Cisco VPN on 64bit

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Hello @ll, new guy here.

Yesterday I got (my first) the new MacBook Pro 15" i7 2.3Ghz.
I've been since the first setup trying to configure the Cisco VPN on it.

Here are the results so far:

The native Cisco VPN version: does not connect (yeah, I checked the credentials multiple times)

The Ciscos' VPN client: does not work. Error 51 and can't simply reload it. Turns out this client does not work for 64bit boxes.

Shimo: connects, I get an IP, nothing else happens. Changing everything I could find at some point I was able to ping IPs, DNS issue. That was when I shut it down to come back home from the office. Got home, nothing happens again. Just connects and receives the IP.

Sooo... what do you guys suggest? I'll try booting in 32bit, that would probably work with the Cisco client, but I'd like to keep in 64bit, if possible.

Any help appreciated.
 
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1.8 GHz i7 MBA 11" OSX 10.8.2
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Thanks for the reply Ivan!
No, I don't have a massive amount of RAM, but 64bit is not just about RAM. I would like to get the most out of my mac in terms of performance.
Unfortunately I don't see any way around it if I need to be on a vpn connection.

Booting in 32 bit resolved the issue.

Thanks!
 
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Your Mac's Specs
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but 64bit is not just about RAM. I would like to get the most out of my mac in terms of performance.
64 bit actually degrades performance in some cases. The key here is programs can access more RAM, but the cost is the address decoding of that extra RAM. I have found in most cases 64 bit applications tend to run slower than 32 bit applications for programs/data that fit in a 32 bit space. This is also why I asked the question - to see any performance gain you need more than 4GB of RAM, a 64 bit OS, data that is greater that 4GB, and programs that can address 64 bit. If any one of those is missing then you will probably see performance degrade.

Think of it like this - putting 91 octane into your car does not make sense unless your engine can take advantage of it (high compression, turbos, etc) every day cars it is a waste of money. Another metaphor, trying to run faster by putting on bigger shoes. I.E. I now have size 14 instead of size 12. 14 > 12 so I must be getting some performance.
 
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Having the same issue

Having the same issue here.

Ive been trying to make this work on the new macbook pro, but have had no luck. Will switching to 32 bit let me use 8gb of ram still? or will that all go to waste?

I've been using my old Macbook pro for close to 2.5 years so figured this would be an awesome time to upgrade, but if I can't get vpn to work i basically have a nice aluminum pillow :|

Anyone get this to work? Any suggestions?
 
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You will be able to use all 8GB of RAM. Programs may not be able to use all 8 at one time. Do you have programs that need more than 4GB of RAM? Let me be clear
DO NOT BOOT INTO 64 BIT MODE UNLESS YOU HAVE A SPECIFIC PROGRAM OR DATA THAT REQUIRES MORE THAN 4GB OF RAM. (Yes there are always exceptions but most people figure 64 is more than 32 so it must be better)

I have 8GB of RAM - run in 32bit mode and have seen no problems. Playing HD files, messing with 12Mbit Photos in Photoshop, editing 10-20 minute HD movies in Adobe Premiere, everything runs fine without going into 64 bit mode. Anyway - try 32 bit mode and try the VPN.

Mac OS X: 64-bit kernel frequently asked questions
Mac OS X v10.6: Macs that use the 64-bit kernel

If you read carefully you'll see that Apple defaults to 32 bit kernels because of kernel extensions not all being 64 bit (The Cisco VPN adapter being one of them)

EDIT: Date is March 3rd, 2011 - as newer OSes come out and new kernel extensions are all upgraded to 64 bit then it will be time to turn on the 64 bit kernel.
 
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Oh well

Well I am not sure if I have a specific program that requires it. I'm working with adobe stuff on a daily basis, Photoshop, illustrator, flash, a virtual machine, and some dev tools.

I guess if everything else works, and still can use the GBs. I've been trying to figure this out for 2 days. Thanks

Let me know if you guys find out other solutions workarounds
 
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Ditch the Cisco VPN client and use Apple's built in VPN client

Hello, I don't know if you all know or not, but Apple has included a native VPN client for Cisco VPN.

It takes a few tasks to gather all the info that you need, but once you have it, setting it up is very easy.

I won't take ownership of the steps that I found here:
How to connect to a Cisco VPN using Mac OS X 10.6

Once you've set up your VPN and confirm that it works remove the Cisco VPN client from your computer by going to the Terminal and typing the following command.

sudo /usr/local/bin/vpn_uninstall

(You may want to keep your certs, up to you.)

Reboot and all will be well in 64-bit kernel land.

Hope that helps you all and sorry I didn't see this post earlier.
 

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