* Help Desk columnist Ron Nutter offers advice to help resolve a conflict between Java, IDXRAD and the VPN client
I have been trying to run a Java-based application (IDXRAD) over IPSec using the Nortel Contivity 1700. For some reason, when users try to run this application remotely via IPSec IDXRAD will not work. You can log in to IDXRAD fine, but it will only display a grey background. I have tried everything from capturing and analyzing the packets, but I can’t seem to figure out what is going. Can you help?
– Via the Internet
At first glance, it would appear you have some type of conflict between Java, IDXRAD and the VPN client you’re using. I will assume you’re using the VPN client supplied by Nortel for its line of Contivity VPN systems. Check with the folks that support IDXRAD and see if going to the latest version of Java is an option. This will help rule out something in your version of Java as the problem.
If that doesn’t resolve the problem, the next thing to look at is the Nortel VPN client. When I have worked with this in the past, I have found it a little sensitive in regards to what it will work with. Talk to the folks at Nortel and get the latest version of the VPN client, as well as any appropriate patches/hot fixes they may have. You can also try uninstalling and reinstalling the client as a troubleshooting step. This is something Nortel Support has had me do in the past and it has helped in some cases.
Here’s one step that may help identify the source of the problem. Get a copy of Filemon from www.sysinternals.com. This may help shed a little light on where the problem is or what file isn’t being opened when the VPN client is in use. Depending on how comfortable you are working with a protocol analyzer, this is another way of seeing what “normal” communications should look like vs. what happens when the VPN is in use. This will take two passes of the analyzer, one with the VPN in place and one without.
If things still aren’t working, an option that used to be available on Nortel appliances was use of a third-party VPN client. While it’s not the first thing I would try, it is worth looking at as it will give you an indication that the problem might be with how the Nortel VPN client is working. It could give you some information to take back to Nortel and hopefully get it to make the necessary changes to allow your application to work with the Nortel client.
