Yosemite, iPhone Hotspot and Cisco AnyConnect

[gavinharper13]

We seem to have an issue with Cisco Anyconnect, Yosemite and iPhone hotspots, only when you add them all together. Using the iPhone as a hotspot, works fine. As soon as you connect the VPN, using Cisco Anyconnect Mobility Client, all network traffic stops, you cant ping anything, local or on the web.

Now, if we connect to a android phone as a hotspot, or a different wireless network, and use Cisco Anyconnect, it works fine, no issues. 

This has only started to happen when we updated to Yosemite. When we use the iPhone as a hotspot and have VPN connectedetc/resolv.conf cant be found. Disconnect the VPN, or use an android phone, any other network connection and it can be found!

The iPhone is up to date, Yosemite is up todate and so is the Cisco client. 

Any ideas?

[ghostinthenet]

Just to be clear, you're running AnyConnect 3.1.05187 on Yosemite? I know you said you were at the latest version, but I want to be clear. I use this combination constantly in the field and was having the same symptoms prior to 3.1.05182.

[gavinharper13]

Yeah i have that version of AnyConnect, also people have used V4 too and still has the same problem

[georgeocrawford]

Yep - I can confirm that the behaviour seems to be exactly the same with 4.0.00048. I have no /etc/resolv.conf when tethered over VPN, and thus cannot resolve any DNS.

[tim.economides]

I've had the exact same issue with 3.1.05187. Tethered via an iPhone (USB, Wifi, Bluetooth) all result in /etc/resolv.conf vanishing as soon as AnyConnect gets online.

[tim.economides]

All - I have a solution for this problem.

In your AnyConnect Group Policy, go to Advanced > Split Tunneling

for "DNS Names" uncheck "inherit" and manually define your LAN's internal DNS domain name.

for "Send All DNS Lookups Through Tunnel" uncheck "inherit" and manually select "no". 

For reasons I've not yet figured out, Yosemite does not like tunneling all DNS lookups through the tunnel.

If this is a sticking point for your environment, you may need to define a separate Group Policy for your OS X users until Cisco/Apple figure out their bug.

It should work immediately after disconnecting/reconnecting to AnyConnect.

Don't forget to save your changes!

-Tim

[davidshulman]

Sorry, but this does not solve it for us because this is the exact configuration we already have. This is clearly an incompatibility with Anyconnect and Yosemite.  The ONLY success I have had is with a pocket router in between my iPhone Hotspot and my laptop running Yosemite.  It is an ugly hack, but at least I am portable(ish) again. 

[scott00011111111]

David - are you still using the pocket router ?   How is the pocket router connected to your phone ?  How is the pocket router connected to your Mac ?

[davidshulman]

Hello Scott, I am still using the pocket router but I have not tried 8.2.  I connect to the USB powered pocket router via WiFi and the Pocket Router connects to my iPhone via WiFi too. This has worked for me when I am desperate.    

[davidshulman]

I tried iOS 8.2 and it still does not work.

[TroyKelly40205]

Hello,

Could you please tell me what model of pocket router you have been using to get around this issue?

Thank you!

[Rakesh maharjan]

-I have same problem. El Capitan ! and Iphone iOS 10.1.1and beta

---Solution is go to Anyconnect Group Policy, go to advanced> split tunnelling

--for DN names--uncheck -->inherit and manually add LAN DNS domain name

--for send All DNS lookups through tunnel "uncheck" inherit and manually select "no".

It solved problem.

but i still cannot access and docker container images.

---Even if you using anyconnect directly and have docker images, i cannot access docker container, but if i disconenct anyconnect, i can see docker images, any idea?

thanks!

Rakesh

[georgeocrawford]

I think tethering + AnyConnect is working for me again with the recent iOS 8.2 update!

[scott00011111111]

Unfortunately I have not not had the same success with 8.2.   Using Anyconnect 3.1.04072 on a MBP  and split tunneling.

[davidshulman]

Unfortunately, I can say that after the iOS 8.2 update it is STILL not working for me.  Just to be clear, I AM running Yosemite with all the latest updates.  I am running Cisco VPN Client version 3.1.05187. I am also using split tunneling which I understand is part of the issue, but I cannot live without it.  If I connect to the iPhone and do NOT run the Cisco VPN Client version 3.1.05187, I can connect to the internet and ping google (for example).  As soon as I connect to the VPN, my /etc/resolv.conf file disappears.  It is incredible that after all this time, nobody can solve this.