Port Forwarding does not work with VMWare's NAT... SERIOUSLY? -.-

[VeNoMouS 4]

I have an Kali Linux VM set up in an Windows host. The Windows host is running the AirVPN Client. I had no problems at all so far (except for the fact that AirVPN doesn't restore the default DNS servers after I disabled the VPN ...)

 

I set up port forwarding to a port I have been using for months (with DNSs aswell, also double forwarded). The port is first forwarded to my Windows machine (normally by my router, now by the AirDNS Client [No, the ports aren't conflicting. I removed the port from my router and am using an completely different one now]) and my VMWare network handles it by sending it to my VM. My VM has an handler for the port up and running. I have done the exact same thing for a year (except that I changed ports now).

 

I have verified that my new setup route is working with an DNS and without AirVPN. As soon as I try it with AirVPN my VMWare network doesn't forward the port to my VM. Windows is getting requests from AirVPN port forwarding though.

 

Some informations (Please read before replying):

• I have been using that VM for 2 years
• I am regularly updating it
• It perfectly works without the VPN
• I have done the exact same thing for over 1 year
• I can connect freely when using the VPN
• My Windows host is getting TCP requests
• My VMWare network was handling this perfectly when my router forwarded the port
• My VM isn't getting TCP requests even though Windows still receives them (on a different port)
• I can reach the port from my local network
• To be exact, my VM is listening on https://0.0.0.0:2208

 

It reaches my Windows host without any problems

 

My Windows host sees the open port of my VM (Mind the different port here)

 

The service is perfectly working on my Windows host and also if I let my router take over the port forwarding without AirVPN

 

These are my NAT settings (Which perfectly worked before. Also with connections coming from outside of my network via port forwarding on my router [on an different port, which I now disabled])

 

AirVPN is not able to port forward the port to VMWare (or VMWare doesn't know what to do with it because AirVPN forwarded it wrong)

 

I ONLY BOUGHT THE AIRVPN SUBSCRIPTION BECAUSE OF THIS ONE FEATURE AND ALREADY BOUGHT 3 MONTHS! Please do not ignore this. I already tested out AirVPN before and it seemed to work. The only thing I didn't try was the port forwarding because I didn't think that the devs of AirVPN would have such an hard time on just forwarding one port to an local one ... Like, seriously?

If it works I'll buy 1 year but since it doesn't ... I literally can't do anything useful with my 3 months. Time is running out the whole time the support team (or someone else) isn't answering.

 

Thank you for your time, Felix.

[zhang888 1065]

or VMWare doesn't know what to do with it because AirVPN forwarded it wrong

 

devs of AirVPN would have such an hard time on just forwarding one port to an local one

 

Or you didn't set up your VMware NAT rules properly. Nobody is forwarding or can forward local ports for you, your machine does that.

[VeNoMouS 4]

 

or VMWare doesn't know what to do with it because AirVPN forwarded it wrong[/size]

 

>>>>>>devs of AirVPN would have such an hard time on just forwarding one port to an local one[/size]

 

Or you didn't set up your VMware NAT rules properly. Nobody is forwarding or can forward local ports for you, your machine does that.

 

 

Uugh this is exactly what I was talking about!

 

I set up port forwarding to a port I have been using for months (with DNSs aswell, also double forwarded). The port is first forwarded to my Windows machine (normally by my router, now by the AirDNS Client [No, the ports aren't conflicting. I removed the port from my router and am using an completely different one now]) and my VMWare network handles it by sending it to my VM. My VM has an handler for the port up and running. I have done the exact same thing for a year (except that I changed ports now).

 

I have verified that my new setup route is working with an DNS and without AirVPN. As soon as I try it with AirVPN my VMWare network doesn't forward the port to my VM. Windows is getting requests from AirVPN port forwarding though.

 

Some informations (Please read before replying):

• I have been using that VM for 2 years
• I am regularly updating it
• It perfectly works without the VPN
• I have done the exact same thing for over 1 year
• I can connect freely when using the VPN
• My Windows host is getting TCP requests
• My VMWare network was handling this perfectly when my router forwarded the port
• My VM isn't getting TCP requests even though Windows still receives them (on a different port)
• I can reach the port from my local network
• To be exact, my VM is listening on https://0.0.0.0:2208

Basically my main question was if I set up my network wrong because AirVPN port forwarding may work differently than normal port forwarding. Even Hamachi had no problems forwarding the ports.

I provided my NAT config because maybe there is a dev on here who knows how the forwarding is handled and spots the mistake. I don't have that information and therefore need help with this. I double checked every setting to make sure that the network should work and does work.

 

I'm sorry if I am a little bit angry but I am now losing hours of time. Normal port forwarding is not that hard. It can't be real that it is failing at this point.

 

I tried it for 6 hours straight and came to the conclusion that AirVPN doesn't forward the port to VMWare correctly or corrupts something on the way.

6 hours is a lot of time for me. Not because I'm not patient (on weekends I can trial and error for 10h straight) but because I am currently studying and usually only have 1h a day max.

[OpenSourcerer 1359]

Did you test plain OpenVPN?

 

This is speculation as I don't work with VMware. But multiple NICs can create multiple problems. OpenVPN uses TAP, but VMware might be primarily monitoring the physical NIC. If you connect to.your.VPN.IP:2208 there's a chance VMware doesn't even notice this connection.

Did you try a connection to the "real" IP on port 2208? Yes, you did, and apparently it worked.

