify username and password' section below.

7) Failing to connect?

  • Firewall settings — Some software firewalls have been known to stop users connecting to our VPN server especially if the settings are too 'restrictive'. We provide some 'best effort' advice on Personal firewall configuration for the VPN service (see related links). You can usually tell if it is your firewall causing the problem by turning it off and trying again. Please note, versions of Microsoft Windows XP service pack 2 and above have a built in firewall already turned on. Although its default settings have not been known to interfere with university VPN connections.
  • Router / Firewall firmware version — If you are using an ADSL Router or Firewall device to connect to broadband at home and are getting the error message 'Error 800 - Unable to establish the VPN connection' when you try to connect then you should check routers software or 'Firmware' version is up to date. The manufacturers of these devices often develop the latest 'Firmware' versions and make them available for download from their own web sites. Out of date firmware versions on ADSL routers are one of the most frequent causes of VPN problems that we see. Download and install the latest available Firmware code for your model of Router and try to connect again (Note. This does not usually apply standard ADSL modem devices). Often some older versions of router firmware are not programmed to cope with running multiple VPN connections at the same time, so if you have more than one computer connecting to VPN behind your router, check this it is capable of this and try upgrading it to the latest firmware version.
  • ISP's VPN availability — Some Internet Service Providers (ISP) have been known to restrict certain traffic or network ports over their service. If protocols are not supported or VPN is blocked by your ISP then you will not be able to connect. This is unlikely but not unheard of, so we have provided a best effort list of suitable Commercial Internet Service Providers (ISP) (see related links).
  • Using NAT — If you are using an ADSL router and have Network Address Translation (NAT) set up, then this can cause problems if two people try to connect at once. Some routers can still detect which computer to send the two separate sets of traffic to and some cant. Firmware updates may improve this.

8) Failing to verify username and password?

  • Subscribe to iSolutions — To login to any university system or computer your account must already be iSolutions Subscribed (See related links).
  • Connect to SOTON domain — Another reason you may fail to authenticate is because you may need to specify that you want to connect to the SOTON domain. You can try this by typing SOTON in domain field at the login box, or enter your username like SOTON\username in the username field (replace 'username' with your username). If you are attempting to connect to a university file store that requires a username and password to login as well then specifying your username like SOTON\username will also help make sure your authenticating against the correct username and password servers.

9) Unexpected disconnections?

  • Automatic timeouts — If you are connected to VPN and leave the connection idle for more than 10 minutes our server will assume your connection is no longer needed and disconnect you.
    The maximum non-idle connection time is 8 hours. These timeouts are in place as an attempt to reduce the number of idle connections to the server.
  • Server busy — The server can only support 318 users concurrently and can occasionally get too busy. In such cases your connection may stall or disconnect unexpectedly. If you suspect this is happening too frequently or for days at a time then please Contact iSolutions ServiceLine (See related links) and report the problem.

10) Contact iSolutions ServiceLine

If none of these solutions seem to apply or work then please feel free to Contact iSolutions ServiceLine (See related links).

Please give a detailed description of:

  • The symptoms.
  • Whether you are managing to connect or if it is rejecting your password.
  • Any error messages it is returning.
  • Importantly - if you have a software/ or hardware firewall in place or installed on you computer.
  • Which operating system version you are running.
  • Whether you are connecting via a modem, or a USB broadband/ADSL modem, or a Router.
  • Ideally exact dates and times of your attempts to connect so that we can look through our logs.
  • What Internet Service Provider (ISP) you are using.