Mac OS X | Security / Privacy | Firewall | VPN Tracker

VPN Tracker - 5.3

IPsec VPN client for over 300 third-party firewalls

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All Time:	(3.9)
Version 5.3:	(2.0)
Selected Version:	5.3
Release Date:	2008-09-08
License:	Update
Downloads (version 5.3):	556
Downloads (all versions):	59,040
Price:	$69.90

Information Related to Version:

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Product Description:

VPN Tracker from equinux is the Premier Mac VPN client for Mac OS X, allowing the user to establish a safe data transfer between their Mac and their company's network. Once installed on the Mac, the corporate network is just one click away. VPN Tracker 5 has been completely re-written from the ground up and optimized for use on remote workstations. As well as an entirely new user interface, VPN Tracker 5 also features a greatly improved IPSec engine and a number of useful features for working within workgroups.

What's new in this version:

Added the SonicWALL NSA 2400 device profile
Mode Config is now supported for the following NETGEAR devices: FVS338, FVX538, FVS336G, FVS124G, and DGFV338
Documentation and device profiles for the most popular NETGEAR devices have been reworked. This includes the devices FVS338, FVX538, FVS336G, DGFV338, FVG318, FVS318v3, FVS114, and FVS124G
Improved device profile for SOHO3 devices
The MAC address used for DHCP (SonicWALL) has changed. Please refer to the following FAQ for more information: http://equinux.com/goto/vpntracker/dhcpmac
DHCP over IPsec now works with all PPoE connections
Significantly improved DNS handling to fix issues when DHCP leases were renewed while using multiple concurrent VPN connections
Fixed a bug where VPN Tracker would continue to expect DNS settings from the VPN gateway, even though Client Provisioning / Mode Config was no longer in use
It is now possible to set a custom timeout for the password dialogs (Advanced > Display credentials prompt for ... seconds). This can be useful when RSA SecureID tokens are used and the authentication server requests the next token, or for accessibility purposes
Pre-shared keys and Extended Authentication (XAUTH) credentials passed to the AppleScript â??startâ?? command are now stored in the keychain instead of in the connection. Passing one-time passwords (â?? passcodesâ??) as a parameter of the start command is no longer possible
Added support for hexadecimal pre-shared keys. Any pre-shared key beginning with 0x is considered to be hexadecimal (e.g. 0x12FF34AB56CE)
Added an option to the password prompts / edit dialogs to remove stored passwords from the keychain
To get accurate test results in cases where the local router only supports one concurrent VPN connection, the VPN Environment Manager now asks to disconnect running VPN connections before performing its tests
Added custom placeholders for the identifier settings for some devices to better indicate the settings they correspond to on the device
Consolidated network access, so it is easier to approve the necessary network connections when third- party personal firewalls are used
Fixed a bug where changes to a connection would not be saved when quitting the application right after making the changes
Significantly improved handling of network changes and missing network connectivity
Fixed an issue where VPN Tracker prevented some Macs from automatically going to sleep
Removed warnings when using the VPN Environment Manager in a demo version of VPN Tracker
Fixed an issue where EasyVPN would be turned on for some Cisco connections that use Mode Config during migration from VPN Tracker 4
Connections can now be imported by dragging them on the connection list
Improved handling of situations where the VPN gateway is part of the local network
Deleting connections is now faster
It is no longer necessary to enter an admin password for creating a Technical Support Report
Added Undo functionality for text fields in the main VPN Tracker window
It is now possible to undo changes when editing connection settings
VPN Trackerâ??s Dock menu is now also available when the main VPN Tracker window has been closed
Added a warning that certain identifier types are not possible when using Main Mode
Switching between device profiles now gives the choice between preserving as many settings as possible, or resetting all device-specific settings to the default values for the device (old behavior)
Duplicate connections are now numbered
Added keyboard shortcuts for starting/stopping (Cmd-Return) and restarting connections (Cmd-Option- Return)
Added full keyboard navigation and minor bug fixes for the device profile chooser
Better visual indication that a connection is locked and which settings are not editable
It is now possible to switch to a custom device profile from a specific device profile without losing any settings
Improved Drag & Drop for connections
Fixed an issue where empty text fields would not display properly
Improved performance and accuracy of the traffic graph
Accidental entry of spaces in VPN gateway addresses is now prevented
Added an informational log message when the VPN gateway has requested a Perfect Forward Secrecy (PFS) setting different from the configured setting
Reduced the number of log files created

Operating System Requirements:

This product is designed to run on the following operating systems:

Mac OS X 10.5 Intel
Mac OS X 10.5 PPC
Mac OS X 10.4 Intel
Mac OS X 10.4 PPC

Additional Requirements:

Internet-Connection (required for activation)

Feedback Summary:

Version 5.3:
Overall Rating:	(2.0)	Features:	(3.0)	Support:	(1.0)
Ease of Use:	(1.0)	Quality / Stability:	(3.0)	Price:	(3.0)

Key to Types of Feedback:

Reviews Reviews Troubleshooting Usage Tips Developer Notes Commentary Featured Reviews

Excellent VPN client - Version: 5.4, 11/5/2008 05:17AM PST

pderby

I use both CISCO's VPN Client and VPN Tracker. VPN Tracker will establish a VPN connection through a tethered bluetooth mobile phone connection. CISCO's VPN client will not do this (at least that I could figure out).

So if you need a robust VPN tool that works with most anything including bluetooth IP connections, VPN tracker is great.

The times I've needed technical support they have answered my configuration questions overnight with knowledgeable staff. The built in capability to generate a support request and the extensive logging options are extremely well done.

Impossible licensing - and didn't work well with Zyxel router - Version: 5.3, 9/10/2008 09:39AM PST

(1 of 1 users found this comment useful)

Jason Mark

We have 3 copies of this software for my office, and I'm looking for a replacement. Give yourself an hour to just deal with licensing stupidity when setting up this software... to make matters worse today one of my users just had it "stop working" with a message saying their license has expired (huh?).

Since one of my employees originally registered the product, just the process of looking up the username and password took 15 minutes, and 3 separate forms and emails from Equinox.

Why do they have to be so friggin clever with logins, they need to just use a serial number like every other software package out there?

We had some problems with our Zyxel router, which is now fixed with the latest version of VPN tracker, but we lost hours, and a few hundred dollars on a consultant working around these issues. This is much less of an issue than how hard it is to use.

Pricing is fair for what I need it to do.

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Impossible licensing - and didn't work well with Zyxel router

WAY over-priced. - Version: 5.2.2, 6/17/2008 10:38PM PST

w i n t e r m u t e--2008

The pricing policy for this software is ridiculous. It's horrible that so many VPN hardware makers rely on cheap, Windows-only methodologies to establish services like VPNs. There are established standards that can be followed to create VPN hardware that is compatible with all platforms without having to buy costly add on software like this. (Another Windows-only technology I despise is ActiveX... but that's for another time.)

VPN Tracker does appear to be very slick, but that still doesn't justify the high cost with free/low-cost alternatives available like the built-in VPN software in OS X, IPsecuritas, Tunnelblick, and Shimo.

Thank goodness IPsecuritas is available. It works great with a SonicWALL TZ-170 that I need to connect to... and it's free. Strange that IPsecuritas does not show up when searching for "VPN" here at VersionTracker. However, it does show up if you search for its name.