User Configuration Tasks

SonicWall NetExtender is a software application that enables remote users to securely connect to the remote network. With NetExtender, remote users can virtually join the remote network. Users can mount network drives, upload and download files, and access resources in the same way as if they were on the local network.

 

Installation and Usage Instructions by Platform

Platform

Sections

Windows

Installing:

Using:

MacOS

Installing:

Using:

Linux

Installing NetExtender Using the Mozilla Firefox Browser
To use NetExtender for the first time using the Mozilla Firefox browser:
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Click the NetExtender button.

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The Allowed Sites - Software Installation dialog is displayed, with the address of the Virtual Office server in the Address of web site field.

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Click Allow to allow Virtual Office to install NetExtender
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Click Close.
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Return to the Virtual Office window.
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Click NetExtender again.
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The Software Installation dialog displays. After a five second countdown, the Install Now button becomes active. Click it.

NetExtender is installed as a Firefox extension.

When NetExtender completes installing, the NetExtender Status dialog displays, indicating that NetExtender connected successfully. The Status tab indicates the operating state of the NetExtender client.

NOTE: Closing the dialog (clicking on the x icon in the upper right corner of the dialog) does not close the NetExtender session, but does minimize the dialog to the system tray for continued operation.
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Review the following table to understand the Status tab in the NetExtender Status dialog.
 

NetExtender Status Dialog: Status Tab

Entry

Description

Server

Indicates the name of the server to which the NetExtender client is connected.

Client IP

Indicates the IP address assigned to the NetExtender client.

Sent

Indicates the amount of traffic the NetExtender client has transmitted since initial connection.

Received

Indicates the amount of traffic the NetExtender client has received since initial connection.

Duration

The amount of time the NetExtender has been connected, expressed as days, hours, minutes, and seconds.

Status button

Toggles the operating state of the NetExtender client: Connect or Disconnect.

When NetExtender successfully installs, the NetExtender icon displays in the task bar. Mousing over the icon displays a tool tip containing the same information (except for Duration) as the NetExtender dialog.

Installing NetExtender Using the Internet Explorer Browser

SonicWall SSL VPN NetExtender is fully compatible with Microsoft Windows Vista 32-bit and 64-bit, and supports the same functionality as with other Windows operating systems.

Topics:
Internet Explorer Prerequisites

It is recommended that you add the URL or domain name of your SonicWall security appliance to Internet Explorer’s trusted sites list. This will simplify the process of installing NetExtender and logging in, by reducing the number of security warnings you will receive.

To add a site to Internet Explorer’s trusted sites list:
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In Internet Explorer, go to Tools > Internet Options. The Internet Options dialog displays.

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Click on the Security tab.
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Click on the Trusted Sites icon.
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Click on the Sites... button to open the Trusted sites dialog.

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Click Add.
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Click OK. The Internet Options dialog displays again.
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Click OK.
Installing NetExtender from Internet Explorer
To install and launch NetExtender for the first time using the Internet Explorer browser:
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Click the link at the bottom of the Login page that says Click here for sslvpn login.
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Click the NetExtender button.

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Click Instructions to add SSL VPN server address into trusted sites for help. The instructions display.

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In Internet Explorer, go to Tools > Internet Options. The Internet Options dialog displays.

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Click on the Security tab.
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Click on the Trusted Sites icon.
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Click on the Sites... button to open the Trusted sites dialog.

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Click Add.
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Click OK. The Internet Options dialog displays again.
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Click OK.
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Click the NetExtender button. The portal installs the NetExtender stand-alone application automatically on your computer. The NetExtender installer dialog opens.

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If a warning message that NetExtender has not passed Windows Logo testing is displayed, click Continue Anyway. SonicWall testing has verified that NetExtender is fully compatible with Windows Vista, XP, and higher.

When NetExtender completes installing, the NetExtender Status dialog displays, indicating that NetExtender connected successfully. For information about the information displayed on this page, see NetExtender Status Dialog: Status Tab.

Installing NetExtender WAN Acceleration Client

The NetExtender WAN Acceleration Client (WXAC) is an addition to the NetExtender Client that accelerates traffic though the VPN connection.

To install the NetExtender WXAC:
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Launch the NetExtender Client. The NetExtender Setup dialog displays.

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Server—the WAN IP address of the managing NSA/TZ appliance that is on the site where the WXA appliance and server are located. Enter a colon (:) after the WAN IP address, and then enter the server port number.
Username—the username created by the Administrator.
Password—the password created by the Administrator.
Domain—the domain name displayed in the SSL VPN > Server Settings page of the managing NSA/TZ appliance’s management interface.
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Click the Connect button. The NetExtender Status dialog displays.
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Click the Install WAN Acceleration Client link.
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Launching NetExtender Directly from Your Computer

After the first access and installation of NetExtender, you can launch NetExtender directly from your computer without first navigating to the SSL VPN portal.

