Joy unbounded

[andygates]

Our new Cisco VPN client is a parallel-tunneling sort of creature.  This means that while I am securely and be-dongledly plumbed into the NHS N3 network, RDP'd onto a bridgehead machine and then RDP'd onto a couple more after that, I'm also able to use regular internet.  Compared to the last VPN client we had, which hijacked the whole line, this is joy unbounded, for it means that I can carry on with my daily surf while searching entire umpty-terabyte SANs for the furtive logs of sulky patient booking systems, while waiting for their support agents to phone.  Why we picked a product with support agents in New Zealand (GMT+12! woot!) is beyond me, but at least I can get my pr0n empowering and improving web literature now.

Comments

[thudthwacker.livejournal.com]

So, how does this show up on your box? Two independent network adapters, one of which has an IP in your work netblock, the other being whatever is appropriate for your home location? I don't ever use VPN myself (I rarely have to use anything other than SSH to do my job from home).

Anyway: I was under the impression that a lot of places don't like that kind of thing, because then if somebody out on the 'net 0wnz j00r b0x via the POI ("plain ol' internet" -- yes, I'm aware that nobody ever calls it that) connection, they're already inside your work firewalls. Granted, I've always thought this was an odd complaint, as an 0wned b0x is an 0wned b0x, and of course I'm not worried about your computer being insecure, because you're not a bonobo. Still, I wonder, and wondering, ask, that I might learn.

[andygates.livejournal.com]

Strictly, we're not supposed to use our own PCs, but the on-call kit uses a 3G card and 3G reception is patchy in our rural idyll, worse in my subterranean retreat.

Alas I can't say how it does it as I'm now OFF-call (frabjous!) so I've given back the dongle. I think it creates a virtual NIC. There's certainly no automatic bridging between the two.

[(Anonymous)]

Who are the NZ agents?

[andygates.livejournal.com]

Plato. They make a patient-letters-and-appointments system which we use. It's got history - the middle layer is FoxPro.