SAPGUI for Java on Mac with PPTP VPN not working

[Former Member]

Hi,

I am trying to connect with SAPGUI for Java 7.10 on Mac via Mac's PPTP VPN to the client site, but it stops dead at the saprouter address:

"Error: hostname 'prefix.saprouter.com' unknown

Sat Dec 22 00:10:47 2007

Release 710

Component NI (network interface), version 39

rc = -2, module niuxi.c, line 1592

Detail NiPGetHostByName: 'prefix.saprouter.com'

not found

System Call getaddrinfo"

My connection string looks like this:

conn=/H/prefix.saprouter.com/S/32XX/H/10.XXX.XX.XXX/S/32YY

Currently, I can connect through Windows Vista VPN and XP VPN with no problems. Of course, I can also connect easily when I'm onsite. In either case, my config settings are as follows:

Description: Dev

App server: 10.XXX.XX.XXX

System Number: YY

System ID: ZZZ

SAPRouter: /H/prefix.saprouter.com/S/32XX/H/

Can anyone assist me in getting this up and running?

Since the Mac VPN setup is exactly the same as the Windows setups and I show as connecting successfully, I'm suspecting it's my connection string. I've converted the Windows SAPLogon entry to a connection string as best I can. I can't see what's wrong with it.

Let me know if you have any advice.

Thank you,

Chris

[Former Member]

So I fixed the problem. In the VPN (PPTP) configuration, I had to:

- Set the encryption from "Automatic" to "Maximum"

- Click "Advanced" and check the box for "Send all traffic over VPN connection".

Both of these selections were required. You'd think "Automatic" would have been "automatic" about selecting the encryption level, but apparently it wasn't.

It's unfortunate I have to send all traffic through the VPN as this slows or even prevents other internet-using applications to operate properly while I'm connected to the VPN.

I think there's a way to edit a routing file and set it up in such a way to only have SAP use the VPN while the other applications bypass it, but I don't know how to do it and I don't really have time to learn it myself.

Anyway, hope this helps people out there. Thanks guys for weighing in with advice.

Chris

[RMW]

Hi Chris,

it seems that it fails quite early at the point where an IP-address for the sap router "prefix.saprouter.com" should be retrieved. As long as this happens, I would expect that tweaking the connection string will not help.

What you should try is on the terminal ping prefix.saprouter.com to find out if the basics work. My expectation is that this won't work either. If you can find out the IP-address of the sap router, try again with this one.

Best regards

Rolf-Martin

[Former Member]

That's correct, the router address cannot be resolved and pinging gives 100% packet loss. Despite the fact that the VPN says it's connected on the Mac side and has the same configuration as the Windows Vista VPN as far as I can tell, I still suspect the problem lies in the Mac PPTP VPN setup. However, I cannot tell what the problem is.

It's a simple configuration. Enter a userid, password, and server address. Since it's connecting successfully I don't know what could be missing!

Anyway, thanks for your assistance.

Chris

[Former Member]

When I go from my Mac at home through a Cisco VPN, I don't explicitly address the VPN in my connection string - the VPN makes it appear that my Mac is on the internal network and the connection string addresses the SAP system just as though I were on site. But I'm not sure that this is how your VPN operates.

Also look at the "Connection Strings" section in chapter 7 (Administration) of the SAPgui HTML documentation.

[Former Member]

Thanks for your response,

whether onsite or offsite, the router is required in my case. On the Vista side, my connection settings in SAPGUI work onsite and offsite via VPN, but using the same VPN set up and equivalent connection string on the Mac side won't work.