Cisco VPN Client causing Mac OSX 10.5.5 wireless issues?

mlinsemier · ‎11-04-2008

We have a few employees using Mac OSX Macbook Pros (like me) that rely heavily on utilizing the Cisco VPN Client (v4.9.01).

Roughly two months ago all of us seemed to start running into issues where our Macbooks would not negotiate DHCP addresses from our Cisco 1200 series AP's using PEAP. None of the other 60 Windows laptops have any issues so we know it's not a new wireless AP issue. After spending time troubleshooting the issue (including a fresh rebuild of Mac OSX), it seems that it has been narrowed down to an issue with the Cisco VPN Client. If it's installed, there are issues obtaining DHCP addresses when the system boots. Uninstalled, there are no issues. Again, this is something new as I have been only expereicing it for a month or so.

Is anyone else running into this issue? It looks as if the latest VPN client is from December of 2007, and we don't have licenses for AnyConnect as of yet, so I am wondering what my options are.

Matt

hadbou · ‎11-10-2008

I think that you might be hitting the bug CSCea75956.The workaround will be that after connecting to the ISP, record the DNS addresses assigned by the DHCP server and hard code them into the workstation. This prevents the workstation from accepting the DHCP-pushed DNS addresses in the future but still allows resolution when not connected over VPN.

take a look at the Release Notes for VPN Client for Mac OS X, Release 4.9 present in the url below

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/security/vpn_client/cisco_vpn_client/vpn_client49/release/notes/49client.html

mlinsemier · ‎11-11-2008

Different bug... Just having the VPN Client installed (not even running it) is causing instability in my Macbook Pro obtaining DHCP addresses over PEAP. Uninstalling it seems to resolve the problem.