VPN icon to indicate that the session is still connected.Mobile Connect Android
SonicWALL Mobile Connect for AndroidTM is an app that enables Android devices to establish secure, mobile connections to private networks protected by Dell SonicWALL security appliances.
Modern business practices increasingly require that users be able to access any network resource (files, internal websites, etc.), anytime, anywhere. At the same time, ensuring the security of these resources is a constant struggle. While most users are aware that they must take care to protect computers from network security risks, this security awareness does not always extend to mobile devices. And yet, mobile devices are increasingly subject to security attacks. Furthermore, mobile devices often use insecure, untrusted, public Wi-Fi hotspots to connect to the Internet. It is therefore a challenge to provide secure, mobile access while still guarding against the inherent security risks of using mobile devices.
The SonicWALL Mobile Connect app for Android devices provides secure, mobile access to sensitive network resources. Mobile Connect establishes a Secure Socket Layer Virtual Private Network (SSL VPN) connection to private networks that are protected by Dell SonicWALL security appliances. All traffic to and from the private network is securely transmitted over the SSL VPN tunnel.
To get started with SonicWALL Mobile Connect:
1. Install SonicWALL Mobile Connect from the Google Play Store or the Amazon Appstore.
2. Enter connection information (server name, username, password, etc.).
3. Initiate a connection to the network.
4. Mobile Connect establishes a SSL VPN tunnel to the Dell SonicWALL security appliance.
5. You can now access resources on the private network. All traffic to and from the private network is securely transmitted over the SSL VPN tunnel.
Note Although Mobile Connect is designed to work with all Android devices running the 4.0 or newer platform, only the above platforms have been tested and verified to run Mobile Connect. Custom ROMs are not officially supported.
Dell SonicWALL Appliance Support
SonicWALL Mobile Connect is a free app, but requires a concurrent user license on one of the following Dell SonicWALL solutions in order to function properly:
• Dell SonicWALL firewall appliances including the TZ, NSA, E-Class NSA running SonicOS 5.8.1.0 or higher
• Dell SonicWALL SRA appliances running 5.5 or higher
• Dell SonicWALL Aventail E-Class SRA appliances running 10.5.4 or higher
The following features, some of which are specific to E-Class SRA appliances or SMB SRA appliances and Next Generation Firewalls, have been added in Mobile Connect 3.0:
• UI Redesign – Mobile Connect 3.0 has a new app icon, splash screen, and look and feel. The Connect/Disconnect button has been replaced with an On/Off switch.
• File Bookmarks – Mobile Connect 3.0 working with SRA 7.5 firmware introduces secure mobile access to files. Granular policy controls can be configured to allow other Android apps to use each file. Policies include control over whether a file may be securely cached or opened in a third party app. Files Bookmarks are displayed after the VPN is connected. Selecting a Files bookmark checks and enforces the server policy, securely downloads the file, and displays it within the appropriate app. Bookmarks to folders or file share root directories can also be created to allow for directory navigation.
At this time File bookmarks are supported only in SMB SRA appliances running SRA 7.5 firmware. File bookmark support in the E-Class SRA and Next Generation Firewalls is expected in a future release.
E-Class SRA Features
• Credential Caching – Users may now cache their username and password credentials to reduce the burden of managing their credential identities to gain access. This feature requires 10.7.x E-Class SRA firmware.
• Network Awareness – VPN connections can be configured to detect whether the user is remote or on premise and control the VPN connection accordingly. This feature requires 10.7.x E-Class SRA firmware.
• IPv6 Phase I Support – VPN connections can connect to SRA EX appliances via IPv6 and access IPv6 resources over the VPN. This feature requires 10.7.x E-Class SRA firmware.
• TLSv1.1/1.2 Support – This feature requires 10.6.4+ or 10.7.x E-Class SRA firmware.
SMB SRA & Next Generation Firewall Features
• Client Certificate Authentication Support – Client certificate authentication is now available for SRA appliance connections. If a client certificate is required during authentication, the user will be automatically prompted to select a client certificate from the Android device client certificate store.
• Compression – Traffic over the VPN tunnel is compressed using the LZ4 algorithm when connected to a server that supports compression and has it enabled for the tunnel. A Compression row displaying the overall compression ratio is shown on the Monitor tab if compression is enabled. This feature requires 7.5 SRA firmware.
• End Point Control – End Point Control policy checking is performed before establishing the VPN connection established. Mobile Connect supports the following attributes:
– Application
– Directory name
– File name
– Equipment ID
– Android version
This feature requires 7.5 SRA firmware.
Firewall and SRA Appliance Connections
E-Class SRA Appliances Connection
Connect to Mobile Connect Server
Firewall and SRA Appliance Connections
1. Launch SonicWALL Mobile Connect. You will be presented with the screen to begin your first connection. Tap Add connection.
