Device Compatibility
Server Compatibility
Set-up and Configuration
Errors and Connection Issues
Other
Q: Can I use Mergic VPN on Palm OS 5 based handhelds?
A: Yes, Mergic VPN 1.1 and greater support Palm OS 5 devices.
There is a also version of Mergic VPN's PPTP implementation built-in to the ROM of the Palm Tungsten C OS 5 device.
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Q: Are smartphones supported?
A: Yes, Mergic VPN works with Palm OS smartphones that meet its system requirements.
For example, palmOne's (formerly Handspring) Treo 180, 270, 300 and 600
series, the Samsung i300, i330 and SPH-i500, the Kyocera QCP 6035 and 7135,
and the palmOne Tungsten W all work with Mergic VPN.
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Q: Is Bluetooth supported?
A: Yes, Mergic VPN works with the built in Bluetooth capabilities of the palmOne and Sony CLIE
devices. Mergic VPN has also been tested with the Palm Bluetooth Card, the Red-M Bluetooth
Clip-on for Palm Vx and the Red-M Bluetooth Module for Visor. Users have also reported that
they have successfully used Mergic VPN with the Sony Bluetooth Memory Stick.
When using the Palm Bluetooth Card a common mistake on a Pre-OS 5 device is to attempt to create the Mergic VPN
connection configuration manually. The Palm Bluetooth connection type has hidden settings, so it
is necessary to create the configuration using the New MVPN Connection dialog. This dialog is
available in the Mergic VPN Options menu and is also available from Mergic VPN's Connectivity
Wizard.
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Q: Does Mergic VPN work over GPRS?
A: Yes, Mergic VPN has been tested with GPRS.
With some providers of GPRS you may experience the error "Error: no
server config response, possible firewall or NAT block (0x870E)". This is usually because
the wireless service provider is providing connectivity behind something called a NAT
server that is not passing the packets needed for a VPN connection. This is often easy
to resolve with a phone call to your wireless provider. See Why do I get the error "Error: no server config response, possible
firewall or NAT block (0x870E)" when I try to connect? for more details.
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Q: Are the Novatel CDPD Minstrel Modems supported?
A: Yes, Mergic VPN works with the Palm and Springboard versions of the Minstrel modems.
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Q: How do I configure a connection for the Palm VII or Palm i705?
A: You cannot use Mergic VPN or any other TCP/IP application with the Palm.Net
wireless service used by the Palm VII and i705. Palm.Net uses
something called the Mobitex network, which is not a TCP/IP network like the Internet.
Some Internet services are provided over Palm.Net via special purpose gateways and proxies.
To use Mergic VPN with these devices you need to attach the handheld via cable, infrared or Bluetooth
to a separate modem, or to a mobile phone with a built-in modem.
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Q: Do you support the Sony Wireless LAN Card?
A: Yes, The Sony PEGA-WL100 and PEGA-WL110 Wireless LAN Cards are supported on Palm OS 5 CLIE handhelds
such as the PEG-NZ90 and the NX Series. The built-in WiFi in the UX-50 is also supported
Mergic VPN cannot be used with a Sony Wireless LAN Card on pre-OS 5 CLIE handhelds such as
the NR70 and NR70V because it does not support the Palm OS virtual driver interface that
is required by Mergic VPN to encrypt network traffic on older devices.
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Q: Are the Xircom 802.11 WLAN modules supported?
A: Yes, Mergic VPN works with both the Xircom
Wireless LAN Module and the Xircom SpringPort
Wireless Ethernet Adapter Module.
We have noticed that connection establishment with older versions of the firmware for
these modules is slower than with the newer versions. If you are using a firmware version older than 1.13 we recommend
that you download a free upgrade to the latest version from the Intel site. To find
the latest firmware version
click here.
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Q: Do you support the HandEra CF LAN and CF Ethernet Network Services?
A: No, the HandEra CF LAN and CF Ethernet Network Services don't use the
Palm OS virtual driver interfaces that are required by Mergic VPN to encrypt network traffic.
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Q: Do you support the Symbol Spectrum24 Network Service?
A: No, the Symbol Spectrum24 Network Service implementation doesn't use the
Palm OS virtual driver interfaces that are required by Mergic VPN to encrypt network traffic.
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Q: Are Sprint network connections using the Treo supported?
A: Yes, The Treo 600 and Treo 300 are both supported. Mergic VPN 1.1 or greater is
required for the Treo 600 and Mergic VPN 1.03 or greater is required for the Treo 300.
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Q: Is the Treo GPRS Update from Handspring supported?
