Using the Access Portal

If clients are using Mozilla Firefox to connect, pages that require ActiveX, such as the pre-authentication page, are not able to run.

If clients are going to connect using the kiosk, they must have Sun Java Runtime Environment (JRE) Ver- sion 1.5.0_06 installed on their computer.

The Access Portal is an HTML page that enables a user to choose the type of connection to be estab- lished from a remote computer. Users can either connect from the portal page or they can use the Secure Access Client that is installed on their computer from the portal page.

Note

You can customize the portal page templates provided with the Firebox SSL VPN Gateway and assign them on a group basis, as described in “Using Portal Pages” on page 38 and “Client certificate criteria configuration” on page 95. You can also include a link to the Firebox SSL VPN Gateway Clients on a Web site, as described in “Linking to Clients from Your Web Site” on page 41.

From the portal page, the user either starts the Secure Access Client or kiosk mode.

•The Secure Access Client is intended for connections from a private computer because data is transferred from the network to which the user is connecting to the user’s computer.

•Kiosk mode is useful for connections from a public computer because no data is written to the user’s computer. However, if you configure network shares, a user can copy files from a shared network drive to the remote computer.

Note

You can configure the Firebox SSL VPN Gateway Administration Tool so that users do not have the option to connect from a public computer. For more information, see “End point resources and policies” on page 104

To connect using the default portal page

1Use Internet Explorer to access the Web address of the Firebox SSL VPN Gateway; for example: https://vpn.mycompany.com.

2If the Firebox SSL VPN Gateway does not have a signed certificate installed, a Security Alert dialog box appears. Click Yes to continue.

3Type the network user name and password and then click Connect.

The default portal page opens.

4If connecting from a Windows computer, choose the type of connection:

• If connecting from a secure computer, click My own computer.

The first time a connection is made, the File Download dialog box appears. Click Save and then click Open. The file downloads to the client computer. The first time that you connect to the Firebox SSL VPN Gateway, the Terms and Conditions of Use dialog box appears. You must click “I Accept” to install the driver. When the driver is installed, the user can subsequently start the Secure Access Client without going through the portal page.

If you configured the Secure Access Client to start automatically, the client starts after the users enter their Windows logon credentials, which are also used for the Secure Access Client. Thus, when

118	Firebox SSL VPN Gateway

SSL VPN specifications

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In summary, WatchGuard Technologies' SSL VPN solution combines ease of use, robust security, flexible authentication, and scalability. These features make it an ideal choice for organizations seeking to provide secure remote access to their employees while maintaining a strong defense against cyber threats. With WatchGuard, businesses can confidently navigate the challenges of a digital landscape, ensuring their network remains secure as they embrace remote work.

WatchGuard Technologies SSL VPN Using the Access Portal, To connect using the default portal

Models: SSL VPN