Audience: Franklin and Urbana University Faculty and Staff that have been granted IT permission to access work resources using their University laptop off-campus.
Disclaimer: The results and functionality of the following article only apply to audience listed above.
Contents:
Why do we use VPN?
Establishing a Virtual Private Network (VPN) allows you to access secure information and applications while your work laptop is not physically connected to the University’s network. VPN is primarily used for connecting to the University’s internal network while you are off-campus, but it is also used to establish a secure connection when using the University’s wireless network instead of a hard-wired connection.
Some University internal web applications require a VPN connection if your laptop is not physically connected to the University’s network. Additionally, a VPN connection is required to access files and folders in shared network drives.
Configurations to connect to VPN have been placed on all University laptops. However, access is granted per individual employee. Not all faculty and staff have been granted access to VPN.
Windows 7 Instructions
To open the VPN application, please double-click on the VPN Client icon on your Desktop.
If a Desktop Shortcut icon is not visible, it is also located in the Start Menu under All Programs > Cisco Systems VPN Client > VPN Client.
Opening the client will display the following window.
This window will allow you to select a Connection Profile under the “Connection Entry” column before connecting. You might only see one or two options listed in this window. The most common Connection Profiles are detailed below.
Profiles you can choose from:
1. “Franklin” – this profile is used to establish a standard connection to the Franklin University’s internal network while you are off-campus. With this, you may access network drives and certain internal websites that are not normally accessible from outside the University’s on-campus network.
2. “Inside_VPN” – this profile provides the same functionality as “Franklin”, but it intended to be used while you are connected to the University’s WiFi network. This connection profile will not work when used on an external wireless network, and it is not needed when your laptop is docked or connected via an Ethernet cable.
3. “Urbana_VPN” – this profile is used to establish a standard connection to the Urbana University’s internal network while you are off-campus. With this, you may access network drives and certain internal websites that are not normally accessible from outside the University’s on-campus network.
Once you have selected the desired connection profile, you may click on the “Connect” button. You will be prompted to enter your staff username and password. After you have successfully authenticated and connected, you will receive a message stating that you are currently connected to
Windows 10 Instructions
As the university begins to rollout Windows 10 to all users, the steps for VPN access will change. The new procedure is much easier than the old, as VPN functionality is built in to Windows 10, so the old desktop VPN client is no longer needed. Please follow the instructions below to connect to VPN from your university-owned Windows 10 device.
When to use "Franklin VPN": When connecting to VPN from home or a public Wifi Connection
When to use "Franklin Inside VPN": When connecting to VPN from a Franklin or Urbana Wifi Connection
- Establish a Wi-Fi connection.
- Click the Networking icon located in the system tray in the bottom right of your screen. It will appear as a signal symbol if you are connected via Wi-Fi (as in this example) or it will appear as a network cable plug if you are on a wired connection. Clicking the icon will expand the networking menu. At the top, you should see the different VPN options.
- Reference the above instructions to determine which connection you need to use. Select the appropriate connection and click Connect.
- You should see the connection cycle through several messages and finally land on Connected. You should not need to input any login information, as you will automatically be logged in with the username you are currently logged into Windows as.
- You should now have access to all internal Franklin resources.
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