VPN client? - G1 Android Development

Hi,
Not sure if anyone is working on a VPN client for Android, but I think this is something a lot of people would find useful. Not sure if it is even possible to do solely from the app layer, but for folks who have rooted phones, I would think that if you can run a VPN client on linux, you should be able to run one on Android, no?
Has there been any work on this? Any thoughts on this?
Thanks

I'd love to see one. I'd be able to use it for work which would be awesome.

OpenVPN already exists
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=447230&highlight=openvpn
but that is not userspace. The problem with userspace applications is that without root there is no way to add the proper routes to force traffic over the vpn.
Of course, with root you could probably write a graphical frontend to something like OpenVPN.

Geezzzz guys this is the last thing I needed. If my employer catches wind that I can run openvpn from my phone and connect in to the office network; I will never ever get any me time outside of the office. Its nice being able to claim that I am not able to find a internet connection to help do x,y,z or troubleshoot why idiot A cannot send email to idiot B.

I see that there's been a little development here:
There's a commercial product (http://mocana.com/NanoPhone-Android.html) and there's an open-source project (http://code.google.com/p/android-vpnc/), but that one sounds a little scary.
I do have a rooted phone (RC33/JF1.41). I'm wondering if someone could simply compile vpnc and the necessary libraries for the G1. Is it more complicated than that?

So how hard would it be to get vpn setup via openvpn on a rooted phone? (for someone who's not a dev, but isn't afraid to tinker)

Related

Android supporting TUN/TAP-Devices?

Hey guys!
On my long and lonesome journey through the Internet, I am on the hunt for an android, cisco compatible vpn client, I realized, that a lot of open source linux-vpn-clients that are cisco compatible often require the kernel tuntap-module.
So, as I'd like to try to crosscompile vpnc (or any other vpn-client) I have to check that the tuntap-module is supported by htc dreams android linux.
I was not able to find enough information about that, so my simple question to you:
Is there a tuntap mod for android?
Thanks for your help!
z
VPN on android
Firstly, if you have debian set up it's easy to use vpnc from there. You just install vpnc ("apt-get install vpnc"), load the tun module ("modprobe tun"), setup your profile in /etc/vpnc/YourProfileNameHere.conf, and connect: "vpnc YourProfileNameHere". Then just "vpnc-disconnect" to terminate the daemon. This works great and if you want you can always run a proxy in debian, and connect to localhost from an app in android. However, for a better solution, I saw this on the forum, although I've not got around to trying it out yet myself:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=447230
Anyway, the first method most certainly works with my the Cisco VPN server my company uses. I'd imagine the second way will too, and would be all nice and native.
Hope this helps

