Shrew Soft VPN

Shrew Soft VPN Client (Free) is a freely available IPSEC client for Windows and Linux machines used to connect to a Virtual Private Network. Organizations are increasingly offering employees remote VPN access to protect their network, data, and applications from outside threats. However, many of the vendor client offerings can be expensive and difficult to install. The Shrew Soft VPN client takes the complexity out of the equation and makes establishing the VPN connection as simple as possible for the end-user.

Shrew Soft's VPN software is a true VPN client in that it connects to an existing VPN server, whether that's from the big giants such as Cisco or Juniper, or from smaller players such as Cisco's Linksys. If you already have a VPN server, then you should definitely consider Shrew Soft. If you don't have a VPN server handy?either as a stand-alone product or as a feature on a firewall or a router?you would be better served looking at one of the all-in-one VPN software such as our Editors' Choices Logmein Hamachi and Comodo Unite. With these products, you can create a VPN connection between individual endpoints and have secure connection on the fly.

Features
Shrew Soft's VPN client is capable of working with VPN servers from several major commercial vendors, including Cisco, Zyxel, and Juniper Networks. The software's website has instructions on configuring the software to work with Adtran NetVanta, Check Point NGx, Cisco ASA, Cisco IOS, Cisco PIX, DrayTek, Fortigate, Fritz!Box, Juniper SSG (with and without certificates), Lancom, Linksys, NetASQ, Netgear, Sidewinder 6.x, Sidewinder 7.x, Sonicwall, and ZyXEL Zywall. There are instructions on the Juniper Networks knowledgebase on configuring the client to work with SRX Services Gateway and ScreenOS firewalls, as well. It can handle Cisco VPN connections that rely on pre-shared keys or certificates (IPSec) or with AnyConnect (SSL VPN).

The client supports a variety of operating systems, including Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, several Linux distributions, and OpenBSD. For organizations with a heterogeneous network, Shrew Soft's software allows them to standardize on one VPN client, regardless of the operating systems running.?

The fact that Macs aren't supported is disappointing. Considering the increasing numbers of Macs in the workplace, having a single client for all platforms would make the software a much stronger competitor.

Some advanced features are supported, including Split Tunneling, Split DNS, Nat Traversal, IKE Fragmentation, Packet Pre Fragmentation, Dead Peer Detection, Hybrid XAuth and automatic client configuration.

Support
The Shrew Soft Website offers a thorough wiki with detailed setup instructions and screenshots on how to configure products from specific vendors. There are how-tos for open source gateways including OpenSWAN, StrongSWAN, m0n0wal, and pfSense.

One thing I like about Shrew Soft is the fact that it supports multiple VPN servers. In a scenario where a user needs to connect to multiple networks, and if they don't have the same type of server, that user would normally have to install client software for each connection. That can easily get messy and difficult, if the tools wind up conflicting with each other. With Shrew Soft, everything is configured easily under one tool, making it easy to switch back and forth.

Installation and Setup
Getting started is a breeze, as the user downloads the desired version for the operating system directly from the website. No registration required. After downloading and installing the software, users can launch Shrew Soft VPN Access Manager.

If the IT department has a Cisco .pcf VPN configuration file already available, the process is even easier. All the user has to do is save the .pcf file somewhere on the local computer, and then go to the VPN Access Manager's File menu to import the file. Once the file has been imported, an icon with the file name will appear on the screen. Click on it once and hit connect to establish a VPN tunnel.

If the .pcf file has an encrypted password, some versions of Shrew Soft VPN may not be able to access that information. You will then need to obtain the required information from the IT department and replace the encrypted password.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/YUfAwGIzqVQ/0,2817,2406561,00.asp

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