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Behavior of Unreachable Demand Dial Interfaces in RRAS


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This article was previously published under Q193834
Important This article contains information about how to modify the registry. Make sure that you back up the registry before you modify it. Make sure that you know how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up, restore, and modify the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
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Summary

This article is intended to describe the characteristics of the Routing and Remote Access Service (RRAS) when it is unable to connect a Demand-Dial interface.

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More information

When RRAS attempts to connect a Demand-Dial interface, the status field has a value of "Connecting." The static route that is used to activate the Demand-Dial interface is viewable under Static Routes in RRAS.

If the phone number or VPN server that is dialed is not available, the Demand-Dial interface will be marked "Unreachable" only after it has failed all redial attempts. It will then stay Unreachable for a default period of 10 minutes. The static route disappears from the routing table when the interface status is marked "Unreachable."

After the wait interval, the status of the Demand-Dial interface will change to "Disconnected," at which point the Demand-Dial interface is available for use.

If the Demand-Dial interface fails to connect again after this wait interval, it will then be marked "Unreachable" for a period of 20 minutes and, again, the static route will disappear from the routing table. Then, when the wait period is over, the status goes back to "Disconnected."

This cycle continues in 10 minute intervals until 6 hours has been reached. The default maximum wait time remains at 6 hours until one of the following occurs:

  • A successful connection has been established [through either the wait interval described here or manual dialing].

    -or-
  • The router has been stopped and restarted.
These default minimum and maximum times can be changed through the registry.

Warning Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly by using Registry Editor or by using another method. These problems might require that you reinstall the operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that these problems can be solved. Modify the registry at your own risk.

For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys And Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it. If you are running Windows NT, you should also update your Emergency Repair Disk (ERD).

The 10-minute wait time is a default value that can be changed by adding the registry entry shown below:

The MinUnreachabilityInterval is the smallest amount of time that the Demand-Dial interface will stay "Unreachable." Also, it defines what the wait interval is incremented by in next attempts.

For Windows NT 4.0 with Routing and Remote Access
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Router\Interfaces\<demand-dial interface name>\MinUnreachabilityInterval

REG_DWORD with a value in seconds

In this registry subkey, <demand-dial interface name> represents the interface name in Routing and Remote Access.

Note This registry subkey is one path. It has been wrapped for readability.

For Windows Server 2000, 2003, and 2008

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\RemoteAccess\Interfaces\<interface number>\MinUnreachabilityInterval

REG_DWORD with a value in seconds

To determine the correct replacement for the <interface number> placeholder, find the interface number that contains a registry key that is called InterfaceName and that has a value that is equal to the Demand-Dial interface name in Routing and Remote Access.

Note This registry subkey is one path. It has been wrapped for readability.

The 6-hour maximum wait time is a default value that can be changed by adding the registry entry shown below. The MaxUnreachabilityInterval is the highest wait time the Demand-Dial interface will stay "Unreachable" and RRAS will not increment above this wait time.

For Windows NT 4.0 with Routing and Remote Access

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Router\Interfaces\<demand-dial interface name>\MaxUnreachabilityInterval

REG_DWORD with a value in seconds.

In this registry subkey, <demand-dial interface name> represents the interface name in Routing and Remote Access.

Note This registry subkey is one path. It has been wrapped for readability.

For Windows Server 2000, 2003, and 2008

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\RemoteAccess\Interfaces\<interface number>\MaxUnreachabilityInterval

REG_DWORD with a value in seconds.

To determine the correct replacement for the <interface number> placeholder, find the interface number that contains a registry key that is called InterfaceName and that has a value that is equal to the Demand-Dial interface name in Routing and Remote Access.

Note This registry subkey is one path. It has been wrapped for readability.

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Keywords: KB193834, kbnetwork, kbinfo

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Article Info
Article ID : 193834
Revision : 2
Created on : 3/19/2008
Published on : 3/19/2008
Exists online : False
Views : 625