– Name: Enter a descriptive name for the connection.
– Server: Enter the URL or IP address of the server.
2. Tap Next. Mobile Connect will then attempt to contact the Dell SonicWALL appliance.
If the attempt fails, a warning message will display, asking if you want to save the connection. Verify that the server address or URL is spelled correctly, and then tap Save.
3. Before tapping Save, verify that the server address or URL is spelled correctly.
4. If Mobile Connect successfully contacts the server, you will be prompted to enter your Username and Password (unless the server does not require this information).
5. The Domain field is auto-populated with the default domain from the server. To select a different domain, tap Domain to display a drop-down menu of the available options and tap Save.
E-Class SRA Appliances Connection
1. Launch Mobile Connect. You will be presented with the screen to begin your first connection. Tap Add connection.
– Name: Enter a descriptive name for the connection.
– Server: Enter the URL or IP address of the server.
2. Tap Next. Mobile Connect will then attempt to contact the Dell SonicWALL appliance. If the attempt fails, a warning message will display, asking if you want to save the connection.
3. Before tapping Save, verify that the server address or URL is spelled correctly.
If Mobile Connect successfully contacts the server, the connection will be automatically saved.
Connect to Mobile Connect Server
After you save a new connection, the list of all configured connections displays.
To establish a Mobile Connect session, perform the following tasks:
1. Tap the connection in the list that you want to initiate. The Connection Status page displays. Tap VPN ON/OFF switch.
2. The first time you initiate a connection, a warning message displays. Tap the I trust this application checkbox, and then tap OK.
3. For E-Class SRA connections only: If Mobile Connect successfully contacts the server, you will be prompted to select which Login Group on the appliance you want to connect to. If you do not know which Login Group to connect to, contact your network administrator.
4. For E-Class SRA connections only: If the Login Group you connect to is not listed, select Other... to manually type in the group name.
5. For E-Class SRA connections only: Enter your username and password if prompted (depending on whether the Dell SonicWALL appliance you are connecting to allows for saving usernames and passwords).
When the connection is successfully established, the Status changes to Connected and the VPN switch remains in the ON position.
Any bookmarks defined for the portal are displayed below the Disconnect button. Navigate to a bookmark’s destination. Bookmarks will only appear after a VPN connection is established if the server is running firmware that supports Mobile Connect bookmarks and bookmarks have been defined for that user.
6. Press the Home button to return to your device’s home screen. You can now navigate to other apps to access your intranet network. The status bar will display a VPN icon to indicate that the session is still connected.
If the VPN connection is interrupted, the VPN icon will disappear and you will no longer be able to access the Intranet network. This can happen if your device’s connection transitions to a different network connection (for example, from Wi-Fi to cellular).
Return to Mobile Connect to reestablish the connection. Optionally, you can configure the Automatic Reconnect option on the Settings tab to have Mobile Connect automatically attempt to reestablish interrupted connections.
SonicWALL Mobile Connect provides several settings for connection and logging options. The Settings tab also provides Support information, which includes a User Guide and device, connection, and server information.
The following options are controlled from the Settings tab:
• Connect on Launch - Sets Mobile Connect to automatically initiate a connection to the last-used profile when it is launched.
• Automatic Reconnect - Sets Mobile Connect to automatically attempt to reconnect if the connection is lost. The SSL VPN connection can be disrupted when your device’s connection transitions to a different network type (for example, from Wi-Fi to 3G). This setting lets applications rely on a sustained VPN connection. There is no limit on the amount of time it takes to reconnect.
• URL Control - Allows other mobile applications to pass action requests using special URLs to Mobile Connect. These action requests can create VPN connection entries and connect or disconnect VPN connections. For example, another application can launch Mobile Connect, access internal resources as needed, and then disconnect by using the mobileconnect:// or sonicwallmobileconnect:// URL scheme. Some common examples of URL Control are:
Add profile: mobileconnect://addprofile[/]?name=ConnectionName&server=ServerAddress[&Parameter1=Value&Parameter2=Value...]
Connect: mobileconnect://connect[/]?[name=ConnectionName|server=ServerAddress][&Parameter1=Value&Parameter2=Value...]
Disconnect: mobileconnect://disconnect[/]
See the Mobile Connect User Guide for full URL Control parameter details.
• Bookmarks - Displays centrally configured shortcuts (called bookmarks) to VPN resources like web pages, Remote Desktop servers, and terminal servers. These bookmarks, which are displayed on the main Connection tab when the VPN is connected, provide one-touch access to frequently used applications.
If using a SRA appliance, pulling down the Connection screen and releasing it refreshes the bookmarks. Mobile Connect supports Remote Desktop options like screen size and enable/disable audio as long as both the server bookmark and third party application support the option.
Note Bookmarks are supported on SRA appliances only when running 7.0 or higher and not supported on UTM appliances running SonicOS.
