Will the Linux ( red-hat ) Open VPNC Client connect to checkpoint or nortel VPN gateways?

Question

Site: http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/network/vpn/linux-solaris/index.xml?ID=VPNC

What is open VPNC:

VPNC is an open-source VPN client for Linux and other Unix systems which is compatible with the OUCS VPN Service and which offers some advantages over the ‘official’ Cisco VPN client for Linux

My question:

So VPNC will connect to Cisco VPN gateways. But will it connect to Checkpoint's or Nortel's gateways as well?

IF NOT:

then please advice if there are some other tools like OPEN VPNC that can service checkpoint or Nortel VPNs ?

Solution

I cannot say if VPNC will or won't work with Checkpoint, and in the past when I've attempted to use VPNC with Aventail/Nortel it did not work for me, so I reverted to using the native client software that was included by Aventail/Nortel on Fedora/CentOS/Ubuntu systems. I cover some of this at a highlevel on my blog in this article titled: Setting up Aventail VPN Software on Linux (Fedora/CentOS/RHEL).

Checkpoint

With respect to Checkpoint, if you go to this URL you'll notice that they provide a Linux version of their SNX software which I believe you could use instead of VPNC.

• SSL Network Extender (SNX) R71

Specifically towards the bottom of that page are these 2 links:

• SSL Network Extender R71 HFA 1 Windows, Linux and Mac files for Security Gateway R70 and R71
• SSL Network Extender R71 Windows, Linux and Mac files for Security Gateway R70 and R71

Other resources

This serverfault Q&A titled: Checkpoint VPN Linux Client also had additional links to Checkpoint VPN client options. Several answers mention a client called Shrew which is claimed to be able to connect to Checkpoint as well.

Comments

[Admin]

In the past there was a native client accessible via the Nortel VPN server itself, if you knew where to find it. VPNC does not work with Nortel last time I checked. lamolabs.org/blog/4720/…

[Admin]

this nortel VPN can be installed on red-hat?

[Admin]

When I used aventail the software was from a product that was nortel if I remember correctly. I no longer have access to it. You might make out with this method as well: theunixtips.com/connecting-to-nortel-vpn-from-linux

[Admin]

your remark is anout the nortel , what about checkpoint ( is it possible to get VPN/VPNC chkpoint that can connect to checkpoint gateways?

[Admin]

See my A. I found SNX software for Checkpoint which may be what you want.

[Admin]

thx slm , just now I download the file SNXforVPN1 from checkpoint site , the problem is they not tell us if red-hat is good for there VPN , as you know there are many kind of LINUX as red-hat , fedora , unbuntu etc , so its not clear if linux red-hat version 6.3 is good for this installation , any way I will try it

[slm]

@Eytan - yeah I would expect that it would in fact work on RHEL, CentOS and Fedora without any problems given these are very popular products in the enterprise. Those are the types that would make use of a VPN, so that makes sense to me. I used to use Nortel/Aventail on Fedora/CentOS starting 7+ years ago, is kind of my logic. I would also expect it to work on Ubuntu. These are the main distros that you'd see in a company. Let me know how you make out, I can help you out further with the install etc. if you need guidance/support.

[Admin]

thanks very much slm , I will install it maybe next week because I in vacation , I hope it will work on Linux red-hat ,

[Admin]

bdw I already download the OPEN VPNC and seems its work find on Cisco gateway ( in our company we have three kind oF VPN - Cisco , checkpoint and Nortel , and some of Juniper ) , from my understanding Nortel its little problematic but before I go to Nortel I want to try the checkpoint , I do all these because we want to work with the VPN clients UNDER Linux environment in place on WIN XP ( today in my company the vpns work under WIN XP system ) but we decided to implement the VPN on Linux because some important reasons )

[slm]

@Eytan - yes the one that I know for a fact that VPNC works with is Cisco as well so that makes sense.

[Rui F Ribeiro]

For those searching for a Checkpoint client for Linux, see unix.stackexchange.com/questions/450229/…