System information

174 Chapter 4: Configuring Cisco VPN 3000 for Remote Access Using Preshared Keys
Installing and Configuring the VPN Client
The Cisco VPN Client is packaged with every VPN concentrator sold by Cisco. The VPN Client
can be installed on several different operating systems, including Linux, Sun Solaris, Apple
MAC OS X, and Microsoft Windows. This section looks at the Microsoft Windows version of
the VPN Client.
The following topics are covered in this section:
• Overview of the VPN Client
• VPN Client features
• VPN Client installation
• VPN Client configuration
Overview of the VPN Client
The Microsoft Windows version of the VPN Client runs on Windows 95, 98, 98 SE, Me, NT,
2000, and XP platforms. The client is designed to work as a remote access client connecting
through a secure data tunnel to an enterprise network over the Internet. This permits remote
users to access the services of a private network as though the users were attached directly to
the network, with the security of encrypted communications between the client and the host.
To use the VPN Client after it has been installed, the user first connects to the Internet and then
starts the VPN Client to negotiate a tunnel with the VPN host. For remote access services, that
host is most commonly a VPN concentrator, but it could be a router or firewall, or some other
network device.
To start the VPN Client from a Windows-based PC, select Start, Programs, Cisco Systems
VPN Client, and then select one of the following programs:
• Certificate Manager—Manage digital certificates for the client to be used when
authenticating with VPN devices.
• Help—View the complete online manual with full instructions on using the VPN Client
application.
• Log Viewer—View events from the log file.
• Set MTU—Control the maximum transmission unit (MTU) size that the VPN Client is to
use to communicate with the host.
14 Configuring the IPSec Windows Client
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