[vpn] VPN and Browsing at Same Time

[Eddie Harrison]

Hi,
 
I'm new to the VPN stuff and don't know exactly how it works with a typical. I have a problem that I hope someone can help me with or at least tell me if it's typical and that I'll have to live with it.
 
 I have a pc at home that connects via DSL. I have a software VPN that routes to my company's email server so that I can receive Lotus Notes email.  With the current setup (my company set this up) I can not browse the web while I am connected to the VPN to receive email. I receive a "page not found" error as though there is no DNS available. I must disconnect the VPN and sometimes even have to reboot before I can go back to browsing. As you might imagine, this poses a huge problem in that any link that I receive in an email can't be used without a copy/paste into the browser once I have shut the VPN down. 
 
Is this typical of VPNs and is there a way around it? 
 
Thanks in advance for any help.