# CISCO VPN Client (GUI Based)



## jmcmurry (Mar 7, 2002)

OK

Here is the first sneak peek at the Cisco GUI Frontend I am working on.


Have any suggestions on what I should add to the first screen ??

(I wanted to bring the same look and feel over from the Windoze side, so as to make it easy for execs to remember how to use the software)


This app allows you to create, edit and delete Profiles, as well as connect to your VPN, and when it gets connected it places itself in the dock, with small red and green lights showing traffic.


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## Klink (Mar 7, 2002)

Nice so far jmcmurry. If you need help in testing please let me know, I'll be more than willing.


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## TommyWillB (Mar 7, 2002)

We use the Nortel VPN for PC's and the Cisco 5000 for Mac's.

It would be nice if the Cisco one behaved more like the Nortel one...


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## drwhitt (Mar 3, 2003)

It would appear that, more than a year after this post, I may be a consumer of this end-product.  I'm using the Cisco VPN 3000 Unity Client 3.7 (http://cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/vpn/client/rel3_7/index.htm) on Mac OS X Jaguar.  I'm curious to find if this is indeed the same software that referenced in the above post - though the graphics are somewhat different thant jmcmurry's original, above.

Anyway, I'm trying to resolve a network connectivity issue that has both me and my company's network engineering staff stumpted?

Here's the issue:  I can successfully connect to my company's network using the GUI client (above release 3.7.2 VPN client on an iMac 800 G4 with OS X 10.2.4).  However, I can only connect to IP addresses in the Class B space (e.g., 172.xx.xx.xx) whereas I need also to be able to connect to hosts with addresses in the Class A space (i.e., 10.xx.xx.xx).  Other users with similar configurations have not reported this problem and, in fact, say they can connect to both just fine.  Further, other VPN clients on my local home network are able to successfully connect to all addresses on the same corporate network through the same Firewall/NAT so I doubt that this is where the issue lies.  (Though, to be fair, my PCs use the Nortel Contivity client, not the Cisco product!)

Any thoughts or recommendations are greatly appreciated!


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## TommyWillB (Mar 3, 2003)

Nortel just came out with a Mac OS X version... We are desperately trying to get our Network folks to give us this.

The Cisco 5000 VPN has prooven to be lame... but I don't think it is because of the technology. Rather I think our work only has one, non-redundant, Cisco box while they have multiple Nortel boxes clustered. So the problem with our Cisco is that too many people are trying to use it...


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## dafuser (Mar 3, 2003)

> _Originally posted by TommyWillB _
> *Nortel just came out with a Mac OS X version... We are desperately trying to get our Network folks to give us this.
> 
> The Cisco 5000 VPN has prooven to be lame... but I don't think it is because of the technology. Rather I think our work only has one, non-redundant, Cisco box while they have multiple Nortel boxes clustered. So the problem with our Cisco is that too many people are trying to use it... *



I have the Nortel OS X VPN client and use it to connect to our Nortel boxes at work. I connect to the office with it, crank up X and start working on our Solaris boxes.


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## drwhitt (Mar 4, 2003)

That is so great, dafuser!  And I'm really (truly) jealous... This is *exactly* what I'm trying to do.  ~

Nortel won't allow me to d/l the Nortel Multi-OS VPN client from their web site  except for some 30-day demo.  More likely, my company hasn't paid for this service!  And, I think they're trying to move away from Nortel towards Cisco anyway.

Heigh ho, heigh ho...


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## hazmat (Mar 4, 2003)

I've been running the Cisco OS X VPN clients since the CLI ones, and the GUI ones since they came out, I think version 3.7.  It seems to work fine, but I can't get it to save the user password.  Anyone here able to do that?  When I go to connect, I don't see a check box to save it.  If I edit the profile's .pcf and change  SaveUserPassword to '1' and then try and connect again, I get the check box to save the password, but it doesn't save it and the .pcf
gets SaveUserPassword set back to '0'.

Anyone know anything about this?

Thanks.


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## jmcmurry (Mar 4, 2003)

All

If you are interested, I might be willing to release an updated front end to the Cisco client, that has more options, including saving of passwords.  I dont want to update it though if only one person says they want it though 

(of course it would be free AND open sourced using BSD license)

Jim

http://www.jamesmcmurry.com


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## hazmat (Mar 4, 2003)

Sure, Jim.  I'd be interested in checking it out.  Thanks.   I have used VPNConnect before Cisco released a GUI client, and IIRC, it used to save the password.  Not anymore.


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## hazmat (Mar 5, 2003)

Well I just found out that the password saving has to do with the VPN admin, so the client might not be able to save it.  If you can work it out that you can, Jim, I would be most interested in trying your front-end.  Would you use the Keychain?


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## jmcmurry (Mar 5, 2003)

I am trying both Keychain and SSH-Agent to keep the passphrase locked up.  Of course this passphrase might be potential security breach for your IT guys, as if the notebook/system is comprimised (ie - lost or stolen) your passphrase is on the local box......

so keep that in mind 

jim


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## hazmat (Mar 6, 2003)

I know. ;-)  I am a sysadmin here.  But I use the VPN client on my home machine, which is a Power Mac.  No problem.


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