VPN Client User Guide for Windows, Release 4.0
Navigating the User Interface
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Table of Contents

Navigating the User Interface
 Choosing a Run Mode
 VPN Client Window—Simple Mode
 VPN Client Window—Advanced Mode
 Toolbar Action Buttons—Advanced Mode
 Main Tabs—Advanced Mode
 Menus—Advanced Mode
 Right-Click Menus
 Log Tab Right-Click Menu
 How to Get Help

Navigating the User Interface

This chapter describes the main VPN Client window and the tools, tabs, menus and icons for navigating the user interface. This chapter contains the following sections:

Choosing a Run Mode

You can run the VPN Client in simple mode or in advanced mode. The default is advanced mode, although your network administrator might have configured simple mode as the default.

  • Use simple mode if you want only to start the VPN Client application and connect to a VPN device using the default connection entry.
  • Use advanced mode for the following tasks:
    • Managing the VPN Client
    • Configuring connection entries
    • Enrolling for and managing certificates
    • Viewing and managing event logging
    • Viewing tunnel routing data

To toggle between advanced mode and simple mode, press Ctrl-M. Alternately, you can choose your mode from the Options menu.

VPN Client Window—Simple Mode

In simple mode, you work with a scaled-down version of the VPN Client user interface (Figure 3-1).


Figure 3-1   VPN Client Window—Simple Mode


The VPN Client main window shows the version information, the current connection entry, the connect button, and the status bar. Use the down arrow to display other connection entries.

  • From the Connection Entries menu (Figure 3-2), you can
    • Connect to or disconnect from the connection entry shown in the box
    • Create a shortcut for the connection entry shown in the box
    • Import a new connection profile
    • Set the current connection entry as the default connection entry
    • Exit from the VPN Client

Figure 3-2   Simple Mode Connection Entries Menu


  • From the Status menu, you can display notifications.
  • From the Options menu, you can switch to Advanced Mode, and you can set the following preferences:
    • Save window settings—Saves any changes you make to the VPN Client window
    • Minimize upon connect—Places the VPN Client closed lock icon in the system tray when the VPN connection is established
    • Enable tool tips—Enables tool tips for the toolbar action buttons
    • Enable connect history display—Enables the display of connection history information
  • From the Help menu, you can display context-sensitive, browser-based online Help.

VPN Client Window—Advanced Mode

The following sections describe the VPN Client main window in Advanced Mode, the primary buttons and tabs for navigating the user interface, the main menu options, and the right-click menu options.

Figure 3-3 shows the VPN Client window and the primary navigation areas.


Figure 3-3   VPN Client Main Window in Advanced Mode


1

VPN Client version information.

 5

Display area for the main tabs.
2

Menu bar.

 6

The currently active connection entry (if the Connection Entry area is showing).

 
3

Toolbar action buttons. The buttons that are available depend on which tab is forward.

 7

Connection status bar. The left side of the status bar shows the connection entry name and connection status. When connected, the right side shows the connection time for this VPN session. Use the down arrow to display the number of bytes in and out, and the IP address of the VPN Device.

 
4

Main tabs for managing the VPN Client.

 

Toolbar Action Buttons—Advanced Mode

The action buttons at the top of the VPN Client window vary depending on which tab is forward.

  • If the Connection Entries tab is forward, the Connect, New, Import, Modify, and Delete buttons control operations for the selected connection entry (Figure 3-3).
  • If the Certificates tab is forward, the View, Import, Export, Enroll, Verify, and Delete buttons control operations for the selected certificate (Figure 3-4).

Figure 3-4   Toolbar Buttons—Certificates Tab


  • If the Log tab is forward, the Disable, Clear, Log Settings, and Log Window buttons control the logging operations (Figure 3-5).

Figure 3-5   Toolbar Buttons—Log Tab


Main Tabs—Advanced Mode

This section describes the main tabs for managing the VPN Client (Figure 3-3).

The main tabs are:

  • Connection Entries tab—Displays the list of current connection entries, the host, which is the VPN device each connection entry uses to gain access to the private network, and the transport properties that are set for each connection entry. Refer to "Configuring and Managing Connection Entries" for details on the Connection Entries tab.
  • Certificates tab— Displays the list of certificates in the VPN Client certificate store. Use this tab to manage certificates. Refer to "Enrolling and Managing Certificates" for more details on the Certificates tab.
  • Log tab—Displays event messages from all processes that contribute to the client-peer connection: enabling logging, clearing the event log, viewing the event log in an external window, and setting logging levels. Refer to "Managing the VPN Client" for more information.

Menus—Advanced Mode

The following sections describe the VPN Client menus, located at the top of your screen, when the VPN Client application is active on your desktop.

Connection Entries Menu

Use the Connection Entries menu (Figure 3-6) as a shortcut to frequently-used connection entry operations.


Figure 3-6   Connection Entries Menu


  • Connect to—Connect to a VPN device using the selected connection entry. If the Connections tab is not selected, a submenu, which lists all available connection entries, is displayed.
  • Disconnect—Disconnect your current VPN session.
  • Create Shortcut—Create a shortcut on your desktop for the current connection entry.
  • Modify—Edit the current connection entry.
  • Delete—Delete the current connection entry.
  • Duplicate—Duplicate the selected connection entry. This menu choice lets you create a new connection entry using the configuration from a current connection entry as a template.
  • Set as Default Connection Entry—Make the current connection entry the default.
  • New—Create a new connection entry.
  • Import—Bring in a new connection entry profile from a file.
  • Exit VPN Client—Close the VPN Client application.

To configure a connection entry, see "Configuring and Managing Connection Entries".

Status Menu

Use the Status menu (Figure 3-7) to display routes and notifications, and to reset the statistics display.


