• Open Menu Close Menu
  • Apple
  • Shopping Bag
  • Apple
  • Mac
  • iPad
  • iPhone
  • Watch
  • TV
  • Music
  • Support
  • Search apple.com
  • Shopping Bag

Lists

Open Menu Close Menu
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Lists hosted on this site
  • Email the Postmaster
  • Tips for posting to public mailing lists
Re: [Fed-Talk] VPN for Mac
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: [Fed-Talk] VPN for Mac


  • Subject: Re: [Fed-Talk] VPN for Mac
  • From: "William G. Cerniuk" <email@hidden>
  • Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2008 17:05:46 -0400

I am going to answer generically... No lack of respect for our fedtalk listers but we should not do our agency business in public venues.

Clean Access is a secondary system that works after the Cisco VPN has vetted the inbound user... you login to the VPN first.

When you login to the VPN system using the additional Clean Access server, you are in a holding pen. That holding pen is like coming thru customs on your way from China to the US.

Then the customs agent comes along with their list of questions, metal detector and all the related equipment for an invasive search. The customs agent is the Clean Access server. The tools are the Clean Agent client on your computer.

So say you simply don't go thru the scanner or you refuse to get wanded as it were. You will be stuck in the holding pen. There is a water fountain, vending machine and chairs but that is it. Limited services.

Same with clean access. If the client is not in the system coming thru the VPN or it does not respond properly, the system is left in the holding pen with limited services. If the client is on the system, is told to scan your disk by the server, and the scan shows you have the required configuration... you are passed to a VPN connection with more access to network services if not full network access.

V/R,
Wm. Cerniuk

Sent from my iPhone

On Apr 16, 2008, at 23:18, David Poteet <email@hidden> wrote:

Bill,

I'm still confused... will RESCUE be required only with GFE or also with personally-owned equipment?


On Apr 16, 2008, at 10:36 PM, William G. Cerniuk wrote:

It causes confusion but RESCUE is basically a VA IT branding of the distribution of Cisco's Clean Access software inside the VA.. Clean Access will communicate from the client to the Cisco Clean Access server to vet the incoming system.

So Henry is on target. Clean Access, based on some programmable characteristics will scan the host system based upon the request from the server. It returns a thumbs up or down on the check. Thumbs up means it passed and and our case, it verified that the Windows PC seems to be a VA owned Windows PC. Then the Windows PC is let into the VA network and any services promoted thru the VPN conection. If it does not pass, "no soup for you!" and all the VA user will get is access to a Citrix server.

As far as the Mac plan, the Cisco software "client" for Clean Access runs on Mac but is not full featured like the Windows version.. Implementors must augment it with home brew code execution to perform the Mac check.

Because a number of top VA Execs run Mac at the VA, It would be good if the VA Mac execution is flawless prior to deployment. (!) Google for Clean Access and Cisco and you will see it is not without its issues in the Windows side.

V/R,
Wm. Cerniuk

Sent from my iPhone

On Apr 16, 2008, at 17:55, "Mensch, Henry" <email@hidden> wrote:

RESCUE is a new VA thing which is a superset of VPN technology along with
other containment technologies which ultimately ensure that no sensitive
data ends up in the wrong hands.


Apparently there are two flavors of it: one for GFE and one for OE. The GFE
stuff looks like VPN software along with other bits which enforce various
requirements (like presence of an anti-malware tool, presence of antivirus,
...). On the other hand, the OE tool (which I have not yet seen) looks like
a self-contained environment from which you may neither export nor import
data.


This is, afaik, not official policy yet, but it is on the way to becoming
policy.


(and no, before you ask, I don't know what IRMS' plan for Macintosh support
in this area will be. I expect that both the GFE and OE clients will both
run in a virtual machine--I know that the One VA VPN works well this way).


--
Henry Mensch / Storage Manager
Center for Imaging of Neurodegenerative Diseases
VA Medical Center, San Francisco CA  USA
v: +1.415.221.4810 x2466 / f: +1.415.668.2864
e: email@hidden
w: http://www.cind.research.va.gov/



-----Original Message-----
From: fed-talk-bounces+henry.mensch=email@hidden
[mailto:fed-talk-bounces+henry.mensch=email@hidden] On Behalf Of
Dave Schroeder
Sent: Wednesday, April 16, 2008 1:38 PM
To: Buxbaum, Laurence
Cc: email@hidden
Subject: Re: [Fed-Talk] VPN for Mac



On Apr 16, 2008, at 3:33 PM, Buxbaum, Laurence wrote:
The new VPN directive requires the use of RESCUE software. I assume
the
RESCUE software will not work on a Mac. Do we need Virtual PC (or
other
Windows emulation software)?

What is RESCUE? Whether you need Windows to run it depends on what it
is. If it is VPN software, I've never heard of it and didn't find it
in a brief Google search. Is it Windows-only? Instead of assuming, why
not check? :-)


Also, Virtual PC is discontinued and only required for PowerPC-based
Macs. Windows no longer runs in emulation on Intel-based Macs.

- Dave
_______________________________________________
Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored.
Fed-talk mailing list      (email@hidden)
Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription:
This email sent to email@hidden
_______________________________________________
Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored.
Fed-talk mailing list      (email@hidden)
Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription:
This email sent to email@hidden

_______________________________________________
Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored.
Fed-talk mailing list      (email@hidden)
Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription:
This email sent to email@hidden


  • Prev by Date: [Fed-Talk] useful terminal commands for admins
  • Next by Date: Re: [Fed-Talk] Re: Getting DoD root certificates
  • Previous by thread: Re: [Fed-Talk] VPN for Mac
  • Next by thread: [Fed-Talk] safari and the right cac certificate
  • Index(es):
    • Date
    • Thread