Want to avoid forced VPN tunneling?
Want to avoid forced VPN tunneling?
The net admin at work messed up the VPN settings so it now forces all client traffic through the VPN which breaks loads of stuff for remote users and he refuses to change it back because he thinks it fixed drive map issues (it didn't). My plan is to just set up a virtual machine and install the VPN software on it then RDP into work through that but I can't decide which to use since I'm pretty new to this. I got hyper v working but it's too resource intensive so I tried moving it to my plex server and adding my plex server to my Hyper v manager but that's being a huge pain. I spent 6 hours on it and it's one error after another with zero progress. Windows sandbox looks great and is super low on resource usage but there's no way to save state or reload once it's set up. I was gonna look into VMware next but I think I'd have to pay for that. Is there something like windows sandbox that doesn't delete itself on close? Is there a better alternative to circumvent forced tunneling?
The network administrator is the boss of things, but he breaks them constantly. He makes changes without thinking about how it affects others, and even when the CIO complains, his reply is just to say "that's what it is now because [a reason that doesn't make sense]." He's new, so we let him try to make mistakes to help him learn. Finding a good network admin would be a huge pain, but I don't think he'll stay long at this rate of causing trouble. However, managing him isn't my job right now, so I need to keep working efficiently. This change happened yesterday, so when others notice it they probably will complain too and maybe even get things reversed in a few weeks, which is why I'm trying to work around his changes. My Plex server is just a personal computer at home. They don't care if you use your own gear.
It's best to stay away from this for now. Wait until the new boss has time to figure things out by themselves. Don't let them take that risk of hanging with you, because they could get tangled in it and hurt themselves. Also, don't put your main computer at danger: maybe something else will go wrong too. You might then be blamed (even if not truly) as the bad guy or just made to carry the blame for others' mistakes.
The first thing to do is speak up to the Net Admin. Tell him his changes are messing with things, especially since this mission critical software isn't working anymore. That should be enough for him to check his work and make a good decision between you two. But if that doesn't happen, then YOU need to meet with the CIO; each of you will explain your side and he makes the final call on which way to go. That's how it works. -Wolf sends
I like analogies, but I don't feel I explained this situation clearly. His actions have made my job much harder. He knows remote workers find it tough and thinks fixing a car drive map issue has solved the real problem for people locked into the network (it hasn't). How would he know? I'm not sure how long until he fixes his mistake, if ever. Until then, I'll use tricks to work from home so I don't fight him or cause drama. So yeah, I'm staying away.
I set up my hyper V VM on the Plex server and it works fine for this job. I'm no virtual machine expert by any means, but since the connection comes through a VM, I won't worry about ransomware hitting my work network again (again). Even if it did, I have offline backups and cloud backups. I know another way could get something onto the network, but that's smaller than other issues with that network. After we got hacked, we changed some admin passwords; one went from Admin/Administrator to Admin/ROTARTSINIMDA because the IT net admin wrote it on a whiteboard since he keeps forgetting how "administrator" is spelled backward. Security is basically a joke there, so I'm willing to take risks and get blamed if things go wrong just to make my job easier. Ideally that would work, but about a dozen remote workers have complained his change broke things and he won't admit it fixed nothing or caused more problems. Unfortunately someone on helpdesk identified the drive map problem today and fixed it (the IT net admin did his part for him), so the net admin will likely blame me for forced tunneling and tell everyone else to deal with it. Taking this to the CIO is basically an accusation that he's incompetent, which I think needs doing but not my place. I'd rather avoid workplace drama.
Wow, slow down. Are you talking about your personal computer or your boss's computer? Where is this going on? Is it happening inside the office where you work, or are you doing a remote job from home? Only if you're at home using just your own private machine might there be a way to put your regular operating system and settings into a special virtual machine. In all other cases - STOP! Don't do that right now. You could make things worse in the long run, face trouble, and even get fired.
It is just a regular PC. We have permission to use personal stuff for work. My job needs me to open a special program to get into the company network, and I recently changed that setting. Now every single thing my computer does at home goes through this VPN software, which messes up loads of things. Do you think there are any better ways than creating an entire virtual machine? It feels like too much trouble just to isolate a dominant piece of software.
I agree with @Wolfshadw. Please talk to the Net Admin first. Then start writing down everything: events, problems, things that went wrong, and times/dates. Keep it simple and honest. Write facts, not guesses. Save those details in documents or emails so you have proof when you need to tell the CIO something serious happened. You don't just have words on your mind anymore; you have records. And remember: stay clear of what the Net Admin is supposed to do. Don't try to work around them or make their job look bad. If you start doing tasks that aren't yours, it can backfire and hurt you. Or worse, someone could use your mistakes against the Net Admin later.
Hey, I know he already talked to me about having other people working from home. I've been writing notes for months but like before, the bosses are giving him way too much time so he can make mistakes and learn things. But since I don't want to take anything to the CIO because it isn't my job, I have no choice but to work around him. If someone replaces your car tires with granite cubes that stop you from driving efficiently, you wouldn't try to drive those. You'd find another way to get where you need to go. Ideally you would put the tires back on (undo the change) but since that isn't an option for me I'm just taking a ride in a car instead of using my own. People usually say my comparisons are wrong, but I think this one was okay. I am not breaking any rules, it's just hard to figure out what to do. My only idea is a virtual machine which I think is too complicated and I'm looking for other solutions. Everyone has said that's bad but I think they don't get the situation right. So can we skip those "I don't think you should do that" comments?