VPN My MBP to prove to the PC guys

TheBlackLabEdge said:

Our server is running off Red Hat linux; normally our software support has us download power term & openvpn & we're off to the races. They said power term is very expensive for macs & recommended I install parallels, windows 7 & they can go from there.

My cousin, who is 3 states away said the MBP basically has everything I need, it just needs configured. Someone please tell me it can be done.....& point me in the right direction.

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Power Term looks like Terminal, which is pre-installed on OS X. For Open VPN, you'll have to download Tunnlblick and configure it.

Of course don't expect them to help if something doesn't work.

thejadedmonkey said:

Power Term looks like Terminal, which is pre-installed on OS X.

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Really. Why would you have to install a unix terminal emulator in Parallels on a Mac instead of running a unix terminal?

What do you use Power Term for in this case anyhow, ssh? If so, there are other native options beyond Terminal.

B

OS X also has a decent VPN client bulit in, that just needs to be configured. You need to know the VPN protocol and parameters beforehand, to succeed at that. Here's an illustrated guide:
http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/network/vpn/macosx-native/
Pay attention, it describes configuration for their particular service, so you need to be creative or just google for instructions for the exact VPN protocol that you need to configure.

TheBlackLabEdge said:

Thanks, I will get to studying!!

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BTW if you or your organization were to own OS X Server, you could download VPN-enabling configuration profiles to all your clients in a blink of an eye.
That way your network admin needs to enter VPN parameters only once and distribute the profile via e-mail or web download, for example. End users would only need to double-click the downloaded profile and setup would happen automagically.

Honestly, it sounds like your IT people are so backwards, and quite lazy. I recommend you follow their original instructions and go with a Windows Virtual Machine --- but not for the same reason they used. Personally, I would never let my nice clean OSX anywhere near a loggin to that infrastruture. What do I care if they contract a massive virus and it smashes my virtual machine?

If that sounds appealing, try Virtual Box, http://www.virtualbox.org, it's openware. Make your idiot IT guys give you license keys for windoze and whatever else you need on it.

There is a number of vt220 emulators for mac, just google for one. OS X also supports a number of VPN protocols out of the box (priitv8 posted a guide). There is no reason why this should not work - unless they are using a different kind of VPN, in which case you would need a specific VPN client.

leman said:

There is a number of vt220 emulators for mac, just google for one. OS X also supports a number of VPN protocols out of the box (priitv8 posted a guide). There is no reason why this should not work - unless they are using a different kind of VPN, in which case you would need a specific VPN client.

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The OP mentioned OpenVPN, which is not supported by OS X natively. If any of the protocols supported by the built-in VPN client can be used, I agree it would be more handy. If OpenVPN is absolutely required, Tunnelblick is the best (and only) option.

mac8867 said:

Honestly, it sounds like your IT people are so backwards, and quite lazy. I recommend you follow their original instructions and go with a Windows Virtual Machine --- but not for the same reason they used. Personally, I would never let my nice clean OSX anywhere near a loggin to that infrastruture. What do I care if they contract a massive virus and it smashes my virtual machine?

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I...don't even know where to begin. Are you really calling them lazy, because they have an infrastructure that sets certain requirements to client computers, and they don't have the budget to buy hugely expensive software licenses for a single user that happens to want to use unsupported hardware/software instead of what is readily available? And the virus BS... come on. I can't tell if you were being serious, or not.

laurihoefs said:

The OP mentioned OpenVPN, which is not supported by OS X natively. If any of the protocols supported by the built-in VPN client can be used, I agree it would be more handy. If OpenVPN is absolutely required, Tunnelblick is the best (and only) option.

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I have used several Mac VPN clients, of which OpenVPN was one and there is a great guide located at OpenVPN Mac.

I would suggest to follow their guide and enter your host name to get the client to install. Since you have used it on a Windows PC, then the rest should be straightforward.

As for a good terminal program, I use ZOC6. It is my favorite terminal app that provides many of the features I have used from my Windows days such as SecurCRT and WinSCP. Then I use FileZilla for anything ftp, sftp, ftp over ssh, etc. These two apps along with the VPN client gives me everything I need to get my work done on any Unix, Linux server.

willgreene99 said:

I have used several Mac VPN clients, of which OpenVPN was one and there is a great guide located at OpenVPN Mac.

I would suggest to follow their guide and enter your host name to get the client to install. Since you have used it on a Windows PC, then the rest should be straightforward.

As for a good terminal program, I use ZOC6. It is my favorite terminal app that provides many of the features I have used from my Windows days such as SecurCRT and WinSCP. Then I use FileZilla for anything ftp, sftp, ftp over ssh, etc. These two apps along with the VPN client gives me everything I need to get my work done on any Unix, Linux server.

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This.

When I said Tunnelblick was the only option, I was both not thinking straight, and not being specific enough. Tunnelblick is the only free client that I'm aware of, but that does not even matter: they are running OpenVPN, so they already have it licensed and can use the provided Mac client.

Sorry for the confusion, and thanks for pointing the OP to the right direction!

laurihoefs said:

Are you really calling them lazy, because they have an infrastructure that sets certain requirements to client computers, and they don't have the budget to buy hugely expensive software licenses for a single user that happens to want to use unsupported hardware/software instead of what is readily available?

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Yup... that is exactly right. There are options which do not have to be hugely expensive. If you read the OP's first entry, they blew him off. A good tech would have explored options. So, yes ---- LAZY
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laurihoefs said:

And the virus BS... come on. I can't tell if you were being serious, or not.

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Call it what you want. I don't let my OS interact with infrastructures I don't trust.

mac8867 said:

Yup... that is exactly right. There are options which do not have to be hugely expensive. If you read the OP's first entry, they blew him off. A good tech would have explored options. So, yes ---- LAZY

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Huh. I haven't heard anyone being called lazy just because they don't bend the rules for a single user. Interesting. What's your definition of hard working then? I'll make a quess: 'Having recless disregard of common good practices and rules.'

mac8867 said:

Call it what you want. I don't let my OS interact with infrastructures I don't trust.

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Then... magical elves must have carried your reply to Macrumors.com servers. Or you are connected to one huge blob of untrusted infrastructure. Good luck with that.

P.S. Upvoted your post: very entertaining

Sometimes the help desk or IT guys/gals have to follow company policy or they risk losing their job. Are some lazy or single minded? Absolutely, but end of day company policy is company policy.

laurihoefs said:

If OpenVPN is absolutely required, Tunnelblick is the best (and only) option.

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Not true. Viscosity is also a useful and nice OpenVPN client, though commercial ($9).

PrivateTunnel is another free Mac OpenVPN app, compiled directly by OpenVPN, and available on their website (just click on the Apple logo at the bottom to get it).

I...don't even know where to begin. Are you really calling them lazy, because they have an infrastructure that sets certain requirements to client computers, and they don't have the budget to buy hugely expensive software licenses for a single user that happens to want to use unsupported hardware/software instead of what is readily available?

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No, he's calling them lazy because the IT department clearly provided incorrect information in the hopes that the Dumb Mac User would just go away, or install an OS for which they already have configuration scripts for and can mindlessly configure. When a couple minutes of searching could've shown that there's less effort required here.

And the virus BS... come on. I can't tell if you were being serious, or not.

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If an IT department is dismissing users with "we can't securely connect our VT220-based system to your UNIX-underpinned Mac," then I'd be questioning their competency level, too. If they can't figure that out, who knows what else they can't figure out?