Protocol Supported for VPN for Iphone and Ipod touch

Summary

This article covers the basics about the VPN protocols that iPhone and iPod touch support. For making sure VPN is properly configured to work with iPhone or iPod touch, you should contact your network administrator or IT Department. You also might want to refer them to this article.

iPhone and iPod touch work with VPN servers that support the following protocols and authentication methods:
VPN Type User / Machine Based Authentication Authentication Method(s) Supported
L2TP / IPSec User MSChapV2 Password
RSA SecurID
CRYPTOCard
Machine Shared Secret
PPTP User MSChapV2 Password
RSA SecurID
CRYPTOCard
Cisco IPSec VPN* User Password
RSA SecurID
CRYPTOCard
Certificate
Machine Shared Secret
Certificate



iPhone and iPod touch can use certificates in the following raw formats*:

* PKCS1 (.cer, .crt, .der)
* PCSC12 (.p12, .pfx)

Products Affected
iPhone, iPod touch, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPod touch (2nd generation)

If you are successfully using VPN in Mac OS X with a L2TP/IPSec configuration and you are using Password, RSA SecurID, or CRYPTOCard User Authentication methods, and Shared Secret key for Machine Authentication, then the same VPN configuration should work on iPhone or iPod touch. In addition, if you are using a Shared Secret key or Certificate for Machine Authentication, it should work as well.


Or, if you are successfully using VPN in Mac OS X with a PPTP configuration and you are using the Password, RSA SecurID User Authentication, or CRYPTOCard method, then the same VPN configuration should work on iPhone. The other User Authentication methods are not supported by iPhone or iPod touch.

If you have questions about what your VPN settings are or what your Shared Secret key is, you should contact your network administrator or IT Department.

For more information on how to set up and use VPN, see the  iPhone Enterprise Deployment Guide: 

* Requires iPhone OS 2.0 or later

Setting up VPN :iPhone and iPod touch

Summary

VPNs (virtual private networks) are often used within organizations to allow you to communicate private information securely over a non-private network. You may need to configure VPN, for example, to access your work email on iPhone or iPod touch.

iPhone or iPod touch devices with iPhone 2.0 software or later can connect to VPNs that use the L2TP, PPTP or Cisco IPSec VPN protocols. VPN works over both Wi-Fi and cellular data network connections.

iPhone or iPod touch devices with iPhone OS 3.0 or later can utilize VPN Proxy configurations. VPN On Demand is also an option with iPhone OS 3.0 and can be configured via profiles created with the iPhone Configuration Utility. For more information regarding VPN Proxy or VPN On Demand, see the

iPhone OS Enterprise Deployment Guide for iPhone Software 3.0

Products Affected
iPhone, iPod touch, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS

For basic information on how to configure iPhone or iPod touch to use VPN, see the iphone user guide

To learn how iPhone integrates seamlessly into enterprise environments, see the deployment scenarios and device configuration overview here.
Configure VPN

Choose General > Network > VPN and then choose Add VPN Configuration. Ask your network administrator which settings to use. In most cases, if you've set up a similar VPN on your computer, you can use the same VPN settings for iPhone or iPod touch.*
Turn VPN on or off

Once you've created a VPN configuration, the VPN switch at the top of the VPN Configurations list can be used to turn VPN on or off.

Choose your desired VPN configuration and tap or slide the switch to turn VPN on or off.
Troubleshooting VPN

If you see a message that says Shared Secret is missing, check with your network administrator for assistance. See document HT1288, "iPhone and iPod touch: Supported protocols for VPN" for additional information.