To launch NetExtender:
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Navigate to Start > All Programs.
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Select the SonicWall SSL VPN NetExtender folder.
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Click on SonicWall SSL VPN NetExtender. The NetExtender login dialog displays.
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The IP address of the last server you connected to is displayed in the SSL VPN Server field. To display a list of recent servers you have connected to, select it from the Server drop-down menu.

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Configuring NetExtender Preferences
To configure NetExtender preferences:
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Right click on the NetExtender icon in the system tray.
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Click on Preferences... The NetExtender Preferences dialog displays.

The Connection Profiles pane displays the SSL VPN connection profiles you have used, including the IP address of the server, the domain, and the username.

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a
b
Click the Remove button.

Click the Remove All buttons to delete all connection profiles.

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To customize the behavior of NetExtender, click the Settings entry. The Settings pane displays.

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a
Select the Automatically connect with Connection Profile checkbox.
b
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To have NetExtender launch when you log in to your computer, check the Automatically start NetExtender UI. When NetExtender starts, it displays only in the system tray.
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To have the NetExtender icon display in the system tray, select Minimize to the tray icon when NetExtender window is closed. If this option is not checked, you can access the NetExtender UI only through Window’s Program menu.
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To have NetExtender display tips when you mouse over the NetExtender icon, select Display Connect/Disconnect Tips from the System Tray.
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To have NetExtender attempt to reconnect when it loses connection, select Automatically reconnect when the connection is terminated.
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To have precise data displayed in the connection status, select Display precise number in connection status.
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Click Apply.
Configuring NetExtender Connection Scripts

SonicWall SSL VPN provides users with the ability to run batch file scripts when NetExtender connects and disconnects. The scripts can be used to map or disconnect network drivers and printers, launch applications, or open files or websites.

To configure NetExtender Connection Scripts:
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Click on Preferences... The NetExtender Preferences dialog displays.
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Click on Connection Scripts. The Connection Scripts pane displays.

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To enable the domain login script, select the Attempt to execute domain login script checkbox. When enabled, NetExtender attempts to contact the domain controller and execute the login script.
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To enable the script that runs when NetExtender connects, select the Automatically execute the batch file “NxConnect.bat” check box.
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To edit the NxConnect.bat file, click the Edit “NxConnect.bat” button. See Configuring Batch File Commands.
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To enable the script that runs when NetExtender disconnects, select the Automatically execute the batch file “NxDisconnect.bat” check box.
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To hide either of the console windows, select the appropriate Hide the console window check box. If this checkbox is not selected, the DOS console window remains open while the script runs.
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Click Apply.
Configuring Batch File Commands

NetExtender Connection Scripts support any valid batch file commands. For more information on batch files, see the following Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.bat. Table tasks provide an introduction to some commonly used batch file commands.

To configure the script that runs when NetExtender:

Click the Edit “NxDisconnect.bat” button. The NxDisconnect.bat file displays. When you have finished editing the scripts, save the file and close it.

TIP: By default, the NxConnect.bat file contains examples of commands that can be configured, but no actual commands. To add commands, scroll to the bottom of the file.
 

NxDisconnect.bat File Examples

To perform this task

Enter this command in the specified format

Map a network drive

For example, if the drive letter is z, the server name is engineering, the share is docs, the password is 1234, the user’s domain is eng and the username is admin, enter:

Disconnect a network drive

net use drive-letter: /delete

For example, to disconnect network drive z, enter:

Map a network printer

net use LPT1 \\ServerName\PrinterName /user:Domain\name

For example, if the server name is engineering, the printer name is color-print1, the domain name is eng, and the username is admin, enter:

Disconnect a network printer

Launch an application

C:\Path-to-Application\Application.exe

For example, to launch Microsoft Outlook, enter:

Open a website in your default browser

start http://www.website.com

Open a file on your computer

C:\Path-to-file\myFile.doc
Configuring Proxy Settings

SonicWall SSL VPN supports NetExtender sessions using proxy configurations. Currently, only HTTPS proxy is supported. When launching NetExtender from the web portal, if your browser is already configured for proxy access, NetExtender automatically inherits the proxy settings.

To manually configure NetExtender proxy settings:
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Right click the NetExtender icon in the task bar.
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Click on Preferences... The NetExtender Preferences dialog displays.
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Click on Proxy. The Proxy pane displays.

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Check the Enable proxy settings box.
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Automatically detect settings - To use this setting, the proxy server must support Web Proxy Auto Discovery Protocol (WPAD), which can push the proxy settings script to the client automatically.
Use automatic configuration script - If you know the location of the proxy settings script, select this option.
Use proxy server - Select this option to enter settings manually:
Enter the port of the proxy server in the Port field. The default port is 1080.
If entering a user name and password is required for the proxy server, enter them in he User name and Password fields. If you do not specify them in the Preferences dialog, a NetExtender dialog prompts you to enter them when you first connect.

