Technology of the Month

I Use a Computer At Wesleyan

For many of us, “work” at Wesleyan means interacting with a computer on a regular basis. You are likely using one right now looking at this. In addition, when you work and use technology in a classroom, computer lab, office, dorm room, or simply on the lawn on a warm spring day, you may use Wesleyan licensed software, access restricted Wesleyan web pages, remotely control another Wesleyan computer, or login to the Wesleyan domain. You can do these things because you are either using a Wesleyan computer located on campus or you’ve given proof that you are a member of the Wesleyan community (student, faculty, staff, alum or guest) by providing a username and password.

But What About When I Leave Campus?

When you leave campus with your laptop, or go home and go online, you may want to access these same Wesleyan resources from off campus. VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a tool that you can use from home, from a conference, or from anywhere off-campus that has a high-speed connection to the Internet. Once you’ve connected to VPN you can then access many of the restricted Wesleyan resources you regularly work with when on campus by going through the same process you would if you were “at” Wesleyan.

VPN? Not Unless You Have To

It’s important to note that VPN is not necessary for accessing everything at Wesleyan and it slows down your computer. So, if you want to just check Wesleyan email, get access to our library systems, etc., you should not use VPN.

You Don’t Need VPN to Use These:

Here is a list of things you can do off campus without using VPN.

• Check your Wesleyan e-mail
• Go to the Wesleyan home page, http://www.wesleyan.edu/
• Log onto ePorfolio and use most parts of ePortfolio
• Look at unrestricted Wesleyan web pages
• Browse the Library systems
• Get to files stored on Dragon or Condor via SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol)

You Do Need VPN to Use These:

On the other hand, you will need VPN installed, and running before you can begin to do the following (when off campus):

• Access Wesleyan Administrative Systems (SFIS, HR, Millennium, FRS, etc.)
• Use license restricted Wesleyan software
• File share not using SFTP
• Start a Remote Control connection to a campus computer (XP Remote Control, PC Anywhere, VNC, etc.)
• Log onto the Wesleyan Domain
• Access security-restricted web pages like PeopleSoft or some protected parts of your ePortfolio

It Sounds Interesting But You Want to Learn More Before You Set It Up:

If you are intrigued, but would like answers to common questions on VPN before you try it, visit this site: http://www.wesleyan.edu/its/vpn_faq/vpn_faq.html or contact the Help Desk (x4000) or your Desktop Support Specialist.

All My Browsers Closed and VPN Won’t Start:

It’s important to note that you should close all of your web browsers (Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox, Opera, Netscape, etc.) before you start VPN. Otherwise VPN will close them for you in order to establish a secure connection. In addition, the most frequent cause of VPN failure particularly on PCs is personal firewalls (particularly Norton Firewall). If you use a personal firewall you may need to configure it to permit VPN.

You Are a Mac User and Want to Run VPN:

If you are a Mac user you’ll need to log onto your Employee ePortfolio and go to VPN Software Download located in the “Tools and Links” section and follow the instructions to download and configure the VPN client on your computer. The ITS Helpdesk (x4000) or your Desktop Support Specialist can provide help if necessary.

Using VPN on a Mac:

Once VPN is installed and configured, double-click the VPN icon and click Connect. You then simply have to enter your standard Wesleyan username and password. The message: “Wesleyan University. Unauthorized Access Prohibited - VPN” indicates that you have established a connection. Click OK.

It will take a few more moments for the login to complete. When it does, the dialog box will disappear and you will be fully connected.

You will now be connected to the VPN server and you can use or connect to restricted Wesleyan resources.

To terminate your VPN connection, open the VPN application and disconnect.

You Are a PC User and Want to Run VPN:

PC users need to use Web VPN which allows them to simply open up a web browser (Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera, Netscape, etc.) and enter the following in the URL line: webvpn.wesleyan.edu At the WebVPN login screen you have to enter your standard Wesleyan username and password. Detailed instructions are here: http://www.wesleyan.edu/its/vpn_faq/webvpn.html in case your browser blocks pop-ups, or you are prompted to make other configuration changes.

Using VPN on a PC:

When you are prompted, “Do you want to enable access to the local area network?” Click Yes, and you�ll see a message indicating that your SSL VPN connection has been established. In addition, you will see a small key-shaped icon in your System Tray (lower right-hand corner of your screen).

You will now be connected to the VPN server, which will gives you rights to the same Wesleyan resources you usually enjoy on campus.

To terminate your VPN connection, right-click on the key icon and select: Disconnect.

You Are a Linux User and Want to Run VPN:

If you are a Linux user you’ll need to log onto your Employee ePortfolio and go to VPN Software Download located in the “Tools and Links” section and follow the instructions to download and configure the VPN client on your computer.