GlobalProtect Windows Client Persistent Breaks

[MikeMeredith]

Hi!

We have on ongoing issue with Windows users trying to use the Globalprotect client (up to 5.0.3 now) resulting in up to 30% of the clients persistently breaking with a driver issue[0] which has gone on long enough that we're considering using another VPN gateway. Yes it's been raised (nearly a year ago now).

Some questions :-

a) Are others seeing this at all?

b) Are there third party VPN clients that work reliably and will connect to the GlobalProtect portal/gateway?

0: The standard fix for the corrupt driver sometimes seems to work, sometimes works once (but immediately corrupts again). 

[Mick_Ball]

hi @MikeMeredith , we do have disconnect issues on occasions but none that are due to, or relate to, a corrupt driver, what driver are you referring to..?

[MikeMeredith]

Hi!

The driver that comes with the GlobalProtect client (the PanGP virtual adapter interface). One workaround that was suggested can be found at https://knowledgebase.paloaltonetworks.com/KCSArticleDetail?id=kA10g000000Cm5eCAC - but for some of our users, it keeps happening to the point that they give up with the VPN. 

[Mick_Ball]

OK just read the article, I have never seen this behaviour and have used GP for about 5 years with many windows and IOS flavours for almost 6000 users and have never experienced this.  sorry  i cannot offer a solution, it must be driving you crazy...

you can use other VPN clients but only for X-Auth. (direct connection to the gateway) so you do not get the benefits of portal agent config settings.  try using OpenConnect. 

[MikeMeredith]

Left this dangling all that time ago.

The problem was fixed by upgrading to GlobalProtect 5.0.8 (I think). There was a problem with replacing the relevant driver - presumably something unknown was holding onto it preventing the upgrade from occurring. The 'fix' was for the client to replace the driver on a reboot if it wasn't right. Or something roughly along those lines - I'm not a Windows person.