A: Yes, Mergic VPN 1.03 or greater is required. Previous versions of Mergic VPN had a
compatibility problem with the Treo GPRS Update that was resolved by a Handspring VPN upgrade to
the Treo's NetMaster library file along with program changes in Mergic VPN 1.03 to support
the upgrade. The upgraded NetMaster library is included and automatically installed with Mergic VPN.
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Q: Which VPN Servers does Mergic VPN support?
A: Mergic VPN supports the PPTP VPN protocol and should work with nearly all VPN servers
that have PPTP enabled. The client has has been used with the following servers:
- Windows 2000 Server and Professional
- Windows XP
- Windows NT Server and Workstation
- Cisco VPN 3000 Series
- Cisco Secure PIX Firewall
- Cisco 7100 and 7200
- Nortel Networks Contivity
- SnapGear Firewall/VPN Appliances
- Nexserver
- 3Com OfficeConnect (3CR856-95-US) Cable/DSL Secure Gateway
- Multi-Tech RouteFinder VPN
- Bintec X1200/X1B-VPN-PPTP
- WatchGuard Firebox
- FreeBSD
- Linux PoPToP
- Netopia R-Series Routers
- Netopia 4000 Series Routers
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Q: Is Mergic VPN compatible with the Nortel Contivity Gateway?
A: Yes, Mergic VPN is compatible with Nortel's built-in PPTP support.
See Chapter 3 of
Nortel's
Configuring Tunneling Protocols and Advanced WAN Settings for the Contivity Secure IP Services Gateway
document for configuration information. This document is also available from Nortel in
PDF format.
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Q: Is Mergic VPN compatible with the Cisco VPN 3000 Concentrator?
A: Yes, Mergic VPN is compatible with
most Cisco platforms including the Cisco VPN 3000 Concentrator using its PPTP support.
You can find Cisco VPN 3000 Concentrator configuration information by
clicking here.
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Q: Is Mergic VPN compatible with the CheckPoint FireWall-1?
A: No, at least not directly. Mergic VPN uses the PPTP protocol which is not supported by the CheckPoint FireWall-1.
However, the FireWall-1 can be configured to inspect and pass traffic to a PPTP server inside the firewall.
See the CheckPoint
Creating A Service For Microsoft's: PPTP Encryption document
for more information.
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Q: Where do I enter my group name and password?
A: A group name and group password are often required by VPN servers to connect VPN
clients that use the IPSec protocol. Mergic VPN supports the Point-to-Point Tunneling
Protocol (PPTP) and these settings are not required for PPTP support.
Most VPN servers that support IPSec, such as the Cisco 3000 VPN Concentrator, also
support PPTP. You'll need to contact your system administrator to see if
PPTP is supported within your organization and if so, what VPN configuration settings you
should use.
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Q: Why do I get the error "Unable to delete Mergic VPN" when I try to delete it?
A: Mergic VPN cannot be deleted while the Auto Connect feature is active.
You'll need to disable the Auto Connect feature and then delete Mergic VPN.
To disable the Auto Connect feature launch Mergic VPN, tap the menu icon and then the Options menu. Select "Auto Connect Setup",
disable automatic connections and tap OK.
The "Uninstalling Mergic VPN from a Palm OS device" section in the User's Guide
has more detailed instructions.
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Q: I just installed the trial, why am getting an error that the trial version is expired?
A: If you were using a beta version of Mergic VPN your trial clock started when the first beta was installed.
Use Mergic VPN's Options menu to turn off the Auto Connect feature, delete Mergic VPN and
then reinstall MergicVPN.prc.
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Q: Why can't I find my browser in the Auto Connect application list?
A: The Mergic VPN Auto Connect feature is not compatible with the Palm OS 5 browsers created
by ACCESS. ACCESS browsers are licensed to several of the Palm OS device manufactures and include
the NetFront browser on Sony CLIEs, the Blazer Web browser on Treo 600s, and the Web browser on Palm Tungsten C devices.
Although, you can't Auto Connect using the ACCESS browsers they are proxy-less (described below) so you can connect
using Mergic VPN or another Auto Connect enabled application and then browse your intranet
using the browser.
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Q: How do I use Mergic VPN to access files on my LAN?
A: Mergic VPN provides you with a secure LAN connection but you will need additional software to access
files from your PC or LAN servers. Two of the applications that you should consider for this purpose are
WiFile
and MobileFile. WiFile is an excellent
commercial application that allows you to connect to and browse standard Microsoft files shares. MobileFile allows files to be shared in a manner that is similar to the Windows Briefcase application.