Figure 3-7   Status Menu


  • Statistics—View tunnel details, route details and firewall information for the current VPN session.
  • Notifications—View notices from the VPN device you are currently connected to.
  • Reset Stats—Clear the statistics from the statistics displays and start over.

Certificates Menu

Use the Certificates menu (Figure 3-8) to enroll and manage certificates.


Figure 3-8   Enrolling and Managing Certificates


  • View—Display the properties of the selected certificate.
  • Import—Import a certificate file from a specified file location.
  • Export—Export the selected certificate to a specified file location.
  • Enroll—Enroll with a Certificate Authority (CA) to obtain a certificate.
  • Verify—Verify that a certificate is still valid.
  • Delete—Remove the selected certificate.
  • Change Certificate Password—Change the password that protects the selected certificate in the VPN Client certificate store.
  • Retry Certificate Enrollment—Retry a previously attempted certificate enrollment.
  • Show CA/RA Certificates—Display digital certificates issued by either a Certificate Authority (CA) or a Registration Authority (RA).

Log Menu

Use the Log menu (Figure 3-9) to manage the log.


Figure 3-9   Managing the IPSec Log


  • Enable/Disable—Start collecting events (Enable); stop collecting events (Disable).
  • Clear—Erase the events displayed on the log tab (and log window).
  • Log Settings—Change the logging levels of event classes.
  • Log Window—Bring up a separate window that displays events. From this window you can save the display, edit logging levels by event class, and clear both log displays. The window shows more events than the display area of the main advanced mode window.
  • Search Log—Bring up a dialog box into which you enter the exact string to be matched. The search string is not case-sensitive, and wildcards are not supported. Matched instances are highlighted on the log tab, not the log window.
  • Save—Store the current log in a specified log file.

Options Menu

Use the Options menu to perform various actions such as launching an application. Figure 3-10 shows the choices available from the Options menu.


Figure 3-10   Controlling VPN Client Options


  • Application Launcher—Start an application before connecting to a VPN device.
  • Windows Logon Properties—Control logon features for the Windows NT platform:
    • Ability to start a connection before logging on to a Windows NT system
    • Permission to launch a third party application before logging on to a Windows NT system
    • Control of auto-disconnect behavior when logging off
  • Stateful Firewall (Always On)—Enable/disable the internal stateful firewall.
  • Simple Mode—Switch to simple mode.
  • Preferences—Set the following features:
    • Save window settings—Save any changes you make to the VPN Client window
    • Hide upon connect—Place the VPN Client window in the dock when the VPN connection is established
    • Enable tool tips—Enable tool tips for the toolbar action buttons
    • Enable connect history display—Enable the display of connection history information

Right-Click Menus

Use the right-click Menus from the Connection Entries tab, the Certificates tab, or the Log tab for frequently performed operations. The sections that follow introduce the features you can use from right-click menus for the following operations:

  • Connection entries
  • Certificates
  • Log

Connection Entries Tab Right-Click Menu

Figure 3-11shows the right-click menu options available when a connection entry is highlighted on the Connection Entries tab display.


Figure 3-11   Connection Entries Right-Click Menu


  • Connect—Use the selected connection entry to connect to a VPN device.
  • Disconnect—Disconnect the current VPN session.
  • Duplicate—Duplicate the selected connection entry. This action allows you to create a new connection entry using the configuration from a current connection entry as a template.
  • Delete—Delete the selected connection entry.
  • Create Shortcut—Place a link to the connection entry on your desktop.
  • Modify—Edit the properties of the current connection entry (for example, its name, hostname, and so on).
  • Erase Saved User Password—Erase the user password that is saved on the VPN Client workstation, forcing the VPN Client to prompt you for a password each time you establish a connection.
  • Set as Default Connection Entry—Use the selected connection entry as the default.

Certificates Tab Right-Click Menu

Figure 3-12 shows the right-click menu options available when the Certificates tab is forward and a certificate entry is highlighted.


Figure 3-12   Certificates Tab Right-Click Menu


  • Verify—Verify that the selected certificate is valid.
  • View—View the properties of the selected certificate.
  • Delete—Delete the selected certificate.
  • Export—Export the selected certificate to a specified file location.
  • Change Certificate Password—Change the password that protects the certificate in the VPN Client certificate store.
  • Retry Certificate Enrollment—retry a previous certificate enrollment.

Log Tab Right-Click Menu

Figure 3-13 shows the right-click menu options available when the Log tab is forward.


Figure 3-13   Log Tab Right-Click Menu


  • Cut—Removes the selected item from the current context and saves a copy to the clipboard.
  • Select All—Selects the entire contents of the log file, usually in preparation for another operation.

How to Get Help

The VPN Client comes with a complete, context-sensitive, browser-based help system. You can display help in the following ways:

  • On the Program Menu, choose Start > Programs > Cisco Systems VPN Client > Help.
    This method displays the entire help file beginning with a list of topics.
  • Press F1 at any window while using the VPN Client. This method displays context-sensitive information.
  • Click the Help button on windows that display it. This method displays context-sensitive information.
  • Choose Help VPN Client from the menu that appears when you click the Help menu in the Menu bar.

Determining the VPN Client Version

You can determine the version of the VPN Client and the VPN Client type from the system tray or from the Help menu.

  • From the system tray:
Step 1   Right-click the closed padlock icon.

Step 2   Choose About VPN Client from the menu shown in Figure 3-14.





Figure 3-14   Displaying Version from Right-Click Menu


Note   The menu you see when you are not connected differs from the menu that displays when the connection is active, but you can display version information from both menus.
  • From the Help menu as follows:
Step 1   Click Help.

Step 2   Select About VPN Client.