More About Bookmarks
• Files > Delete Cached Files - Deletes all cached files that have been downloaded and stored on the device. Note that cached files are stored encrypted on the device for added security.
Note Files are supported on SRA appliances only when running 7.5 or higher and not supported on appliances running SonicOS.
More About Files
• Logs > Debug Logging - Enables full debug log messages of Mobile Connect activity. Leave this setting disabled unless instructed to enable it by Dell SonicWALL Support staff.
• Logs > Clear Logs - Deletes all log files saved on the device.
The Support section of the Settings tab provides the following support information:
• User Guide - Displays the SonicWALL Mobile Connect User Guide.
• Device Information - Displays information about the device, Wi-Fi connection, Cellular connection, and DNS servers.
• Email Logs - Creates an email to send the Mobile Connect log to Dell SonicWALL Support staff. Tap Send to send the email.
E-Class SRA Settings
Connections to Dell SonicWALL E-Class SRA appliances have two additional options that are available on the Edit Connection window. To view this option, go to the Connection tab and tap and hold on the Connection line to bring up the Edit Connection window.
The following options can be configured:
• Remember Credentials - Enables saving of user authentication credentials for the VPN connection. This is enabled by default and can be controlled by the E-Series SRA server setting.
• Forget Selections - Mobile Connect remembers the Login Group that you specified when configuring the connections. To change to a different Login Group, tap Forget Selections. The next time you connect to the server, you will be prompted to select a new Login Group.
Note If this option is not displayed, you are connecting to either a Dell SonicWALL firewall or SRA appliance.
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When there are more than five bookmarks, the bookmarks are replaced by a Filter screen that groups bookmarks by type. Select the type of bookmarks to display or select All Bookmarks to display all bookmarks. Note that for the SRA appliances, the server must be running version 7.0 or higher.
Selecting a bookmark for an app that is not installed will prompt you to install the app. Apps referenced by bookmarks also can be installed at any time using the Settings > Bookmarks tab. In addition to installing apps for bookmarks, the Settings > Bookmarks tabs is also used to select and install apps for bookmarks that support multiple third party apps. For example, you might select Chrome or Firefox for a Web bookmark.
Mobile Connect supports the following types of bookmarks and associated apps.
Desktop Bookmarks:
Portal name: Terminal Services (RDP – ActiveX), Terminal Services (RDP – Java) Internal type: RDP5ActiveX, RDP5Java
RDP bookmark types attempt to launch with the associated RDP application, as configured in the Settings tab.
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Additional details such as screen resolution should be provided to the client. However, support for passing such parameters will vary based on the application. For example:
• Wyse PocketCloud Pro does not support the “connect to console” option
Portal name: Virtual Network Computing (VNC)
Internal type: VNC
VNC bookmark types attempt to launch with the associated VNC application as configured in the Settings tab.
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Additional details such as screen resolution should be provided to the client. However, support for passing such parameters varies based on the application.
Portal name: Citrix Portal (Citrix)
Internal type: Citrix, Citrix_https
Citrix bookmark types will attempt to launch with the associated Citrix application.
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Additional details such as screen resolution should be provided to the client. However, support for passing such parameters will very based on the application.
Web Bookmarks:
Portal name: Web (HTTP), Secure Web (HTTPS), External Web Site
Internal type: HTTP, HTTPS, URL, URL_https
These bookmarks will launch in an associated web browser and the provided ‘Name or IP Address’ (HostID) will be passed as the parameter to display in the browser.
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Portal name: Mobile Connect
Internal type: MC
Mobile Connect bookmark type will rely fully on the OS to determine and launch the proper application. The bookmark is expected to be properly configured for launch. The Mobile Connect app will attempt to launch it as is. (for example, telnet://server)
Terminal Bookmarks:
Portal name: Telnet, Secure Shell Version 1 (SSHv1), Secure Shell Version 2 (SSHv2)
Internal type: Telnet, SSH, SSHv1
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ConnectBot notes: Proper formatting is required for ConnectBot SSH (server bookmark field requires username@server).
Note Some supported third party apps may not yet be available in the Amazon Appstore.
Mobile Connect 3.0 introduces secure mobile access to files through new File bookmarks. File bookmarks are displayed after the VPN is connected in the table of bookmarks. Tapping a File bookmark allows secure access to files by first checking and enforcing the server configured file policy, and then securely downloading and displaying the file within the Mobile Connect app, On Android, policies include control over whether a file may be opened in a third-party app or securely cached on the device. File bookmarks can also be created to folders or file share root directories to allow directory navigation.
Note Note In Mobile Connect for Android 3.0, Files bookmarks are supported on the Dell SonicWALL SRA appliances starting with SRA 7.5 firmware. Support for Files in E-Series SRA and NGFW is expected in a future release.
