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Patrick Chinn
Distributed Network Computing Consultant
pchinn@oregon.uoregon.edu
In November, 2002, Cisco released a new virtual private network (VPN) client for Mac OS X. The new version, 3.7, is a much-improved version of the software that shipped on the 2002 Duckware CD.
VPN uses a set of hardware and software that enables your computer to transparently connect to a remote network as if you were physically attached to that network. In addition, the communication between your computer and the remote VPN hardware is encrypted.
The primary improvement in Cisco's VPN 3.7 is the inclusion of a graphical user interface (GUI) for both installation and use. The addition of a graphical user interface makes installation and use much easier. Prior versions required text-based installation steps and functioned as a GUI application only in conjunction with a freeware helper application.
VPN 3.7 for Mac OS X is available at no charge from CC Public Domain (ccpd.uoregon.edu). The file, CiscoVPN.dmg, is located in the Network Software folder under "VPN OS X." As access to CC Public Domain is limited to university IP addresses only, the software is also available on CD-ROM from the Documents Room (175 McKenzie Hall).
Currently there is no free VPN solution for Mac OS 9. A commercial product, Netlock, is available at http://www.netlock.com/
To learn more about VPN, see http://micro.uoregon.edu/getconnected/vpn_overview.html