Using check point mobile in Parallels on MacOS

[CeeToo]

Hi there,

one of my clients is using Check Point Mobile for Windows machines and the connection was pretty easy to setup.

I wanted to do the same now with my Mac Mini but figured out due to the ARM architecture there is just a limited version which tunnels my full internet connection. THis is something I want to avoid. Instead I would like to split this.

So I tried to install Parallels on MacOs , set up Win 11 and also Client Check Mobile but unfortunately a connection to the VPN service is not possible, the tracing service can't be activated.

Therefore I would like to know if there is any option to use Check Point Mobile or a variation of this software in a virtual environment like Parallels or if there is any plan to create one solution.

BG

Tobias

[the_rock]

Do you have any relevant screenshots/logs (simple diagram) that could help us here?

Cheers,

Andy

[_Val_]

We do not support EndPoint on Parallels Windows with M1/2.

Please use the native Mac client instead. Another option is to raise an RFE with your local Check Point representative.

[CeeToo]

Thanks guys,

attached you will find a screenshot of the issue, mainly it is because the Endpoint service is not activated and neither can'T be activated manually. I guess when this would made be possible we would have a solution.

@_Val_  Also thx to your reply. TBH this is not possible to me because I am not the business owner who sets this up. And it is very confusing, that the main internet connection of the Mac can't be used anymore after the VPN has been activated, only the internet in the virtual machine which is then established behind the VPN has an internet connection. This should be changed. And what is an RFE?

BG

[_Val_]

This does not sound right, both the host and the VM should be able to access the Internet, even when Endpoint Client is installed and connected to VPN. Maybe talk to your security admins, before anything else.

[PhoneBoy]

Remote Access VPN on Windows (whether part of Harmony Endpoint or standalone) only supports x86 hardware.
This limitation also applies when Windows is emulated on an M1/M2 Mac in Parallels.
The only supported client in this case is Check Point Capsule VPN, which is available in the Windows store.
See: https://support.checkpoint.com/results/sk/sk107536 

[Ralf_Hamburg]

I guess I didn't fully understand the thread, my English skills seem limited here. Hence the clear question again:

Is there ANY way to realize a VPN dial-in with Checkpoint on a Mac with M processor with Parallels and Windows for ARM processors? And without RFE, which is not supported by most customers.

In one post I read that this is not supported, in another that there is Check Point Capsule VPN. So, I'm a little bit confused... 😉

[PhoneBoy]

There are a few different VPN clients, actually:

The clients that are checked in the screenshot above do NOT run on ARM processors.
Capsule VPN does as it uses the native functionality built into Windows.
SNX does for macOS natively, not sure it will work for ARM on Windows.

Whether your organization allows Capsule VPN to be used is a separate question.
However, the above shows where this is configured (on the relevant gateway object).
It lacks various compliance checks, which some organizations require.

[Ralf_Hamburg]

The sentence "The clients that are checked in the screenshot above do NOT run on ARM processors." is unaccaptable. More and more Windows Laptops are built with ARM processors, Intel based processors loses market shares every month. They are wasting too much power for heating the system.

[PhoneBoy]

For context, current estimates of ARM market share for Windows PCs is somewhere around 10%.
https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/cpus/arm-pc-market-share-wont-rise-above-13-percent-in-20... 

In any case, we do plan to support ARM in the future, but there are no timelines for this at present.