Remote desktop software

Hey guys, Does anyone know if there's any decent FREE apps for the android that i can use for remote assistance? i work in IT and this would be very useful to me but im not willing to fork out cash just yet.
I know you can use VNC but this means installing software on client machines and setting that software upm which is no use to me.
thanks in advance guys
I have tried most and there are no good free RDC clients. (I started to write one myself but it was not very fun so I abandoned it.)
I would suggest biting the bullet and buying xtralogic's Remote Desktop client. At $19.95 it is the most expensive option but the controls on it are the best IMHO.
If you want cheaper ($7.98) there is Remote RDP by Walter Yongtao Wang but i find the controls are not as intuitive.
I know you said you do not want to fork out cash yet but the reality is if you want a good RDC client then for now you are going to have to pay for it. In the grand scheme of things $20 is a minor investment for the aggravation saved.
PhoneMyPC is the best one I've tried and I've played with almost all of them. Multitouch zooming makes it closest to what logmein ignition is on the iPhone. I think until logmein comes out with an Android app, it's the best bet even though it costs a few dollars.
yeah , i also use PhoneMyPC , works great , no problems
I have to agree. PhoneMyPC is extremely (surprizingly) fast and worked better than the RDP or VNC solutions from my testing.
I was very skeptical that it could perform well, but... call me a believer now.
Thanks for the answers guys, I'll try PhoneMyPc out first.
One more question, I would also like to Wake computers via LAN, Do these software's have the ability to send the "magic" WOL packets to wake a system up?
This is another feature i would find extremely useful.
Clearly my brain was not working last night. I misread what you were asking for. PhoneMyPC is nice but requires a client install.
If your goal is end client support and you do not want to require them to install an application you might consider UltraVNC single click for the client ( http://www.uvnc.com/addons/singleclick.html )+ a VNC viewer on android. While it will not perform as well as PhoneMyPC it has the benefit of being a zero foot print solution and works well in situations where the client may not want/be able to install applications on their system. I keep a build on my website and if a situation pops up that requires me to access the end user's machine have them download and run it.
Your request for WOL is a bit confusing though, which implies you are not going for end user support. What are you looking for:
- a solution to connect to your personal machine running in the same subnet as your phone
- a solution to connect to your personal machine from wherever you may be at
- a solution to connect to remote end users machines with a pre-installed application
- a solution to connect to remote end users machines without a pre-installed application
- something else.
WOL can be triggered remotely (with preparation) but regardless requires the machine to be set up properly and that you know the MAC address in advance, not likely in a remote end user scenario.
Does anyone know where can I get the PhoneMyPC installation file for the phone? I couldn't find any download link on their site.
On the market. search for "phonemypc". It is a commercial app (9.99 USD) so that is pretty much your only way to get it.
Trust me on this one, go with Remote Desktop Client from xtralogic.. I've been using it for nearly a year.. its the best RDP you will find, no client install needed.
PhoneMyPC is the BEST!
Wait... we're biased ;-)
I suspect the user base here is savvy enough to know much of this, but a few details for anybody who's interested.
PhoneMyPC uses a technology similar to VNC, but it's custom and generally performs better. It is a bandwidth-limited approach to remoting, and we chose this because (a) we wanted something that made no compromises on visual quality (no missing desktop wallpapers, no changed settings, no missing themes), and we see the trend in available bandwidth going steadily up for the forseeable future. This makes PhoneMyPC a good option for remote video, for example, because it is optimized for pictoral data rather than vector data.
RDP, on the other hand, is optimized for vector data, so typically consumed less bandwidth than PhoneMyPC, but much more CPU resources. It also has the advantage that it is built in to all Professional and Server Windows versions.
The biggest difference between the two however is how they handle the network. With RDP you must know and configure your IP, and you must update it when it changes (or use a DynDNS type solution). You must also know how to configure your router and other security mechanisms for port forwarding.
PhoneMyPC just works, because it uses our servers as a connection point between your phone and PC(s). You don't need to know your IP, or worry if it changes, becuase the PC will actually tell the phone what it's IP is every time you connect. You can use port forwarding to get a better, direct connection, but it is not required for the software to work.
Finally, RDP is a long-lasting, well established (and more or less un-changing) technology; that is an advantage from some perspectives. But if you compare what users are saying PhoneMyPC is at least as good, and it's new, still growing, always getting better, and we're not even close to done yet. That too is an advantage from some perspectives.
SoftwareForMe.com
Makers of PhoneMyPC
I've bought all of them, and I could never get Phone My PC to connect. RDC by xtralogic, Remote VNC Pro Android VNC work great (used with TightVNC).
EDIT: Any suggestions Softwareforme? Also constant f/c's when connected via wifi on N1.

No Cisco VPN support in ANdroid??

After doing a little research, it looks like Android does not support CISCO VPN's using pre-shared keys??? How could that possibly be if Andoid is supposed to make it's way into the enterprise arena? I can't even use it to connect to my employers network!! Even iDevices can do that by default! Please tell me I'm missing somehting!!
THanks!
https://supportforums.cisco.com/thread/2012285
There is a link for creating and storing a key on android. If you are looking for an AnyConnect client it appears there is a beta but it requires root:
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.cisco.anyconnect.vpn.android.rooted
Thanks for the info - I appreciate it! Haven't root'd my TF yet, but the reasons to are building up...
Didn't see anything about PSK's in that thread, but maybe I missed it - I'll read through it again. For the life of me, I can't understand why Android is still missing this functionality - especially with all of the Android tablets now - they make much better remote-control devices than phones do - would be nice to use them to access our work servers when needed!
Don't blame Android.
I know what you mean jtrosky. I don't know why Android can't support Cisco VPN as easy as Apple can
jtrosky said:
After doing a little research, it looks like Android does not support CISCO VPN's using pre-shared keys??? How could that possibly be if Andoid is supposed to make it's way into the enterprise arena? I can't even use it to connect to my employers network!! Even iDevices can do that by default! Please tell me I'm missing somehting!!
THanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
U can use VPNC Widget for Cisco VPN.
Enjoy.
Has anyone tried using vpnc inside a debian chroot?
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk

