VPN cannot save a configuration profile

Question

VPN cannot save a configuration profile

First of all, I am using the latest download from the App store on a Mac Mini which was purchased about a year ago.

I edited the VPN configuration and then attempted to save the new mobileconfig, but no joy. I am stuck in an endless loop with the modal dialog "VPN Host is required." Of course, I have set a VPN host in the prior wizard dialog. It appears that the name was acceptable because I can see the green jelly dot after I enter the hostname.

I tried using simple hostname (which I believe would be a non-starter outside the LAN), a FQN; also tried removing a prior config that was sitting in my Documents directory; tried saving with the VPN running and when it was disabled. I feel like I have run out of options for what should be a most simple operation, that is saving a file. What gives? What is the solution? Thanks in advance to any and all who try to help.

Mac mini, Mac OS X (10.7), Lion Server

Posted on Jul 26, 2011 11:20 PM

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Answer 1

Jul 29, 2011 1:50 AM in response to ron.courtright

I´m having exactly the same problem!

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Answer 2

matwyn

Level 1

10 points

Jul 29, 2011 2:57 AM in response to ron.courtright

Hi Ron

Does the hostname that appears automatically match the hostname of the server or of the one you want to have?

I just tried here and it was absolutley fine both with the generated name (pulled from the hostname) and with one that was made up but had .com at the end (the green jelly blob is just a way of saying it is a resolvable FQDN but is checks nothing more than that).

In both cases (green and red light) it saved it fine and no matter what I typed into the box it retained the hostname of my server. I'd check that the hostname of what it's resolbing matches what it's set to by;

sudo changeip -checkhostname

Matt

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Answer 3

Caledai

Level 1

25 points

Jul 29, 2011 4:16 AM in response to matwyn

Use these commands to check for your forward/reverse DNS and your hostname/server is setup correctly

nslookup hostname

nslookup fullyqualifiedhostname

nslookup servers ip

sudo changeip -checkhostname

Use these commands to get advanced info about your VPN - post the results here, after sanitising the host name and Pre-Shared Key etc.

sudo serveradmin fullstatus vpn

sudo serveradmin settings vpn

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Answer 4

VincFalk

Level 1

10 points

Jul 29, 2011 10:10 AM in response to ron.courtright

That may sound a bit weird, but I has the same issue and after I deleted the first char of my hostname-string (the dot was also green) and retyped it (only the first char) Lion Sever saved my config file without asking me again 😉

might be some sort of bug or something...

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Answer 5

moosecow

Level 1

10 points

Aug 3, 2011 9:13 AM in response to ron.courtright

I had this same exact problem and Matwyn's post resolved the issue.

The key is that the hostname must match the host name you using under the VPN Configuration save dialog box.

In ther Server.app, click on "Configure Network".

Then click on the "Server" in the section that describes the next steps.

Under the Network tab > Host Name, click on Edit.

Follow the assistant.

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Answer 6

Aug 7, 2011 3:07 PM in response to moosecow

moosecow FTW as it stays with the Server.app which is intended by the powers that be to be the master configurator. By visiting the Server.app and selecting the "Configure Network" button, the wizard so much as told me in plain English what the most helpful command line invocations implied: there was a mismatch between the FQN and the hostname. Edit the hostname and when the modal dialog with the radio buttons appears that offers you a selection between LAN and internet, choose internet. I revisited the VPN panel and was then able to save my configuration.

One more note, sadly although the Server.app alerts you to the discrepancy, it suggests changing the hostname from myminimacserver.local to myminimacserver.private. When the wizard takes you to the radio button array, there is no explicit choice for a .private name, so I made the logical assumption (I hope) and selected internet. And the save configuration now works.

I ran a before and after comparison of logs obtained by running all of the CLIs suggested by Caledai and running changeip will also take you in the same direction, if you are willing to keep pounding that keyboard. I generally approve of the command line over a GUI, but even if it provided a salubrious solution I feared that it would not take me home. That is there would be yet another step to complete.

Thank you one and all for your support.

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