Windows VPN Client system tray Icon

[webmcgu]

I have a request from our management type users to see if there is a way to make the VPN padlock icon stay in the system tray at all times, even when the VPN connection does not exist. The issue comes around since our users use the Stateful Firewall at all times, but want to know when it's on or off. Is there a setting somewhere to make this happen, or another small app that could monitor the firewall state which would live in the system tray all the time?

thanks in advance-

[gfullage]

The only way I cna see to get this to work is to actually run the client when the user logs in. If you go under the Start - Programs - Startup menu there's actually already a VPN Client shortcut in here, this is used when using the Start Before Logon option so that it'll add the padlock to the system tray after you log in. In you're not using SBL then it does nothing.

You could modify this shortcut and remove the "-user_logon" option from the command, so that the shortcut simply runs the "vpngui.exe" app with no options. Change the Run: option in the shortcut to run as Minimized.

This way whenever anyone logs in the VPN Client will actually be run and the padlock icon will appear. They will get a shortcut to it in the toolbar at the bottom, but I don't see anyway around that.

[colin.barber]

The client should load in the system tray even if SBL is not being used. However during testing it seems to fail if you login too quickly after bootup. Logout and log back in and it loads.

Maybe the services don't start quickly enough before the vpngui program runs and just terminates?

I would like a solution because I have Auto Initiate enabled but sometimes the client isn't running to detect a network change.