ICS and Group Authentication VPN without Root (NOT AnyConnect)

Hello,
I will preface this by an apology if I am putting this in the incorrect place, or this is a topic that is well covered; but I so far have not been able to get solid information on this.
From what I understand, ICS is going to include and/or support Cisco AnyConnect . However, that does not help the many users out there still using legacy Cisco VPN solution at our workplaces.
Specifically AnyConnect (at least on android, the only flavor I have had experience with) does not support Group Authentication, and neither do the default VPN clients included on Android.
So far I have had success on my Samsung Epic 4G running Froyo using VPNC to connect to my corporate network, but now I am shopping for a tablet. Likewise I have friends at work who want an android tablet but since they can't easily connect to work to do very basic things, they haven't bought.
I don't want to need root just to get a proper VPN connection up and running. For one thing that leaves me dependent upon a tun.ko being available for the tablet, not to mention just getting root in the first place isn't always easy as it was for the Kindle Fire or my Epic. And I certainly am not going to recommend that for my less technical friends.
So all that exposition out of the way, it comes down to this simple question - will ICS have a built in client that will support IPSEC group authentication , or will such client be available to install without root and needing to install modules?
Thanks for your patience if this is covered elsewhere, but most everything I have found in searches here (and elsewhere) for is based on AnyConnect and my company's VPN doesn't support that, and they aren't going to change that anytime soon.
I apologize - this should probably have been in the Question forum.
I would also like to know the answer to this to. my work uses group authentication and there is no apps or anything that will do this!
I am looking for this information as well. I certainly wish Google and Cisco could sit down and get this figured out. Apple did and the iPads at work can VPN in but not my Transformer Prime. I knew this before I purchased it, but went ahead with it hoping this would be added/fixed with ICS.
I havent had a chance to try it yet on my GN but you can now create "IPSec XAuth with PSK" (AKA Cisco VPN). If you have the GSM version of the GN you might run into problems though:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=20627062
I have a VZW GN device which someone in that thread mentioned works. Since the key for my VPN is quite hard to type I'll try it tonight and post if it works tomorrow.

Torrent client for WP7

Does it exsist?
(P.S not a remote torrent client, not something I can control utorrent with my phone, i already have this)
What would you download?
I don't know, but I just wonder what you would download to your phone with your torrent client? Films?
i have 5gb data phome plan...
No problem
Ok, I don't doubt that you have the ability and the necessary data plan to download huge things to your phone, but the question remains: What will you download directly to your phone that is so big that Torrents make sense?
Maybe the fact that until now there seem to be no BitTorrent clients downloading to the phone itself wants to tell us something? Maybe it tells us that there is some consensus that downloading huge things directly to a phone only very few people want to do?
Technically I see no problem to implement a client, that probably can't be the problem.
While I would assume that a torrent client is not entirely impossible, I can't see how it would be usefull in any way.
Plus, even if you managed to find/code a torrent client, it would only have access to its own isolated storage, to which other apps do not have access. You'd be dowloading files you can not access, really.
Writing the network code for a torrent client would probably be possible under the official APIs, though I'm not familiar enough with the protocol to say for sure. It's absolutely possible with the unofficial APIs, but that's then homebrew-only, not allowed in the Marketplace (requires calling native code).
Associating the app with .torrent file extension is possible, but only if you can edit the registry (requires interop-lock or above, for pretty much all phones except the LGs). That's definitley not going to be in the Marketplace, and won't work on phones that just have a basic dev-unlock either.
I'm not opposed to the idea from a theoretical perspective, but I too must ask what you'd use this for...
I think it would be nice to have a torrent app... But it would probably take along time to develop.

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