Cisco VPN support

W

willybnl

Junior Member
If you run Cisco VPN software parallels software is unable to connect though it to the internet... support would be great!
 
willybnl said:
If you run Cisco VPN software parallels software is unable to connect though it to the internet... support would be great!
Click to expand...


Cisco VPN client is working fine on PD for Mac. I found it has "issues" under Shared networking, but in Bridged networking mode, its working great. I'm using version 4.8 of the client...
 
darkone said:
Cisco VPN client is working fine on PD for Mac. I found it has "issues" under Shared networking, but in Bridged networking mode, its working great. I'm using version 4.8 of the client...
Click to expand...

That is funny (not haha funny, more ironic) because I have been having problems connecting through Cisco VPN with Bridged Networking from day one, but as soon as the Shared Networking came to exist, I have been sharing my Cisco VPN connection through it to my guest VM's with no problem.

So, to summarize, some of us are finding the Cisco VPN client works in bridged mode but not in shared mode, and others of us are finding the exact opposite. The point being, try out everything you can, even if somebody on this forum says it doesn't work.
 
Cisco VPN

alkalifly said:
That is funny (not haha funny, more ironic) because I have been having problems connecting through Cisco VPN with Bridged Networking from day one, but as soon as the Shared Networking came to exist, I have been sharing my Cisco VPN connection through it to my guest VM's with no problem.

So, to summarize, some of us are finding the Cisco VPN client works in bridged mode but not in shared mode, and others of us are finding the exact opposite. The point being, try out everything you can, even if somebody on this forum says it doesn't work.
Click to expand...

You are right but this is down to the Cisco Client not Parallels. I have two version (4.6 and 4.8) which I need to keep installing and reinstalling because one works with some clients and another with others. A nightmare and down to not so wonderful coding on behalf of Cisco.
 
FWIW, I am using version 4.9 of the Cisco VPN client, which, AFAIK, is the only Universal Binary that will run natively on Intel Macs. If you can get your paws on version 4.9, you might want to give it a whirl and see if it works any better for you. Perhaps the Rosetta PPC emulation required by the earlier versions is complicating things? Just a thought...
 
Funny, I"ve been running macside VPN/shared networking for 1.5 years successfully! Wireless/wired.

Bridged networking would require setting up a VPN from inside the guest OS, yes?

what hasn't worked for me is cisco VPN over sierra wireless card, AT&T, 3G! As long as en3 is up, the VPN would come down immediately after connection.

I've been pausing the VM, ifconfig en3 down while VPN'ed over 3G, then reversing on exit. Very inconvenient!

But, on another forum, someone suggested turning off IPv6 on the parallels interfaces. Now VPN stays up fine.

But, the VPN interface is not visible by parallels (5608). So while VPN+3G USB modem+en3+parallels will now coexist, once the VPN is up, parallels no longer can see any network beyond en2 (guest-OS).

Anybody have any suggestions? I'd love to get this all working as I'm often on the road, dependent on 3G access and VPN. Turning off parallels is a right-royal pain, as software that I depend on runs in the VM.

thanks
 
Oh, I forgot - 3g USB card network w/o VPN is used within Parallels just fine. It's only the VPN that isn't seen (though ping suggests that the 2 interfaces for shared networking are running fine)

cheers
 
sorry, guess I wasn't clear enough?

sorry, all, I thought by saying "macside' etc., it would be clearer. apparently not?

problem only manifests with cisco VPN. mini card (sierra wireless), AT&T, 3G (does that describe it completely?) is plugged into the macside - as USB device, there is no need to see it on the windows side.

the PPP network that comes up is usable on the mac side AND the windows side w/o further config or adjustments - just as parallels and mac are default configured.

That is, the normal parallels shared networking works as expected until the VPN comes up.

parallels default shared networking installation: quickly after coming up successfully cisco VPN (whatever is the latest version, as posted in this thread - don't have time to go check) the VPN drops.

If en3 is brought down (and of course, parallels paused - not running - it doesn't like it's network taken out from underneath it, smile) OR if IPv6 is turned off on en3 and en2, cisco VPN successfully connects.

Here is the problem to be solved: On successful establish of VPN network, parallels windows NO LONGER has a network beyond the guest OS interface (en2). Windows can ping successfully as far as en2 IP, but not the default router.

It's as if the default router has not be reset. In fact, perhaps all the usual DHCP paramters for en2 have NOT be reset? Is that a possibility to follow down?

does that answer all questions sufficiently?

thanks
 
thank you for response

thank you for the response. Still, I'm sorry in that I don't see how your response helps to solve the my VPN problem?

ping is just a diagnostic tool, right? It is not an end in and of itself.

Let me restate the problem I'm debugging.

