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Get connection log for VPN

Anonymous
2011-09-28T07:52:49+00:00

Logging and diagnostics for connecting to VPN are a total waste of time - even after clearing the logs and connecting just once, there are tens of thousands of lines of logs. Diagnosing of course insists that everything is just fine. Clicking help, as usual, takes you somewhere totally unrelated - I got 30 results for 'troubleshooter'. What that has to do with VPNs I guess only Microsoft could say.

Can I get a simple log that shows the protocols and settings that were tried along with the results? Like the old modem dialling logs?

Seems they were too advanced a feature for MS to implement in a stripped back and compact OS like Win 7... /sarcasm

PS What is the go with not being able to keep the settings window open? Or connect to two connections at once? Or check the status of the underlying network while connecting? Modal dialog fever again?

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Internet and connectivity

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Anonymous
2011-09-28T11:30:05+00:00

So you have looked in the event logs for errors?

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Open-Event-Viewer

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/What-information-appears-in-event-logs-Event-Viewer

Have you or the VPN server admins looked at the VPN server logs for help?

If this is a PPTP VPN connection?

Remember you need to open/forward TCP Port 1723 through any firewall or router the server is behind. The firewall or router also need to be able to pass GRE Protocol 47 traffic. That is sometimes called PPTP Pass Through or VPN Pass Through or is automatically configured when TCP Port 1723 is opened depending on the firewall or router.

Testing the VPN path using the PPTP Ping and VPN Traffic sections on this page...

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb877965.aspx

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Why-am-I-having-problems-with-my-VPN-connection

Troubleshooting VPN connections...

http://blogs.technet.com/b/rrasblog/archive/2009/08/12/troubleshooting-common-vpn-related-errors.aspx

A Vista VPN troubleshooting page that maybe of some help...

http://blogs.technet.com/b/rrasblog/archive/2007/04/08/troubleshooting-vista-vpn-problems.aspx

Additional help in the TechNet Windows 7 IT Pro forums...

http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en/w7itpronetworking/threads

...or the appropriate Windows Server forum...

http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en/category/windowsserver/

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  1. Anonymous
    2015-02-28T20:16:34+00:00

    I think this is what you're looking for:

    https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc732434(v=ws.10).aspx

    To enable diagnostic logging for your network connections

    1. Open the Network Connections folder and view available connections.
    2. Press ALT to display the menu bar.
    3. On the Advanced menu, click Remote Access Preferences.
    4. On the Diagnostics tab, do one or more of the following:
      • To enable logging for all remote access connections, select the Enable logging check box. After making one or more attempts to connect to the remote network, return to this dialog box, and then click Generate report.
      • To clear logs created during previous connection attempts, click Clear Log. To generate a report, click Generate Report.
    5. If you clicked Generate Report in the previous step, do one of the following:
      • To view the diagnostic report, click View report.
      • To save the report to a file, click Save report to this file, and specify the location and the name of the file you want to create. Specify the location by typing it or by clicking Browse, and then browsing to the location you want.
      • To send the report to an e-mail address, click Send report to this e-mail address, and then type the e-mail address to which you want to send the report.
      • To quickly generate a more concise report, select the Generate summary report check box.
    6. Click OK to generate the report you requested.

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  2. Anonymous
    2011-11-25T04:02:22+00:00

    Yes I have looked at the event log and yes I know how to troubleshoot a VPN connection.

    The question was simply is there a connection log available. Something along the lines of:

    12:34:01 AM - Contacting remote VPN server

    12:34:02 AM - A VPN server was not found at 'myvpn.mycom.com'

    12:34:03 AM - *************************************************************

    12:34:31 AM - Contacting remote VPN server

    12:34:32 AM - Successfully opened connection to 'yourvpn.yourcom.com'

    12:34:33 AM - Attempting to negotiate VPN with protocol PPTP/IKE2

    12:34:32 AM - The protocol was not available

    12:34:33 AM - Attempting to negotiate VPN with protocol IPSEC/Kerberos

    12:34:32 AM - The protocol was available but authentication failed

    ...

    In other words, you reply will be along the lines of:

    Yes, go to C:\Windows\System32\Wow64\Gee128

    OR

    No, MS failed to realise that such a log might be useful.

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