^RC1

NEW VERSION - Release Candidate 1 is here! Following the success of VPN-Q 2006, Winfrasoft are working on the next version of VPN-Q! VPN-Q 2008 will maintain the same key benefits of the previous version and introduce new functionality and features that our customers have been asking for. VPN-Q 2008 helps secure your VPN connections by checking the health state of remote endpoint machines while they are isolated in a VPN quarantine network. Threats from viruses, worms, hackers and malicious users are everywhere! By ensuring that remote PC's connecting to your network have up-to-date anti virus software, a personal firewall enabled and patches installed, to name a few features, these threats can be significantly reduced. VPN-Q 2008 introduces a new member to the lineup - the Express Edition! Unlike VPN-Q 2006, there will no longer be a Free or Standard Edition. Customer feedback told us that the Standard Edition feature set did not suit requirements well enough and a mix of the Free Edition and Standard Edition would be ideal - hence Express Edition. Step 1: Go get it... Step 2: Feedback on It... VPN-Q 2008 RC1 downloads: Location: RC1 Full Web Download (70Mb) Email us at beta@winfrasoft.com

What's new in VPN-Q 2008

VPN-Q 2008 has a new quarantine service and no longer relies on the Microsoft RQS service. The new service allows for many new features which were not previously possible. Because the services are totally separate, migration from 2006 to 2008 is made easy as they can both co-exist on the same ISA server giving you chance to gradually upgrade your VPN-Q clients.

The licence file is no longer included in the client setup package, which makes it easier to change licence files and also helps to prevent licence file theft. To reduce activation connectivity issues, the new quarantine service will process activation requests with our activation server so that the VPN clients no longer need to do this directly. The new quarantine service also acts a policy server, the new VPN-Q client receives its policy directly from the ISA server and does not require AD group policy. This means that unmanaged & non-domain joined PC's must also now conform to your VPN security policy. You can still make use of AD group policy if you wish, but any setting explicitly set on the VPN server will take priority.

AD computer groups can also be used to restrict which PC's are allowed to be used for VPN access - not just users. Simply create an AD group containing computer accounts and tell VPN-Q which group to use. If a VPN connection is not made from a PC in that group they will not be able to clear quarantine regardless of their health state. Manual computer objects can also be created in AD for non-domain joined PC's by specifying the PC's hardware GUID.

VPN-Q 2008 feature set by edition. Highlighted features are NEW in the 2008 release. RC1 is a feature complete release:

Click a pic for a closeup of RC1!

VPN-Q 2008 Client console: Not much new here, the same simple yet effective layout makes an upgrade a non-event for the user.		Client detail tab: Not much new here either. Status code information from any custom checks will be visible here.		VPN-Q Config Wizard: The Configuration Wizard for ISA Server 2004/2006 allows for a few more rules to be created for you in this release.
VPN-Q 2008 Server Manager console The Server Management console has had a large overhaul! The new UI gives the administrator much greater control over how the VPN environment will operate.

Minimum Server System Requirements: Windows Server 2003 Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 (SP1 recommended) or higher ISA Server 2004 or 2006 Standard Edition (optional but recommended) or ISA Server 2004 or 2006 Enterprise Edition (optional but recommended) IAG 2007 Note: VPN-Q 2008 no longer supports Windows Routing and Remote Access. Minimum Client System Requirements: Windows XP with Service Pack 2, including SP3 Windows Vista, including SP1 Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 (SP1 recommended) or higher Languages: The VPN-Q 2008 Client supports multilingual configurations. Current supported languages include English, German and French. The VPN-Q 2008 Server Manager is compatible with multi-lingual versions of Windows Server 2003, however it only available in English. Winfrasoft have tested the Server Manager on the English & German versions of Windows Server 2003 SP1, however VPN-Q 2008 is not limited to these languages. Non-English versions of ISA Server are not supported.

Q1: Can VPN-Q 2008 RC1 be installed on the same ISA Server as VPN-Q 2006?

A1: Yes, VPN-Q 2006 and 2008 can operate on the same server at the same time. This side by side deployment is a recommended upgrade strategy which allows time for VPN clients to be upgraded without leaving users with no connectivity. During the installation of VPN-Q 2008 the ISA server rules are upgraded to the new format although the rules required for VPN-Q 2006 to function remain in place.

Q2: Do I have to use Active Directory Group Policy to configure VPN-Q 2008 client settings?

A2: No, VPN-Q 2008 has its own management service which enforces policy on remote VPN clients without the need to use Active Directory. This allows the VPN server policy to be enforced on non-domain joined clients, or on clients which are a member of a non-trusted domain. AD Group Policy can still be used as per the previous version, however any policy settings set on the VPN server will take precedence over the AD group policy setting.

Q3: Do I have to restart the management service when I change policy settings?

A3: No, the management service will read the policy from the server each time a client connects, thus there is no need to restart the service.

Q4: Does VPN-Q 2008 support .NET Framework 1.1?

A4: No, VPN-Q 2008 requires a minimum of .NET Framework 2.0 to take advantage of new features, better security and performance.

Q5: Does VPN-Q 2008 support Windows RRAS?

A5: No, VPN-Q 2008, unlike its previous version, does not support Windows RRAS. VPN-Q 2008 requires Microsoft ISA Server 2004, 2006 or IAG 2007. Customer feedback told us that the vast majority of VPN-Q installations used ISA Server for the extra functionality and enhanced security, as such we have focused our attention on this deployment scenario.

Q6: Where do I get a licence file for VPN-Q 2008 from? Can I use the licence from VPN-Q 2006?

A6: A licence for RC1 has been included in the root of the ZIP download. This licence is a shared, time limited, licence for all beta testers. A trial licence can also be generated during the installation process and we encourage beta testers to test this system too. A licence from VPN-Q 2006 can NOT be used with VPN-Q 2008. After the final release of VPN-Q 2008, all VPN-Q 2006 customers with a valid support contract can request a new licence key for VPN-Q 2008 at no extra cost.