4.1 Operating Environment
PacketiX VPN Client 2.0 supports Windows and Linux operating systems.
For the specifications related to the supported operating systems,
please refer to 「12.2 PacketiX VPN Client 2.0 Specs」.
4.1.1 Windows Support
PacketiX VPN Client 2.0 supports the Microsoft Windows platform. This
software product formally supports operating systems with an NT-type
kernel in Windows 2000 or later, and it can also be used with VPN Client
installed in Windows 98 Second Edition (SE) and Windows Millennium
Edition (ME).
For PacketiX VPN software, it is assumed you are using Windows for
the client system to directly and remotely access the VPN. This is
because the main purpose of installing VPN Client is to remotely access
VPN Server over the Internet and because most corporate and personal
desktop computers and laptop computers operate Windows.
The system architecture supported by the Windows version of PacketiX
VPN Client is shown below. Please note that the supported architecture
is likely to change to higher specifications in the future.
PacketiX VPN Client 2.0 can operate on either a 32-bit or 64-bit
(x64) version of Windows. For details on the support of a 64-bit
environment, please refer to 「Chapter 12 PacketiX VPN Software Specification」.
SoftEther Corporation provides formal support for VPN Client only for
Windows 2000/XP/Server 2003. This manual describes how to use VPN Client
on these operating systems.
4.1.2 Linux Support
PacketiX VPN Client 2.0 also operates on platforms with Linux kernel
2.4 or later. However, the Linux version of VPN Client has numerous
limitations, and currently it cannot be operated using a GUI. Therefore,
the Linux version of VPN Client is recommended for use only by users
with a very strong understanding of the Linux operating system and
networks.
When using a Linux server to configure a connection between bases or
a remote access VPN, normally this can be achieved using the local
bridge functions of the Linux version of VPN Server, and the Linux
version of VPN Client does not need to be used.
4.1.3 Support for Other Systems
Currently, PacketiX VPN Client is only provided for Windows and Linux
operating systems. PacketiX VPN users have not expressed much demand for
support of VPN Client on other operating systems. In addition, most
non-Windows operating systems provide poor support of networking
functions for client computing when compared with Windows, and using VPN
Client on such a system may not provide completely satisfactory results.
SoftEther Corporation has a policy of transferring VPN Client to
those next-generation operating systems, including the latest version of
Windows, with demand.
4.1.4 Limitations
The following limitations apply when using VPN Client.
- Limited support is provided for Windows 98 SE and Windows ME
with several limitations. For example, only one Virtual Network
Adapter can be added to these operating systems. In addition, you
are normally required to restart Windows after adding a Virtual
Network Adapter and enabling or disabling the function or after
changing the IP address setting. Furthermore, Windows 98 SE and
Windows ME are operating systems installed based on the old Windows
kernel, which means such a system can be unstable, and, over time,
it can become more prone to crashes and malfunctions. SoftEther
Corporation does not recommend the use of VPN Client on Windows 98
SE or Windows ME.
- VPN Client cannot be used on earlier versions of Windows
(Windows 98 or earlier).
- The Windows version of VPN Client is operated by installing the
device driver for a Virtual Network Adapter recognized by the system
as a single network adapter. There are several existing
network-related problems in Windows. These problems also affect the
Virtual Network Adapter of VPN Client.
- SoftEther Corporation provides a Linux version of VPN Client,
but it does not provide support for proper operations of this
version of the software product.
- To operate the Linux version of VPN Client, the Universal
TUN/TAP device driver module must be embedded in the kernel. For
details, please refer to
http://vtun.sourceforge.net/tun/.
- The Linux version of VPN Client does not have a function for
automatically rewriting the routing table. To set the tap device
connected to the VPN as the default gateway, you may need to
manually connect the static route to the VPN server.
- To use the tap device created with the Linux version of VPN
Client as a DHCP client device, you must properly set the DHCP
client daemon.
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