BBO and VPN

[Finch]

I sometimes use my work computer at home to log on to BBO. This works fine via our wireless network and cable broadband.

 

I sometimes use my work computer to work at home (honestly), logging on using a VPN connection. This also works fine.

 

I can't do both at once (e.g. use work email while watching vugraph). Whichever one (BBO/VPN) I start first works fine, but then the other once simply won't work - BBO sits saying "logging on" without doing anything (although the 'cancel' button works) or the VPN simply sits there without logging in.

 

Not a massively big deal, but would be vaguely nice for them both to work at once.

[pbleighton]

I am able to use both VPN and BBO simultaneously. I use cable broadband.

 

Peter

[hotShot]

It sounds like both BBO and VPN are using the same port to communicate.

 

If BBO would stop working after you started VPN, it would be a routing problem.

(Or BBO tries to access the Internet using the VPN and your company's firewall is blocking the BBO request.)

[inquiry]

I also use VPN and BBO at the same time.

[kgr]

I think that while you are connected to work with VPN then the firewall of your work doesn't allow the protocols to play BBO.

...you better ask your boss to do something about this ;)

[BurnKryten]

Part of the VPN software we use for work is to disable all outgoing connections from the home PC to anywhere except to the work network - and there you have all the firewall rules, web browser proxy rules just like at work. Our company says they do it for "security reasons". It sucks.

 

Our department has gotten around this by using a Citrix application to gain access to the network securely, without using VPN. I suspect you are stuck with whatever network restrictions you have at work, while connected from home via VPN.

[paulg]

I suspect that you cannot play BBO when using your work computer at work.

 

My (previous) corporate VPN transforms the home PC into a 'work' system which means that all Internet activity uses the corporate network with the all associated firewalls and proxies. In particular the ports used by BBO are blocked (by default, rather than targeted) and so it becomes impossible to use BBO.

 

My experience of large corporates is that asking them to unblock these ports is not high on their list of priorities and it is difficult to establish a business case for this B)

 

Your best hope, albeit small, is probably to suggest that corporate email is moved to the 'edge'. A number of large corporates are slowly doing this by removing the need for VPN just to access email and providing secure access for a variety of devices (VPN is not great for phones and other handheld devices) including home PCs.

 

Paul

[Finch]

It is true that I also cannot use BBO when physically connected to the work network. I hadn't realised that VPN makes my whole computer effectively the same as it is when in the office.

 

It is also true that getting work to allow BBO access explicitly would be tricky, to put it mildly.