[GH-ISSUE #453] iOS won't connect, "The VPN server did not respond.". ipsec seems crashing #423

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opened 2026-03-02 08:18:51 +03:00 by kerem · 1 comment
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Originally created by @revintec on GitHub (Nov 4, 2024).
Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/hwdsl2/docker-ipsec-vpn-server/issues/453

Checklist

Describe the issue
iOS won't connect, "The VPN server did not respond.". ipsec seems crashing
how do I further investigate?

To Reproduce
setup using the latest docker image and instructions, running on Docker Desktop for MacOS 4.31.0 (153195)
as can be seen from the screenshot, the server started successfully
image

port 500 was listened, and the packet reached the service
image
image

but no response, and port 500 is not listened anymore
image

neither docker log nor grep pluto /var/log/auth.log, grep pluto /var/log/secure, grep pluto /var/log/messages shows any interesting data

Expected behavior
A clear and concise description of what you expected to happen.

Logs
Enable logs, check VPN status, and add error logs to help explain the problem, if applicable.

Server (please complete the following information)

  • Docker host OS: MacOS Ventura 13.5

Client (please complete the following information)

  • Device: iPhone 12
  • OS: iOS 13
  • VPN mode: IKEv2 using profile exported from docker

Additional context
Add any other context about the problem here.

Originally created by @revintec on GitHub (Nov 4, 2024). Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/hwdsl2/docker-ipsec-vpn-server/issues/453 **Checklist** - [x] I read the [README](https://github.com/hwdsl2/docker-ipsec-vpn-server/blob/master/README.md) - [x] I read the [Important notes](https://github.com/hwdsl2/docker-ipsec-vpn-server/blob/master/README.md#important-notes) - [x] I followed instructions to [configure VPN clients](https://github.com/hwdsl2/docker-ipsec-vpn-server/blob/master/README.md#next-steps) - [x] I checked [IKEv1 troubleshooting](https://github.com/hwdsl2/setup-ipsec-vpn/blob/master/docs/clients.md#ikev1-troubleshooting), [IKEv2 troubleshooting](https://github.com/hwdsl2/setup-ipsec-vpn/blob/master/docs/ikev2-howto.md#ikev2-troubleshooting), [enabled logs](https://github.com/hwdsl2/docker-ipsec-vpn-server/blob/master/docs/advanced-usage.md#enable-libreswan-logs) and checked [VPN status](https://github.com/hwdsl2/setup-ipsec-vpn/blob/master/docs/clients.md#check-logs-and-vpn-status) - [x] I searched existing [Issues](https://github.com/hwdsl2/docker-ipsec-vpn-server/issues?q=is%3Aissue) - [ ] This bug is about the IPsec VPN server Docker image, and not IPsec VPN itself **Describe the issue** iOS won't connect, "The VPN server did not respond.". ipsec seems crashing how do I further investigate? **To Reproduce** setup using the latest docker image and instructions, running on Docker Desktop for MacOS 4.31.0 (153195) as can be seen from the screenshot, the server started successfully <img width="622" alt="image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/b49cbbdc-527d-4024-a52f-9f9d308fc8cf"> port 500 was listened, and the packet reached the service <img width="305" alt="image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/edba8c22-1654-4e7b-8cdc-86a50df4cec2"> <img width="652" alt="image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/e6fbe544-e494-4bcb-b98c-715beb1d43a1"> but no response, and port 500 is not listened anymore <img width="304" alt="image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/0a2dd94b-a173-437a-b411-9667544bd6b4"> neither docker log nor `grep pluto /var/log/auth.log`, `grep pluto /var/log/secure`, `grep pluto /var/log/messages` shows any interesting data **Expected behavior** A clear and concise description of what you expected to happen. **Logs** [Enable logs](https://github.com/hwdsl2/docker-ipsec-vpn-server/blob/master/docs/advanced-usage.md#enable-libreswan-logs), check [VPN status](https://github.com/hwdsl2/setup-ipsec-vpn/blob/master/docs/clients.md#check-logs-and-vpn-status), and add error logs to help explain the problem, if applicable. **Server (please complete the following information)** - Docker host OS: MacOS Ventura 13.5 **Client (please complete the following information)** - Device: iPhone 12 - OS: iOS 13 - VPN mode: IKEv2 using profile exported from docker **Additional context** Add any other context about the problem here.
kerem closed this issue 2026-03-02 08:18:51 +03:00
Author
Owner

@hwdsl2 commented on GitHub (Nov 5, 2024):

@revintec Hello! Thank you for reporting this issue with details. Currently, this project does not fully support Docker for Mac, because the Linux kernels on this platform may be missing some IPsec and/or L2TP support, which the container requires. Please consider using Linux as the Docker host OS, or you may also try alternative solutions for your use case.

<!-- gh-comment-id:2456038549 --> @hwdsl2 commented on GitHub (Nov 5, 2024): @revintec Hello! Thank you for reporting this issue with details. Currently, this project does not fully support Docker for Mac, because the Linux kernels on this platform may be missing some IPsec and/or L2TP support, which the container requires. Please consider using Linux as the Docker host OS, or you may also try alternative solutions for your use case.
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starred/docker-ipsec-vpn-server#423
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