 

As a side note, your internal IP when connected to AirVPN is a 10.x.x.x one. Maybe VMware doesn't listen on those IPs.

 

I hope this might help you a bit further.

[VeNoMouS 4]

Did you test plain OpenVPN?

 

This is speculation as I don't work with VMware. But multiple NICs can create multiple problems. OpenVPN uses TAP, but VMware might be primarily monitoring the physical NIC. If you connect to.your.VPN.IP:2208 there's a chance VMware doesn't even notice this connection.

Did you try a connection to the "real" IP on port 2208? Yes, you did, and apparently it worked.

 

As a side note, your internal IP when connected to AirVPN is a 10.x.x.x one. Maybe VMware doesn't listen on those IPs.

 

I hope this might help you a bit further.

Now, this is an answer ... I don't know why that other guy who answered me has an rank ... The only thing he did was to move me to the damn off-topic, wasting several more hours of my life and not even answering my question.

That was an good idea. I tried it but it doesn't seem to work. I have no clue at all where AirVPN is forwarding that port to. I tried it without forwarding and it worked. But this doesn't :/

 

Literally not a single program is able to forward the ports ... There is clearly something wrong. Furthermore, it didn't even get a single connection on 10.4.4.244, neither on 127.0.0.1, nor one on 192.168.2.108

 

If this is normal behavior the dev should pleeease tell me what I am doing wrong.

[Staff 9744]

I have no clue at all where AirVPN is forwarding that port to.

 

Hello!

 

Packets are forwarded to your node VPN IP address.

 

 As soon as I try it with AirVPN my VMWare network doesn't forward the port to my VM. Windows is getting requests from AirVPN port forwarding though.

 

If the guest OS is attached to the host via NAT you must take care to configure port forwarding from the host properly, because it's the host that's connected to the VPN in your system. VMWare does support this option. It's correct that this topic is in off-topic, because even according to your own description this is an issue with VMWare, not with AirVPN.

 

Kind regards

[VeNoMouS 4]

 

I have no clue at all where AirVPN is forwarding that port to.

 

Hello!

 

Packets are forwarded to your node VPN IP address.

 

>>>> As soon as I try it with AirVPN my VMWare network doesn't forward the port to my VM. Windows is getting requests from AirVPN port forwarding though.

 

If the guest OS is attached to the host via NAT you must take care to configure port forwarding from the host properly, because it's the host that's connected to the VPN in your system. VMWare does support this option. It's correct that this topic is in off-topic, because even according to your own description this is an issue with VMWare, not with AirVPN.

 

Kind regards

 

Thank you for your answer

This is an problem with every single port forwarding program out there. netsh (on windows), PortPass, Net.TCP library for python and so on. I have literally tried almost everything when port forwarding but this VPN is the only one which doesn't work with any of the options I have found so far. I can't even think of any other options.

 

Port forwarding worked perfectly with every other application and port forwarding method except for the one with AirVPN

I gotta mention that it's not even an problem with forwarding an port, the main problem is that I am not even getting any connections. I am the only person and session connected to my VPN account and this is the only program handling and accessing that port.

 

Greetings, Felix!

[VeNoMouS 4]

I even tried running the VM in the same 10.4.x.x subnet with OpenVPN. This is just so insanely frustrating if I have no clue at all why the requests aren't getting picked up properly. I could handle any request from other applications/servers/VPNs and networks in general. Sometimes I had to adjust the subnet but why isn't it working on here?

 

I mean, this has to be a joke, right? Just forwarding an simple port. I know what exactly is happening in the network and how it is handled on the low level. I know that this is not that hard of an task. This has to be an fucking joke... right?

 

I messed up my whole configuration and changed EVERY single bit to the weirdest and hackiest constellations just to work around it. It just does not work. HAHAHAHAHHA SO FUNNY HAHAHAH PORT FORWARDING HARDEST TASK 2017 KILL ME PLEASE. No seriously. I am literally in the exact same subnet OpenVPN set up. There is (again) literally no possible technical and physical way OpenVPN can sneak that connection past me.

Every outbound connection takes about 1 minute until he found the target. Ping is still 20ms though.

 

Edit: Ok I have now wasted 12h on this simple stupid task. I have literally tried everything in my hands. If OpenVPN doesn't want to give out the connection there is nothing I can do. OpenVPN works with different VPN providers. AirVPN is the only one which doesn't give out the connections I am paying and begging for. If no one from AirVPN helps me what am I supposed to do? I even set up the most stupid network, just grabbing every single thing and OpenVPN is still super picky. I have no idea when it gives out the connections and when it doesn't.

Please. Someone. Help. Me. I have tried LITERALLY everything there is to do. Even the most stupidest things. LITERALLY EVERYTHING. The only thing I want to do is to forward the damn port. I already have set up an working handler. I tried messing around with the handler but that was just because there was nothing I could do. You can't be serious with this. It is just forwarding an port. That takes about 60 seconds from scratch in ASM... And obviously you didn't even do it in ASM. So, how the hell is it that hard to forward an single port?

The only thing I can do now is to hope that someone of the admin team jumps out and is like "Whoops. Haha just a prank bro. We actually checked if an port in an chinese bitcoin farm was open and then forwarded it. Simple forwarding? Naah. That works. Let's not do that. There's an camera right there, there and there!"

I could run it on my local server but then I couldn't connect my PC anymore since you are not port checking. Means the port forwarding isn't reliable anymore.