Configure the Mac OS X VPN client to connect to Red Hat’s VPN

  1. Select System Preferences from the Apple Menu
  2. System Preferences window

  3. Click the Network icon

    Mac OS X Network preferences window

    NB: the screenshots presented here are from Mac OS X 10.6.8. The UI for this is essentially unchanged in Mac OS X 10.7.x and OS X 10.8.x.

    The left-hand column lists configured Network interfaces for the given Mac OS X box. Consequently this list will change from machine to machine.

  4. Click the + button at the bottom of the configured interfaces list to add a new network interface.
  5. A new network interface dialogue sheet will slide down from the Network title bar:

    Mac OS X Network preferences select the interface and enter a name dialogue sheet

  6. From the Interface pop-up menu select VPN:
  7. Mac OS X Network preferences network interface pop-up menu

  8. From the VPN Type pop-up menu (which will slide into place once VPN is selected in the first pop-up menu above) select Cisco IPSec:
  9. Mac OS X Network preferences network vpn type pop-up menu

  10. Enter a name in the Service Name text-entry field. Red Hat [location] VPN (so Red Hat Brisbane VPN for Brisbane-based folk, for example) is a suggested name.

  11. Click the Create button (or press Return).

  12. The newly-created but not-yet-configured network interface is added to the bottom of the left-hand column. Scroll down to see it if necessary.

  13. Mac OS X Network preferences window (with newly-added network interface)

  14. Select the new interface.

  15. In the Server Address field enter the server address for the VPN server closest to you from the following list:

  16. Location VPN server
    Raleigh vpn-rdu.redhat.com
    Phoenix vpn-phx2.redhat.com
    Amsterdam vpn-ams2.redhat.com
    Singapore vpn-sin2.redhat.com
    Brisbane vpn-bne.redhat.com
    Beijing vpn-nay.redhat.com
    Tel Aviv vpn-tlv.redhat.com
    Tokyo vpn-nrt.redhat.com
  17. In the Account Name field enter your Kerberos username.

  18. Check the Show VPN status in menu bar check box. A menu extra icon as below will appear on the right-hand side of the Menu Bar.

  19. Mac OS X VPN menu extra icon

  20. Click the Authentication Settings… button.
  21. A Machine Authentication dialogue sheet will slide down from the Network title bar:

    Mac OS X Network preferences authentication settings dialogue sheet

  22. Click the Shared Secret radio button and enter nodnerip in the Shared Secret text-entry field.

  23. Enter RH-standard in the Group Name text-entry field.

  24. Click OK (or press Return).

  25. Click Apply.

Connect to and disconnect from Red Hat’s VPN using a configured Mac OS X VPN client.

  1. Click the VPN menu extra icon (added to the right-hand side of the Mac OS X menu bar in step 11 above) and choose Connect [Service Name entered in step 5 above] (eg Connect Red Hat Brisbane VPN). A VPN Connection dialogue box appears:
  2. Mac OS X VPN Connection dialogue box

  3. Enter your LinOTP PIN and Tokencode in the Password field (the Account Name field should already contain your Kerberos username).
  4. Remember: no spaces or other characters between your PIN and Tokencode.

  5. Click OK (or press Return).

  6. A VPN Connection alert box appears.

  7. VPN Connection made alert box

    Click OK to dismiss it.

    Note: by default the VPN menu extra expands to show how long the VPN connection has been up. To wit:

    Mac OS X VPN menu extra icon with time-connected showing

  8. To disconnect from the VPN click the VPN menu extra icon and choose Disconnect [Service Name entered in step 5 above] (eg Disconnect Red Hat Brisbane VPN).
  9. VPN menu extra menu when connected

    The VPN connection is broken and the VPN menu extra reduces to just an icon.