VPN Error 868 when connecting even if using IP address

Question

I am trying to connect to a public VPN from VPNGate. However when I attempt to connect to a VPN from the list using MS-SSTP protocol I get the following error:

Error 868: The remote connection was not made because the name of the remote access server did not resolve.

If I open a command prompt and ping the address in question it resolves to the IP shown on the listing. If I configure the VPN using that IP address directly I still receive the error even though the name no longer needs to resolve.

This was working yesterday but it seems the VPN I was using has been removed from the list.

What is happening and how can I fix it?

Answer 1

I experience the same problem on my Windows 7 machine. I didn't yet find a real solution but a workaround for that which is working for me:

Method 1: Just restart Windows. Directly after the reboot. It is working fine. But will happen to go wrong again after some time

Method 2: On a Administrator prompt type: net stop RasMan net start RasMan or make yourself a cmd-file with those commands and start is with Administrator privileges. This will "repair" the problem for a random amount of time.

Hope it helps!

Answer 2

I often get the 868 error for my VPN connections on Windows 7, and I've noticed that it only happens after the first successful connection. So for example, I connect my VPN successfully, then I disconnect, then I try to connect again later, and that is when I get this issue.

I've tried many different possible solutions, but I've only found two workarounds that reliably allow me to connect.

1. The easiest workaround is to use a batch file to call the 'rasdial' command, with appropriate parameters: rasdial "CONNECTION NAME" myUsername myPassword
2. Alternatively, logout and then login again. This is sufficient to resolve the 868 error for my case - I don't need to do a full reboot.

Note that in the case of workaround #1, the root issue is still there - I cannot later use the GUI to connect to the VPN. Only a logout/login allows the GUI to work again, but it's always just a matter of time before the problem comes back.