You are unexpectedly disconnected from your VPN session after several minutes in Windows Server 2003

Your VPN connection unexpectedly disconnects after several minutes. This problem occurs after your Microsoft Windows Server 2003-based computer connects to an external firewall device or to a network address translation (NAT) device and after you then establish a virtual private network (VPN) connection to a VPN server.

This problem may occur if the VPN server does not process certain Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) control messages from the Windows Server 2003-based VPN client.

A supported hotfix is available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix might receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next software update that contains this hotfix.

If the hotfix is available for download, there is a "Hotfix download available" section at the top of this Knowledge Base article. If this section does not appear, contact Microsoft Customer Service and Support to obtain the hotfix.

Note If additional issues occur or if any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Customer Service and Support telephone numbers or to create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft Web site: Note The "Hotfix download available" form displays the languages for which the hotfix is available. If you do not see your language, it is because a hotfix is not available for that language.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites are required.

Restart requirement

You must restart your computer after you apply this hotfix.

Hotfix replacement information

This hotfix does not replace any other hotfixes.

File information

The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later file attributes) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in coordinated universal time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time tool in Control Panel.

Windows Server 2003, 32-bit editions

Windows Server 2003, 64-bit editions

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

For additional information about the standard terminology that is used to describe Microsoft software updates, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
For additional information about this problem in Microsoft Windows 2000, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: For additional information about this problem in Microsoft Windows XP, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: