Viscosity DNS

Viscosity Support (Windows)
1

Viscosity on Windows
1.10.5 (1775)

  • System can ping / browse to public DNS address
    System DNS uses local gateway appliance
    nslookup resolves FQDN as expected
    Routing table default
    Other hosts on the same subnet can connect using

Attempting connection immediately fails. Log:

Mar 17 9:57:36 AM: State changed to Connecting
Mar 17 9:57:36 AM: Viscosity Windows 1.10.5 (1775)
Mar 17 9:57:36 AM: Running on Windows 10 2009 (19045) 64 bit
Mar 17 9:57:36 AM: Running on .NET Framework Version 4.8.04084.528372
Mar 17 9:57:36 AM: Checking reachability status of connection...
Mar 17 9:57:36 AM: DNS resolution failed for <public DNS name>
Mar 17 9:57:36 AM: Connection is not reachable. Disconnecting.
Mar 17 9:57:36 AM: State changed to Disconnecting (Not Reachable)
Mar 17 9:57:36 AM: State changed to Disconnected

Recently updated Windows host to latest patch level but other similar hosts received the same update and do not have the same symptoms.

  • Restarted Viscosity > still fails
    Rebooted system > still fails

Ready to reinstall Viscosity but really don’t want to have to go through configuring all of my connections so hoping for helpful insights here first.

2

Hi FICS,

Such issues are usually caused by local security, filtering, or endpoint management software. Such software may be blocking Viscosity’s network access or filtering its DNS lookups. Try temporarily disabling or uninstalling any such software and see if the problem persists.

Another thing to consider is what IP version (IPv4 or IPv6) the connection is configured to use, and what IP version accessibility your computer and the OpenVPN server supports. If you edit your connection in Viscosity, check what protocol is using used. For example, UDP means both IPv4 and IPv6, UDPv4 means IPv4, UDPv6 means IPv6 etc. Make sure this matches what the OpenVPN server is accessible on.

Finally, when uninstalling Viscosity you’re given the option to keep your settings and connections, so I recommend giving uninstalling and reinstalling a try (while keeping your data) and see whether that resolves the problem.

Regards,
Aaron

3

Thank you Aaron, I haven’t actioned any of your suggestions yet, but will indeed perform a full re-install pending the answer to this question:

  • If I do a full remove and reinstall, what happens to the 30+ existing connections that I have configured currently?
4

If I do a full remove and reinstall, what happens to the 30+ existing connections that I have configured currently?

Depending on what option you select at the time of uninstallation they’ll either be kept (and reappear when you reinstall Viscosity) or be removed.

You can also find information on how to back up your Settings and Connections at:
https://www.sparklabs.com/support/kb/article/backing-up-viscosity-s-settings/

Regards,
Aaron