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Q: Why do I get the error "Error: timeout (0x1212)" when I try to connect?
A: This error usually occurs at the first stage of the connection. There can
be a variety of causes but the two most common are that the "VPN Server Name or Address" is not
entered correctly in Mergic VPN's main dialog or that you are trying to connect to a VPN
server that does not support the PPTP protocol.
If you are sure that the VPN server address is specified correctly but aren't sure if your
VPN server is configured for the PPTP VPN protocol then contact your system administrator to see if
PPTP connections are or can be enabled.
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Q: Why do I get the error "Error: no server config response, possible
firewall or NAT block (0x870E)" when I try to connect?
A: If you get this error every time you attempt to connect then there are two
possible causes. The first is that the firewall at your organization is not configured
to pass something called GRE packets. GRE packets are needed to make the VPN connection.
The second cause is that
your Internet provider is providing connections behind a NAT server and the NAT server
is not configured to pass GRE packets.
You can usually tell if the problem is a configuration problem at your organization
by attempting to connect to the VPN server using a different PPTP VPN client or by using
Mergic VPN with a different ISP. If the
connection fails then you probably have a problem with your organization's firewall
configuration. In this situation, you'll need to contact your system administrator to see if
the firewall configuration can be changed. If the connection succeeds then the problem
is with your Internet provider.
It's not uncommon for an Internet provider to provide connectivity behind a NAT server
that is not configured to pass GRE packets. This seems to be especially true with
wireless providers. The good news is that almost all of the providers understand this
problem and usually have a solution. You'll need to call your provider
and tell them that you can't make a VPN connection. They should have some sort of VPN
option or an alternate way to connect that will avoid the problem. Usually the solution
is free. If your provider charges you or if they don't have a solution then you may want
to consider switching to a provider that provides true Internet access.
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Q: Why can't I open web pages on my intranet web server?
A: Some of the Palm OS web browsers such as Pre-OS 5 versions of Handspring's Blazer, earlier versions of
Web Pro and AvantGo work by
connecting to a transforming proxy server (A.K.A. gateway) on the Internet. This proxy server connects
to the real web server and transforms the web pages for better viewing on your handheld.
The problem is that the transforming proxy
server doesn't have access to your intranet web servers.
To access your intranet you need a web browser that doesn't require a transforming
proxy server or you need to install one of these proxy servers on your intranet. You can
search the Internet for a suitable solution but some
of the possibilities include the following:
The latest versions of the Palm Web Pro browser
supports both proxy and proxy-less modes. The PocketLink
browser is standard (non-transforming proxy based) graphical browser.
Eudora provides a text based web browser that doesn't require a transforming server as part of its free
Eudora Internet Suite.
Also worthy of mention is Linux Labs' Vagabond,
which is an open source web browser that uses a transforming proxy approach but Linux Labs does promise that a downloadable proxy server
that you can install on your LAN will be made available.
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Q: I'm using Blazer on my Treo 600 and after I connect to the VPN I can't browse, why?
A: We have not been able to determine the exact cause of this but it appears that Blazer
requires a proxy server to work on some intranet LANs. If other applications work but Blazer doesn't
then to determine if this is the problem you are experiencing open Blazer, select its Options/Preferences
menu item, tap the Advanced button and then the Set Proxy button. From there, click Use
Proxy and enter the IP address of one your intranet web servers. Now try to access a web
page from that intranet server. Since the intranet web server isn't really a proxy server
you will only be able to get web pages from that server but, if this works, then
at least you will know that setting up an HTTP proxy server on your LAN will work around
the problem.
If setting up an HTTP proxy server on your intranet is not an option then you can use another browser. If you want to access intranet web sites be sure to pick a browser that
doesn't require a tranforming proxy. See Why can't I open
web pages on my intranet web server? for more information and some suggestions.
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Q: Why can't I find hosts on my LAN by name?
A: If you are using an abbreviated DNS name such as "mypc" then
try specifying the full DNS name including the domain name portion, for example, "mypc.mydomain.com".
This is necessary because the VPN client doesn't have access to the LAN's BOOTP or DHCP server that provides the suffix that's
used automatically when you're directly connected to the LAN.
If you would rather not always specify the full name then you can use Mergic VPN's DNS Suffix option in its Details dialog to
specify a suffix that will be automatically appended to name lookups.
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Q: What do I do if my question hasn't been answered by these FAQ's?
A: We encourage you to start by using all of the resources available to you such
as the User's Guide, this FAQ and the usage articles. Click here
for a complete list of support resources. If you
can't find an answer using the available information then
contact Mergic Support using the Mergic Support Form.
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