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VPN Client on Vista ??

dan.tesch
Level 1
Level 1

Does anyone have a recommendation as to the best VPN client version to run on Vista? I have been trying quite a few different versions - some of the earlier versions I had been using on XP work but take forever to connect and sometimes error with remote peer failed to respond - some of the newer betas since the start of the year connect quicker and more consistently but have a habit of blue screening my notebook - the latest version I'm using (5.0.03.0530) seems to work kind of OK but appears to have broken the DNS to my office and split tunneling appears to possibly have flaked out as well.

Has someone found a good compromise version for running on Vista? Is it possible that the DNS and split tunnel issues I'm seeing are a remnant of an old install? something in the registry or system I should yank along with a clean install??

16 Replies 16

mj11
Level 3
Level 3

Hi

Version 5 of the VPN Client should work for 32-bit Windows Vista. Support for 64-bit Windows Vista is not available at this time also Cisco VPN Client is only supported on Windows Vista clean install. It means that an upgrade of Windows of any OS to Windows Vista is not supported with the VPN Client Software of this Vista. You must freshly install the Windows Vista and try to install the Vista VPN Client software.

When running under Windows Vista, you might encounter error 412: The remote peer is no longer responding.

To work around this error, upgrade the local NAT device firmware. If this is not possible, switch to TCP. If switching to TCP is not possible, use the following keyword in the connection profile (*.pcf):

UseLegacyIKEPort=1

Regards MJ

jamiedoherty
Level 1
Level 1

I have the same split tunnel problem with 5.0.03.0530. Kind of odd, some sites will actually load and DNS almost always resolves though. This is the first VPN client for Vista that loads cleanly and disconnects cleanly. Any solution to this problem?

Hi, no real solution - the first answer just states things already in the release notes.

re: DNS, you mention that it always resolves, mine does too but only for external sites - for my internal stuff it seems completely broken ex: I have a server that I want to RDP to and it is called "server" I can't connect by name. In the past I've seen that what ever my DNS is normally set to, it changes to the VPN DNS as soon as it is connected and internal as well as external resolution works fine.

I tested this client on an XP machine and it works perfectly. I did a temp fix for me by manually putting in internal DNS servers into the virtual adapter so when I'm connected I get internal resolution.

I am using Vista Enterprise and the most recent VPN client (5.0.03.0530). I have been having the same intermittent errors. Sometimes everything(Split tunn+Split DNS) works perfectly the first shot. Other times I have to reboot the computer 7-8-9... well... lots of times. I have tried EVERY workaround on the web and nothing seems to fix the problem. (Some temp workarounds, but nothing eliminates the problem for good.)

Cisco---

I think it's time to devote a bit more time to this critical problem.

People are either going to upgrade to the latest and greatest OS(Vista) and find a different VPN solution (What I'm looking into) or stick with XP and the Cisco VPN.

Aren't there any Cisco people that run Vista that need to VPN into some network???

Please help with this issue. I would be glad to try some more workarounds.

Follow-up from original poster - I agree, this client is obviously very broken on Vista and requires some more work. I went back to an older version which works kind of crappy, some times I get a connection but no traffic routes but 1/2 the time I just get failed to enable virtual adapter. Restarting the Cisco VPN service doesn't seem to work - enabling and disabling the virtual adapter seems to help but I think that is just voodoo! At least the version I went back to isn't blue screening my notebook anymore. In the 1+ year I've had my notebook with Vista, this is the only thing which has caused a blue screen.

I have had a few users with this problem. They can access all internal stuff, but are unable to access the internet. Uninstalling Client version 5.0.0.3.0530 and then reinstalling version 5.0.0.2.0090 fixed the problem for me.

mattiqmetrix
Level 1
Level 1

We are seeing this issue also. We have many end users who need VPN access to our data center. The client (5.0.03.0530) allows them to connect to us fine but they cannot ping any other public IP. They cannot ping any public domain name. The user must choose between connecting to the data center or viewing web pages. This appears to be a problem on Vista PCs only. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Matt,

Can you access the local lan when you use the client on an XP box?

I have had mixed results with the .0530 client.

Sometimes I can connect with no problems, others my corp. DNS won't work, sometimes I can connect but can't ping any devices on the corp. LAN, and most of the time I get the evil 442 error. (It's total Voodo!!!)

When it actually works I have found that the 'securing communications' process takes FOREVER...

The most frustrating part is that when I boot into XP, I dont have a single problem... and this client is the only thing keeping XP

on my laptop. UUUGGGGGG!!!!

I'm not the only one having all thease random issues, am I?

-Joe

Hey Joe, I made the orig. post - I have exactly the same problems but to answer your question, XP works perfectly... infact, 100+ users with Macs, XP PC's and a few Linux users all connect just fine - only Vista clients have the issue. I have had few real issues with my Vista machine but this is annoying and makes it difficult for me to do remote support very often.

Hey folks...good news. The latest package (5.0.03.0560) did the trick for me. I uninstalled the Cisco VPN Client, installed the Microsoft Hotfix, rebooted, installed the new VPN Client, rebooted and haven't had a single problem today. I have 10+ VPN's and I have been able to disconnect and reconnect with ease. Prior to starting this, I re-enabled Auto-Tuning on Vista because I wanted to have everything default. Good luck everyone!

No luck with the new release here either. Uninstalled the .0530 release, installed hotfix and .0560 release. Now the client completely locks the laptop in 9 out of 10 connects - even the mouse stops responding. This happens after waking up from hibernate but also directly after clean boots.

Anyone else seeing this?

I am actually having good luck with it. It consistently connects properly and I have not had a blue screen since installing it even when putting my notebook to sleep with the VPN still connected (something that was sure to cause a BS when waking previously). It still takes forever to connect vs. how quickly an XP machine does.

I am seeing the exact same problem, the laptop locking up when the VPN client tries to connect. It gets to applying security policies and then it locks up. No blue screen, but the mouse stops responding and ctrl+alt+del does nothing. Cisco we need some help with this problem.

Hi everyone,

I am running the latest version (0560) on Vista enterprise with no problems. Back when I was trying to get 0530 to work I made the two services (vpngui.exe and cvpnd.eve) run as administrator. I have to click a UAC prompt when starting the computer and when starting the GUI, but I haven't had any problems. So, You might want to give that a shot...

My only problem as of now is establishing the connection takes much longer than it does in XP. In XP I click connect, it takes 2-5 seconds, and then I get the window asking for my credentials. The second I click OK, I am instantly connected. In Vista on the other hand, I click connect and instantly get the window for my credentials. Then I click OK and it takes 30-40 seconds to "secure communications channel"... But It works...

For my situation this is a minor annoyance, and I could care less how long it takes since it actually works now.

Hope the "run as administrator" hack works for you...

-Joe

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