VPN Stops Passing Traffic

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615Don

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Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2022 6:40 am

Post by 615Don » Wed Oct 12, 2022 6:42 am
So over the last couple of months, something strange is going on. My OpenVPN connections will connect, pass traffic for a little while then they'll stop. The only way to resume using that particular tunnel again is to reboot my computer. Other devices configured with the same OpenVPN connection (same profile, username and password) work just fine. I've tried installing a new version of Viscosity over the top of the previous one, that didn't help.

I'm on a 2021 16" MBP running 12.6

James

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Posts: 2312
Joined: Thu Sep 04, 2008 9:27 pm

Post by James » Thu Oct 13, 2022 9:03 pm
Hi 615Don,

I recommend first running through the troubleshooting steps listed at:
https://www.sparklabs.com/support/kb/ar ... -drops-out

If you're still stuck, I recommend then checking the OpenVPN log, which should contain more information:
https://www.sparklabs.com/support/kb/ar ... envpn-log/

Cheers,
James
Web: https://www.sparklabs.com
Support: https://www.sparklabs.com/support
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sparklabs

615Don

Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2022 6:40 am

Post by 615Don » Sat Oct 15, 2022 2:16 am
Thanks for the reply, James. The article you mentioned didn't really apply here. The connection doesn't drop, it just stops passing traffic. So I remain connected, but data just stops flowing over the connection. The logs don't really show anything, either. It seems like, as far as Viscosity is concerned, the connection is still up and working. If I use the same credentials on another machine, everything is fine. If I reboot, it will work for a while, then stop passing traffic again. Other VPN connections might work or might experience this same problem, but the one that stops passing traffic will not resume passing traffic until I reboot. Disconnecting and reconnecting does not help.

James

User avatar
Posts: 2312
Joined: Thu Sep 04, 2008 9:27 pm

Post by James » Sat Oct 15, 2022 8:39 am
If I reboot, it will work for a while, then stop passing traffic again.
Is the reboot necessary for traffic to resume? For example, if you disconnect the connection in Viscosity, and then reconnect it, does the VPN connection work again?
The connection doesn't drop, it just stops passing traffic.
If OpenVPN isn't recognising the VPN connection has dropped, it either means that the VPN connection is still up, or it has in fact dropped but the ping/ping-restart parameters aren't correctly configured. I recommend running through the troubleshooting steps linked below (once the VPN connection has stopped working, but still connected) to see whether traffic isn't actually getting through, or whether it could be another issue (such as DNS no longer working):
https://www.sparklabs.com/support/kb/ar ... connection

I also recommend checking any other third-party software installed on the machine that could be attempting to filter network or DNS traffic and causing it to stop flowing. Common software includes internet security software, many antivirus packages, and endpoint security software. Try temporarily disabling any such software and see if the issue persists.

Cheers,
James
Web: https://www.sparklabs.com
Support: https://www.sparklabs.com/support
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sparklabs
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