Full support is provided for the new Microsoft operating system Windows 7 from version 9.2 onwards. The following Windows desktop operating systems are supported: Windows XP (32/64 Bit), Windows Vista (32/64 Bit), and Windows 7 (32/64 Bit)
Additionally, the Entry Client supports the new Intel Wi-Fi drivers, starting from version 12.4.0.21, and it is compatible to the mobile broadband support in Windows 7.
Important note:In the line for profile selection, a single connect/ disconnect switch replaces the two former buttons. A mouse click is sufficient to establish a connection - the red 0 symbol of the connect/ disconnect switch switches to the green 1 symbol. A second mouse click on the connect/ disconnect switch disconnects the connection.
With each start of the monitor, a new tip appears next to the corporate logo. This is the place where in versions < 9.2 the connect and disconnect buttons were located.
Clicking on the tip opens the affiliated HTML page in the default browser. (The order to the tips of the day (daytip-1_en.html to daytip-1_en.html) is set in the daytips_en.ini in the installation directory \tips.)
The tips can also be hidden via the view menu of the Client Monitor.
You can select the monitor interface language in the language menu item of the view menu. The following languages are available: English, German, French, Polish, and Dutch. English, German, French and Polish are available as setup languages.
In the graphical interface of the monitor a world map depending on the time zone is displayed. Depending on the time zone configured on the PC the corresponding section of the world map is displayed: Europe, America or Asia/ Australia.
Depending on the time of day, the border between day and night is displayed, too. The position is being refreshed every ten minutes.
After clicking on any message, the content does not move out of the window but is complemented internally. By scrolling, the user can view the current content. Highlighted areas and lines can be copied to a different application via [CTRL] + [C].
In the menu item "Profile Settings", the parameter folder "VPN IP Networks" has been renamed "Split Tunneling". The number of configurable remote VPN Networks has been augmented to 250.
If "Wi-Fi" is activated, a periodical scan for Wi-Fi networks is run. During scanning the respective icon is animated. Connection set up to an access point is displayed with a blinking yellow ball on the left hand side of the selected SSID of the Wi-Fi network. A green ball indicates the established connection to a Wi-Fi access point. If several Wi-Fi access points use the same SSID, a small red triangle is displayed next to the SSID.
If "Wi-Fi" has been activated, the affiliated tray icon appears in the taskbar. This icon shows the current connection state, the field strength and the mode of encryption. Clicking on the tray icon, all available Wi-Fi networks are displayed. Selecting one of the Wi-Fi networks either starts connection set up or the Wi-Fi profile wizard, if no Wi-Fi profile has been configured for this Wi-Fi network. The Wi-Fi profile wizard shortens profile configuration and automates connection set up to a new Wi-Fi network. The encryption mode (WEP, WPA...) is now automatically detected.
If the laptop is moved within the range of several access points with the same SSID, the system automatically switches to an access point with higher field strength in the case of low Wi-Fi reception. Applications communicating via this VPN tunnel are usually not affected by the change of access point. This allows the user to move across the corporate campus (e.g. with a laptop), without the need to set up new Wi-Fi connections.
As soon as default IPsec via port 500 or UDP Encapsulation via a freely configurable port is not possible, the VPN Path Finder automatically switches to an alternative connection protocol - TCP encapsulation with SSL header via port 443.
This is especially important if the client only has access to HTTPS Port 443 and a pure IPsec connection is not possible. This can be the case in hotels or at hotspots.
Configuration is carried out in the configuration menu item of the monitor under profile settings in "Advanced IPsec Options".
The VPN Path Finder requests a NCP gateway as remote station (>= V. 8). An alternative port has to be configured in the VPN / IPsec settings of the local system of the gateway.
If a VPN Path Finder is used and a proxy server has to be placed ahead of the internet connection, the user can either select the Windows proxy server of the Internet Explorer or enter a corporate proxy server. This configuration is made in the configuration menu of the monitor under "Proxy for VPN Path Finder".
The firewall can be temporarily deactivated by entering the command "rwscmd /firewalloff" in the command line. A maximum timeout as well as a necessary password can be configured in the client configuration under "Firewall / Options / Commands".
This feature offers network administrators the possibility to temporarily deactivate the firewall for Wireshark Traces or similar applications. For this, administrator rights for the NCP Client are not imperative.
The firewall can be temporarily opened by entering the command "rwscmd /logonhotspot" in the command line.
The configuration of timeout, password and possibly other ports than 80 and 443 is carried out in the configuration menu item of the monitor under "Firewall / Options / Commands".
The profile settings offer the feature to export the selected profile and to import it to another Entry Client.
Through this feature the same VPN profile can be easily transferred from one computer to another. Certificates, however, have to be imported separately. In the profile settings, the button "Add" has been renamed "Add / Import". After clicking this button a wizard is started which helps you to either configure a new profile or import an already existing one.
For import, the NCP Entry Client supports the following file types: *.ini, *.pcf, *.wgx, *wge and *.spd.
Profile settings can be created by the respective remote station or they can be edited manually. The sample files IMPORT_D.txt and IMPORT_E.txt are stored in the installation directory. Syntax and parameter values are also described in the sample files.
In the profile settings, a new parameter folder has been introduced for the communication medium GPRS / 3G.
Three modes of 3G configuration are available:
- Provider list (default setting): By selecting the provider, the APN and the dial-up number is being suggested.
- APN from SIM card: The APN is read out of the SIM card. (This only works if an APN is configured on the SIM card.)
- User-defined: The user is free to configure all dial-up parameters manually.
The provider list can be expanded via the file APN.ini in the installation directory.
The "Budget Manager History" in the connection menu item records and displays either as tabulation or as chart the data volume over a maximum time span of the previous twelve months (provided line management is activated).
The destination address of the FND server can be transmitted to the Entry Client via a DHCP option (159) at the DHCP server. This means that the client is in the LAN as well as in the friendly network assigned to him. (Addresses of FND servers in the firewall configuration of the client are not used as long as the client is assigned its FND addresses via DHCP.)
The Windows Security Center/ Action Center display the availability of the NCP firewall. Since Microsoft has not yet implemented the affiliated API for Windows 7, this service is not available at the moment.
After setting up a VPN tunnel by clicking on "Connect", the user can log on to Vodafone web sessions and establish a VPN tunnel.
The WISPr configuration menu in the Wi-Fi settings of the NCP client can be expanded via an INI file. The file hotspot.ini is stored in the installation directory of the client. New WISPr provider and new SSIDs can be entered into this file.
Setting up a new profile configuration triggers a prompt into which group the configuration is to be saved. It is possible to assign the profile to several groups.
DH group 14 with 2048Bit encryption is additionally available for the PFS group (IKE) and the IPsec settings as well as for the IPsec editor and the IKE and the IPsec guidelines.