Cisco VPN client and mac mail

Question

Cisco VPN client and mac mail

Hi all,

I wonder if someone can be more helpful than my uni IT department who take a minimum of a week to get you an IP address...

My new uni uses Cisco VPN client for connection to the Wi-Fi network. It all works great apart from one (very annoying problem):-my e-mail accounts in mac mail don't seem to be able to connect via the VPN. I have had both an IMAP and a POP server e-mail account work automatically wherever I connect in the world for over a year now-so its not the way I've set up the accounts.

Is there any way to get mac mail to "see" the VPN connection. If I have to physically plug-in my mac this seems a tad ridiculous when it works in every coffee shop with free wi-fi.

My uni are not helpful as they want people to use either outlook or better still log-on to their e-mail using the web. I don't even want to use their e-mail-what is the point when I move jobs again in a year. What I do currently is use an IMAP account from my last job which I've set to forward to my "e-mail for life" from my undergrad uni. I basically only give out my life e-mail address and this also goes on all my papers.

If I can't access this easily and sort all my mail in all the folders I've created to filter out things like facebook etc. I'm wondering what the point of mac mail is.

macbook, Mac OS X (10.4.11), cisco VPN client version 4.9.01

Posted on Jul 30, 2009 9:08 AM

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Answer 1

BDAqua

Level 10

250,259 points

Jul 30, 2009 11:46 AM in response to dreaminflowerbeds

I hope sombody with more knowledge on this stops in, but some things I'd try...

Make a New Location, Using network locations in Mac OS X ...

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106653

Another thing that has worked for many is to just copy/duplicate that Location in Network>Location>Edit Locations..., then use that one.

Turn off he Mac's Firewall for a test.

See if the DNS Server settings need changing to the Uni's.

Are you starting VPN before you start Mail?

Is there a Router involved in this situation?

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Answer 2

Jul 30, 2009 12:19 PM in response to BDAqua

Yeah, that stuff normally works for me. Unfortunately this is a situation where you have to use an external Cisco VPN client software, whether you like it or not. Its this horrible clunky thing (which at least half works I guess). So its only like normal wi-fi in terms of selecting the network, then you have to open up this application and put in your log-in etc. Most of the settings on this client seem locked, so there isn't much I can do to configure it.

I've just got to my (temporary) accommodation which doesn't have wi-fi or VPN (just ethernet) and my mail is working again-so it must be the VPN. Goodness knows how it works with an iPod touch (interested in getting one but kind of pointless if I spend most of my time at work and it doesn't work...)

Thanks for your suggestions though!

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