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Click the Internet Explorer proxy settings button to open Internet Explorer’s proxy settings.
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Viewing the NetExtender Log

The NetExtender log displays information on NetExtender session events. The log is a file named NetExtender.dbg and is stored in the directory: C:\Program Files\ SonicWall\SSL VPN\NetExtender.

To view the NetExtender log:
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Right click on the NetExtender icon in the system tray.
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Click Log Viewer.

To view details of a log message:
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Go to View > Log Detail to open the Log Detail pane.
To save the log:
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Click the Export icon.
Go to Log > Export.
To filter the log:
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To display entries from a specific duration of time, go to the Filter menu and select the cutoff threshold.
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By type of entry, go to Filter > Level and select one of the level categories. The available options, in descending order of severity, are:

The log displays all entries that match or exceed the severity level. For example, when selecting the Error level, the log displays all Error and Fatal entries, but not Warning or Info entries.

To view the Debug Log:
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Click the Debug Log icon.
Go to Log > Debug Log.
NOTE: It may take several minutes for the Debug Log to load. During this time, the Log dialog is not accessible, although you can open a new Log window while the Debug Log is loading.

To clear the log:
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Click on Log > Clear Log.
Disconnecting NetExtender
To disconnect NetExtender:
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Right click on the NetExtender icon in the system tray to display the NetExtender icon menu.
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Click Disconnect. Wait several seconds. The NetExtender session disconnects.

You can also disconnect by:

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Double clicking on the NetExtender icon to open the NetExtender dialog.
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Clicking the Disconnect button.

When NetExtender becomes disconnected, the NetExtender dialog displays to give you the option to either Reconnect or Close NetExtender.

Upgrading NetExtender

You can configure NetExtender to automatically notify users when an updated version of NetExtender is available. Users are prompted to click OK. NetExtender downloads and installs the update from the SonicWall security appliance.

If auto-update notification is not configured, users should periodically launch NetExtender from the Virtual Office to ensure they have the latest version. Check with your administrator to determine if you need to manually check for updates.

Uninstalling NetExtender

The NetExtender utility is automatically installed on your computer.

To remove NetExtender:
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Click on Start > All Programs.
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Click on SonicWall SSL VPN NetExtender.
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Click on Uninstall.

You can also configure NetExtender to automatically uninstall when your session is disconnected.

To uninstall NetExtender automatically upon session disconnection:

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Right click on the NetExtender icon in the system tray.
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Click on Preferences... The NetExtender Preferences dialog displays.
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Click the Settings tab.
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Select Uninstall NetExtender automatically to have NetExtender uninstall every time you end a session.
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Verifying NetExtender Operation from the System Tray

To view options in the NetExtender system tray, right click on the NetExtender icon in the system tray. The following are some tasks you can perform with the system tray.

Displaying Route Information

To display the routes that NetExtender has installed on your system, click the Route Information option in the system tray menu. The system tray menu displays the default route and the associated subnet mask.

Displaying Connection Information

You can display connection information by mousing over the NetExtender icon in the system tray.

Installing NetExtender on MacOS
To install NetExtender on your MacOS system:
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Click the link at the bottom of the Login page that says Click here for sslvpn login.
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Click the NetExtender button.
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Using NetExtender on MacOS
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To launch NetExtender, go the Applications folder in the Finder.
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Double click on NetExtender.app. The SonicWall NetExtender dialog displays.

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Click Connect.
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When NetExtender is connected, the NetExtender icon displays in the status bar at the top right of your display. Click on the NetExtender icon to display NetExtender options.

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Select Routes.

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Click Save to save the diagnostic report using the default nxdiag.txt file name in your NetExtender directory.
Installing and Using NetExtender on Linux
To install NetExtender on your Linux system:
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Click the link at the bottom of the Login page that says Click here for sslvpn login.
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Click the NetExtender button. A dialog indicates that you have chosen to open the NetExtender.tgz file.

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Click OK to save it to your default download directory.
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Enter the tar -zxf NetExtender.tgz command.

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Type the cd netExtenderClient command.
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Type ./install to install NetExtender.
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Launch the NetExtender.tgz file.
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The first time you connect, you must enter the server name or IP address in the SSL VPN Server field. NetExtender remembers the server name in the future.

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The first time you connect, you must enter the domain name. NetExtender remembers the domain name in the future.
NOTE: You must be logged in as root to install NetExtender, although many Linux systems allow the sudo ./install command to be used if you are not logged in as root.
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a
Go to the NetExtender menu.
b
Select Routes.

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Click Save to save the diagnostic report using the default nxdiag.txt file name in your NetExtender directory.