Network Connection

I have set up a VPN network connection to my work. The connection is
"successfull". At least that is what is reported back to me. Sometimes I get
connected to Work. Sometimes a new connection is formed and I am connected to
Work 2, Work 3, etc. When I use Remote Terminal to connect to a machine in my
work domain, sometimes it connects just fine (after a few warnings about the
remote computer doesn't support authentication, etc.). However increasingly I
just get a message indicating that the machine cannot be located when I try
to connect with "Remote Terminal". At first I thought that the machine may be
"down" or off but I boot up into Windows 2003 or XP and the connection (and
subsequent Remote Terminal) works just fine. It seems that when it is going
to fail the connection statistics (hover over the net icon on the tray)
indicate that this connection is "Local Only". When it works the status shows
"Local and Internet". Like I said this works sometimes an sometimes the
connection stays "Local" and the Remote Terminal connection fails to find the
remote computer. So this boils down to two questions:

1) Why are the additional connections being created (Work 2, Work 3, etc.)?
2) Why the intermitent "failure"? Why does the status get "stuck" at "Local
only" and the Remote Terminal connection cannot find the computer. This
sequence seems to be rock solid with XP and Windows 2003 but somewhat fragile
with Vista/Longhorn.

This post is mostly to see if the problem is being worked on and to see if
there is a known work-around.


Thank you.

Kevin