Support for Preferred Gateways
End users can now assign and automatically connect to
a preferred GlobalProtect gateway.
Software Support
: Starting with GlobalProtect™
App 5.0.3 for Android, Windows, and Mac and GlobalProtect™ App 5.0.7
for iOS OS Support
: Android 4.4 and later releases, iOS 10 and
later releases, Windows 7 and later releases, and macOS 10.11 and
later releases End users can now assign and automatically connect to a preferred
GlobalProtect gateway. By default, the GlobalProtect app automatically
connects to the best available gateway based on the priority, source region, and
response time of the configured gateways. However, if users
need to connect to a specific gateway to access certain resources
or connect from a particular geographical location, they must manually
switch to that gateway each time they establish the GlobalProtect
connection. With this enhancement, users can now automatically connect
to a preferred gateway regardless of priority and response time.
For example, an employee that is based out of California goes on
a business trip to Singapore. While he is working in Singapore,
he requires access to resources that are available only in California.
To ensure that he can access these resources without having to switch
to the California gateway each time he establishes the GlobalProtect
connection, he can set the California gateway as his preferred gateway.
In order for users to connect to a preferred
gateway, you must make sure that the gateway is available in the source regions from which
the users are connecting.
If the GlobalProtect app is unable to connect to the preferred
gateway, it falls back to the best available gateway.
Depending on the endpoint operating system (OS), end users can
use one of the following workflows to assign a preferred gateway
on the GlobalProtect app:
- Assign a preferred gateway on Android or iOS endpoints:
- Launch the GlobalProtect app.
- Assign a preferred gateway.
- Tap the Gateway drop-down.
- From the list of available gateways, tap the More Options (
) icon
for the gateway that you want to set as the preferred gateway and
then Set As Preferred. Alternatively, you can long-press (tap and hold) the gateway and thenSet As Preferred.
- Verify that the gateway is set as the preferred gateway.
- Tap the Gateway drop-down.
- From the list of available gateways, verify that the gateway is marked asPreferred.
- (Optional) If you no longer want to connect to the gateway automatically, remove the preferred gateway assignment.
- Tap the Gateway drop-down.
- From the list of available gateways, tap the More Options (
) icon
for the preferred gateway and then Remove Preferred. Alternatively, you can long-press (tap and hold) the gateway and thenRemove Preferred.
- Assign a preferred gateway on Windows or Mac endpoints:
- Launch the GlobalProtect app.
- Assign a preferred gateway.
- From the status panel, click the Settings (
) icon
to open the settings menu. - SelectPreferred Gatewayto open the GlobalProtect: Preferred Gateway dialog.
- From the list of available gateways, select the gateway that you want to set as the preferred gateway and thenSet as Preferred.
- Closethe dialog.
- Verify that the gateway is set as the preferred gateway.
- From the status panel, select the Gateway drop-down.
- From the list of available gateways, verify that the gateway is marked as(Preferred).
- (Optional) If you no longer want to connect to the gateway automatically, remove the preferred gateway assignment.
- From the status panel, click the Settings (
) icon
to open the settings menu.
- SelectPreferred Gatewayto open the GlobalProtect: Preferred Gateway dialog.
- From the list of available gateways, select the preferred gateway and thenRemove Preferred.
- Closethe dialog.