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VPN Documentation

To visit the VPN login page, click here.

Posted October 19, 2006

 

What is the VPN and why do you need it?

The University has installed a SSL VPN server to provide secure communications from sites outside of the university network (dial-up ISP, broadband ISP). VPN will provide access to services that may not be accessible from the outside, such as Outlook, Windows file sharing and Library resources.

The VPN is located online at https://vpn.uconn.edu

The VPN has 2 levels of functionality: Core Applications and Advanced Applications.

Core Applications can be access directly through the VPN browser. These applications are available to any operating system and all necessary software is run directly in the browser. These Core Applications are:

Advanced Applications are not run through the VPN browser and rely on having the Network Connect client and a working Java runtime environment installed. The Network Connect client exists for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux and needs to be installed locally. The first time you use Network Connect, you will need to follow the on-screen instructions to install the client, accepting any software that is published by Juniper Networks or trusted by the University of Connecticut. Please note that popup blocking software may interfere with the installation process of Network Connect; it is recommended that you allow popups from vpn.uconn.edu or, alternatively, temporarily disable such software.

Full VPN functionality supporting both core and advanced applications requires an operating system with a compatible browser and an installed, working, Network Connect client.

In order to access the VPN, visit https://vpn.uconn.edu and log in with your NetID and password. To enable the advanced functionality, click the 'Start' button next to the Network Connect icon at the bottom of the VPN menu. Once Network Connect is running, you should not use the browser provided by the VPN - instead, open a new browser or your other client side applications.

The Information Security Group highly recommends use of the Network Connect client for the most seamless user experience.

 

Using the VPN to download anti-virus software

To download Symantec Anti-Virus software while off-campus via the VPN, please read the following:

  1. Please visit https://vpn.uconn.edu and log in with your NetID and password. (If you do not know your NetID and/or NetID password, you will need to contact us directly for assistance.)
  2. Click the 'Start' button next to the Network Connect icon at the bottom of the VPN menu. This will launch and install Juniper software.
  3. You may get a message about installing Active X, please make sure that this is installed successfully.
  4. Once you have successfully connected to VPN, you should see a gold lock in your task bar.
  5. Once Network Connect is running, you should not use the browser provided by the VPN - instead, open a new browser.
  6. From the new browser session, go to ftp://ftp.uconn.edu/restricted/antivirus/.
  7. Click on "supported."
  8. Then click on the folder for the appropriate Operating System.
  9. Then click the appropriate version.
  10. Then the executable file.
  11. Choose to save this file to your computer desktop.
  12. You will need to uninstall any other antivirus software currently installed on your computer.
  13. Then you may install the Symantec AntiVirus software.

 

Known Issues

The following is a list of problems that users are expected to encounter:

All Operating Systems:

  1. Browser-based popup blocking software may interfere with the installation of Network Connect. To avoid this possibility, allow popups for vpn.uconn.edu or temporarily disable popup blocking.

Linux

Common issues with non-RPM based Linux distributions are below:
  1. The 'root' account must be enabled for the duration of the Network Client installation. Some distributions disable this by default. It can generally be re-enabled with the command 'sudo passwd root', and disabled with the command 'sudo passwd -l root'
  2. Linux also requires that the Motif libraries and libstdc++2.10-glibc2.2 libraries are installed.
  3. /usr/lib/libssl.so.2 must point to your installed version of libssl (symbolic linking is fine)
  4. /usr/lib/libcrypto.so.2 must point to your installed version of libcrypto (symbolic linking is fine)

All Operating Systems:

  1. Browser-based popup blocking software may interfere with the installation of Network Connect. To avoid this possibility, allow popups for vpn.uconn.edu or temporarily disable popup blocking.

New Faculty

  1. New faculty who are able to successfully access HuskyPC, HuskyMail, and other NetID based services may have having difficulty logging into the VPN (invalid password, etc). If this occurs, please visit reset your password by visiting https://netid.uconn.edu/ResetPassword/

Updated: 8/25/2007