Successfully establishing a mac-side cisco VPN over my 3G modem card (USB sierra aircard, AT&T) stops network traffic beyond local-host on the windows side.

that is bad enough. but what is intended is for the windows side to be on my corp network so that outlook and other network services work over the mac-side VPN over 3G.

This currently works over wifi and ethernet connections (default shared networking, completely transparent. I establish a VPN tunnel and windows side is now on corp network. perfect)

Why does parallels shared networking for windows use of mac-side VPN not work over 3G USB modem, PPP At&t network? It does work beautifully over wifi and ethernet.

I apologize if somehow I was not clear about the problem that I'm trying to solve.

cheers and many thanks for your continuing help.
 
I haven't looked into split tunnel VPN (and in fact, don't really understand what it means, though I should!)

I will look into it and at least understand it before I post again. I will post either way, if it works, just to close the loop.

thanks
 
OK - a little quick research. While split tunneling would give me A network in windows, it wouldn't be the correct network! I'm not trying to get to the internet from Windows. I'm trying to get to my corp network just the same for 3G as other network connections.

Instead of split tunneling, might as well use windows-side VPN (which is a right royal pain, IMHO). I might as well use bridged networking for parallels and just bring up a windows VPN. But that's not what I get over wifi nor wired. So why do I have to reconfigure for USB PPP modem NIC?

The point of my question, to re-iterate (once again, please) is that I want windows to be on the same VPN network as mac. Right? What I use windows for is exchange (because entourage, IMHO is brain dead). Exchange is no good unless VPN is established. We don't expose our exchange to the Internet (as most organizations don't or shouldn't)

So, to explain more: normally over wifi or wired, I'm VPN'ed into my corp network mac-side. Windows participates in this VPN via shared networking. All is goodness, since I only need bring up ONE SINGLE VPN. lovely. I get my corp services (like IPphone, etc.) on mac side. AND, lovely, I get exchange and anything other corp services that I need, on the windows side. How perfect is that? Can't get much better, IMHO. I'm a happy camper, as long as wherever I am has wifi or wires and Internet.

I'm not always near or can borrow someone else's Internet. hence my dependence on 3G.

And, the goodness all falls apart over 3G mini card. Ugh!

Why is the mini card network VPN so vastly different from VPN over any other NIC? I don't get it, frankly. USB modem is just another NIC. In my strong opinion, parallels shared networking shouldn't operate any differently over USB 3G NIC than it does for built in wifi (airport) or the ethernet NIC.

That is, in my strong opinion, I, a user, shouldn't have to do anything different over 3G. And, the kicker is, the network works fine under windows until I bring the VPN up - which indicates to me that it is the VPN intereaction with parallels virtual interfaces that is the problem. Doesn't that set off bells and whistles for the parallels tech team? If I were the developer, I can assure you that I'd want to figure that out.

(and I used to program TCP/IP stacks, so I have some idea of what's involved here. You've got all kinds of posts about Keyspan drivers here? I used to be Keyspan's Director of Software Development. Ahem. I think I get at least some of the issues here?)

This problem doesn't make sense to me from a user perspective. Like I wrote, the USB modem is just another NIC. What ever is the standard VPN behaviour over any other NIC ought to be the same over mini card modem, IMO.

Once again, so that there is NO mistake (hopefully y'all read this entire post?), the established USB modem network connection can be used by parallels shared networking up and until a cisco VPN is established. At that point, windows parallels shared networking loses connectivity beyond the mac. (shared mounts still work, which presumably indicates that networking is ok to the mac-side, but not beyond? yes?)

thank you
 
John - I really appreciate your help in this matter.

I do think, based upon your responses, that we are seriously miscommunicating. So far, as near as I can tell, none of your responses has addressed my issue - which is why I keep rewriting it.

I tried to send you an email privately to state this. But you're blocked. So I can't. So, I will post it. I do not think that you understand what I want based upon your responses. Sorry.

If my last message is unclear, please post that, rather than trying once again. Because so far, we've delved into

-- ping (totally off base)
-- split tunneling (does not address actual issue)
-- request for information that was in the first post (AFAIK)

???!?

sorry to be so blunt. Still, if I can head-off another turn around of missed messages, that will save each of us some time, yes?

I've tried, in my last post to be much more specific. please advise if I am still unclear.

I only need to get shared networking over mac-side cisco VPN over att 3g NIC working. Or, a workaround.

I have no other networking issues presently with the parallels product. shared networking works flawlessly over other interfaces (including mac-side cisc VPN over airport/wired shared to windows-side transparently, everyday, all day, in fact this is how I'm running right at this moment, to be exact and clear)

thank you for clarity
 
ah - crossed posts. smile.

I've done your suggested experiment many, many times trying to solve this problem. I've been working on it for 1.5 years. Always thought that it was a cisco problem until I reconfigured IPv6. I never thought to bring the issue to parallels team! (silly me)

thanks
 
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