Installation/Configuration - more

Now we're ready to add a user to the SSL312. Click the Users and Groups link underneath the Access Administration heading. In the Users and Groups screen, click Add User. Refer to Figure 10. Fill in the information for any new users you may want to add at this point. You will use one of the user accounts to login in to the VPN portal later.

To specify how the SSL312 connects to the network, click the VPN Tunnel link underneath the Access Administration heading. The VPN Tunnel Client screen appears.

Notice the client address range start and client address range end. Those addresses represent the pool of addresses that will be available for assignment for the PPP connection that are made when we start the VPN tunnel. The range of numbers must not overlap with the network that we wish to connect to.

For example, if our network starts at 192.168.1.1, we would need to choose another unused subnet like 192.168.250.1 - 192.168.250.254. We will also need to add the route for the VPN tunnel client. Refer to Figure 11, which shows that I added the 192.168.0.x network so that the 192.168.250.x network could communicate with it.

VERY IMPORTANT: You will also need a static route set up in the firewall/router for the 192.168.250.x network (or the client network range you have configured) that points to the IP address of the SSL312. In my case, I needed a static route set up in such a way that any 192.168.250.x traffic is routed to the SSL312 gateway at 192.168.0.25. Without the static route back to the SSL312 from our firewall/router, packets may become lost and cause the VPN tunnel not to work correctly.

Also, be sure and take the time to confirm that port 443 (HTTPS) can be reached externally from the internet to the SSL312. Most firewalls/routers will need a rule set up to allow traffic from the outside (i.e. internet) to come inside the network to the SSL312. The procedure for doing this varies greatly depending on the kind of firewall/router and the design of your network. Save yourself some headaches and frustration by taking the time now to ensure that this level of connectivity is functioning correctly.