When Files bookmarks are configured for the user on the server appliance, they appear in the list of bookmarks after the VPN is established and can be filtered by selecting the Showing: Files row that is displayed when there are more than five bookmarks.
Tapping a File bookmark queries and enforces the server-configured file policy for that file bookmark. If the file is not already cached on the device, it securely downloads the file from the SRA appliance. Once the file is downloaded, it is opened in the Android default file viewer app for that file type.
Tapping a File bookmark to a folder or directory allows for directory browsing and file download and viewing of any file in the folder. All attempts to browse a file folder or view a file query the server to enforce access policies. On Android, the default file viewer app is automatically launched after a file is downloaded.
Supported File Types
Mobile Connect supports all file types natively supported by Android, including the following:
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Unsupported Files
If a file type is not supported, the user will be prompted that the file may not be viewable unless there is another app installed that can view the file. The user can tap ‘Try Anyway’ and if there is another app that is registered to handle that file type, the user will have the option to open the file in that app.
File Policies
On Android, server-configured policies control whether a file can be opened in a third-party app or securely cached on the device.
For example, if a file has the Allow Open In policy disabled, the file cannot be viewed on an Android device. Mobile Connect launches third-party apps to view all file types, so the Allow Open in policy must be enabled to view a file.
Configure Client Certificates
Note Client certificate support is only available for connections to Dell SonicWALL E-Class SRA and SMB SRA appliances.
Configuring a Connection to Dell SonicWALL E-Class SRA Appliances
If a client certificate is required during authentication, you are automatically prompted to select a client certificate from the Android device client certificate store.
Select the client certificate from the list of certificates and tap Allow.
By default a VPN configuration prompts you to select the client certificate during authentication. If you successfully authenticate with a client certificate, the VPN configuration profile is automatically updated to use the client certificate for each subsequent connection attempt. To reset the client certificate selection, edit the connection and tap the Forget Selections button.
Note If no client certificates are installed, an Android No certificates found dialog appears with an option to install a PKCS#12 file located in external storage.
Configuring a Connection to Dell SonicWALL SMB SRA Appliances
On SMB SRA appliances, client certificate authentication is available as a second factor authentication method in addition to standard user name and password authentication. If a client certificate is required during authentication, you are automatically prompted to select a client certificate from the Android device client certificate store.
Select the client certificate from the list of certificates and tap Allow.
By default the client certificate is set to Choose during login for a VPN configuration. If you successfully authenticate with a client certificate, the VPN configuration profile is automatically updated to set the client certificate to the one that was chosen. To reset the client certificate selection, edit the connection and set the Client Certificate field back to Choose during login.
Note If no client certificates are installed, an Android No certificates found dialog appears with an option to install a PKCS#12 file located in external storage.
The Monitor tab displays additional details about the connection, statistics on traffic transmitted, DNS information, and routes that have been installed.
The About tab of SonicWALL Mobile Connect displays the version number and legal text.
When a Mobile Connect session is active, the Android System Notifications area includes an entry indicating that the VPN is connected.
Tapping on the SonicWALL Mobile Connect entry in the Android System Notifications area displays a summary of statistics on the VPN session. The statistics page displays the server name, duration of the session, and the amount of traffic that has been sent and received. Three buttons are also provided on this screen:
• Cancel – Closes the statistics screen.
• Disconnect – Disconnects the Mobile Connect session.
• Configure – Launches the SonicWALL Mobile Connect app.
Mobile Connect Widget
When the SonicWALL Mobile Connect app is installed, a widget for Android is also created in the widgets tab. It can then be dragged from the widgets tab to the home screen. This widget is used as follows:
• The widget shows the connection status (connected, disconnected, connecting, etc.)
• Tap the icon to establish a tunnel when disconnected.
• Tap the icon to disconnect the tunnel when connected.
• Tap any other area of the widget to launch the Mobile Connect client.
If you are unable to connect to the Dell SonicWALL server, perform the following steps to troubleshoot the connection.
1. Double check that you have entered the server name properly in the connection configuration.
2. Go to the web browser on your device and attempt to navigate to the SSL VPN appliance web portal.
3. If you are unable to load the web portal, the problem is with the Dell SonicWALL appliance. Contact your network administrator if the problem persists.
4. If the web portal loads successfully on the browser and you still cannot establish a Mobile Connect connection, notify Dell SonicWALL Support, as follows:
a. On the Settings tab, enable the Debug Logging option.
b. Attempt a connection to the server again to ensure that full debugging messages are logged for the attempt.
c. Then return to the Settings tab and tap the Email Logs button. An email will launch in your mail client with the Mobile Connect log attached. Address the email to Support@sonicwall.com. Add any additional comments to the email and tap Send. Dell SonicWALL Support staff will contact you after reviewing your case.