What does "Clientless" mean?
The "clientless" nature of the SonicWALL SSL VPN appliance means that there is no need for the administrator to manually install a fat client component to a computer that will be used for remote access. This removes a tremendous burden, and thereby greatly expands the concept of remote access. It means that since there is no pre-installation or pre-configuration required, an authorized remote worker can sit down at any computer, anywhere in the world, and securely access their corporate resources.
In its purest form, SSL VPN remote access is strictly browser based. This is true, for example, for proxied Web applications. In other cases, a "thin" client is automatically pushed through the Web browser in the form of tiny Java applets or ActiveX controls. These enable access to files (FTP, CIFS), desktops and applications (Citrix1, Terminal Server, VNC), and terminals (Telnet, SSH). The difference between these thin clients and an IPSec fat client is that the SSL VPN clients are stateless, do not have to be manually installed or configured, and can be delivered transparently through the Web browser to any computer on demand.
Can my computer connect to the SSL VPN appliance?
Virtually any computer with Internet access and a Web browser can connect to the SonicWALL SSL VPN appliance. Your computer must be running Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.5 or newer, Firefox 1.0 or newer, Opera 7.0 or newer, or Safari 1.2 or newer. In some usage cases, your browser must be configured to enable Java and ActiveX for the connection to take place.
Remote control.
Many corporations already publish applications via Citrix® servers or Microsoft Terminal servers within the corporate network. The SonicWALL SSL VPN extends control of these applications beyond the corporate network to remote users via Citrix and Terminal Server "thin" clients.
The SonicWALL SSL VPN appliances also provide users with Remote Desktop Control capabilities via "thin" clients. These capabilities provide users with access to work stations using the RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol), as well as VNC (Virtual Network Computing) protocols. The RDP and VNC clients are automatically delivered to authorized remote users through their browsers in the form of an ActiveX or Java application. Access is delivered through the Network Resources feature, which is a set of network objects of a trusted network which can be accessed through the SSL VPN. These Network Resources can be pre-defined by the administrator and assigned to users or groups as bookmarks, or users can define and bookmark their own Network Resources.
Stay in control.
Just because users can connect easily from anywhere in the world, it does not mean that you have to give up control over your environment. Each user has a personalized portal that displays only the resources that each individual user is authorized to access, depending on policy.
Extras
1Only available on the SRA 4200 and SSL-VPN 4000
