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Which connection string should I use?

Please use vpn.slac.stanford.edu , this is the address of a redundant cluster so you won't be impacted by scheduled maintenance.

How to map network drives of the Windows central file servers when connected to the VPN?

Documentation from the windows team is here: http://www2.slac.stanford.edu/comp/windows/docs/VPN/VPN.aspx

You can also type in the address bar:

U drive->     \\win.slac.stanford.edu\my_storage\users

V drive ->     \\win.slac.stanford.edu\my_storage\groups

Z drive ->      \\win.slac.stanford.edu\my_storage\users\$first_letter_winusername\$winusername , for instance if your windows username is jdoe this would be \\win.slac.stanford.edu\my_storage\users\j\jdoe

Why can't I see my network drives (V:, K:, etc.)?

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Can I connect to the SLAC VPN using my mobile device, e.g. smartphone?

For the iPhone and iPad running iOS 4.1 or later (multitasking) you You need to download the free "Cisco AnyConnect client. The iPhone/iPad client is not officially supported, but many users have reported success. This is available from the Apple App Store. For the iPhone app, search the app stores for "Cisco AnyConnect Client". Within the app, select "Add VPN Connection...". Enter Anyconnect secure mobility client" from the app store. This has been reported working from main platforms (android, ios, windows).

You will need to set the server address  "vpn.slac.stanford.edu as the server address, this will be replaced with a list of the VPN servers that is automatically updated each time you connect.

There are also Android apps but often they require the phone to be rooted.

SLAC does not provide support for personal devices or such apps at this time, but you are free to make your own attempts to connect using them.  Other mobile devices may be able to connect when Cisco releases AnyConnect Secure Mobility clients for those platforms. Any informal  support from the OCIO will focus on iOS and Android today and target browsers with HTML5 first". We use SSL vpn (not IPSec).

I'm getting periodically disconnected while I work, and I know I wasn't idle for 20 minutes

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You should be able to access SLAC computers via RDP. If not please report this with details as a problem to net-admin@slac.stanford.eduthe IT helpdesk.

Can I access confluence?

You should be able to fully access Confluence. If not please report this with details as a problem to net-admin@slac.stanford.edu the IT helpdesk.

Is all network traffic routed through SLAC when connected to VPN? Is traffic logged?

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This is a security feature of the new VPN. Once connected to SLAC, your system is isolated from your local network for your protection. In order to do things like access a home network-shared printer, local network file shares etc., you will need to temporarily disconnect from the SLAC VPN. USB device will still work.

After connecting to the VPN, can I print directly to the printer in my office at SLAC?

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In order to test VPN connectivity, you should ping an internal SLAC only server; an example would be www-lanmon.slac.stanford.edu

Why don't you support Mac OSX 10.5 on a G5?

Regardless of getting VPN to work, Apple is currently at Lion (OSX 10.7). PPC/G5 Macintoshes are not supported under 10.6/10.7, so plans to replace such systems should be instigated for security/patching reasons alone.

The Cisco AnyConnect client for PPC is stuck at version 2.5. Although Cisco has been releasing security patches for that version, it is one major release behind the current software for all other platforms, which is at 3.0.

We performed significant testing of the 2.5 client, including on PPC systems, but eventually the the decision to support only 3.0+ client versions was made due to the small number of users who would be affected, and the assumption that Apple will not continue to support PPC systems in the future (we don't know for sure, but are making an educated guess based on Apple's past behavior).

Are you doing your own testing with a Mac? Or a Windows box?

Testing is being performed with all those, and others, but there are many different OS versions, system configuration options and user use cases. And the SLAC community often has found unique ways of doing things that have simply not been (well) tested.

Any success/failure information adds to the knowledge base. Please submit your experiences at net-admin@slac.stanford.edu

Can I use my mail client with an external provider such as GMail or Apple MobileMe?

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Please see mail-admins page for futher details.

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I

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You can remove certificates using the "Credential Manager":

1. Open the Windows menu (formerly the Start menu)
2. Type "certmgr.msc" in the Search/Run field at the bottom of the menu
3. From the application that launches, delete the certificates in the
   "Personal" folder

You may also be able to connect which will load a new client and next time you connect the certificates will not be displayed.

I was disconnected with the message "Administrator Reset", what does this mean and how do I reconnect?

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It is sometimes required to perform some maintenances maintenance on VPN gateways, and this message indicates that the network administrator has had to disconnected your session so that the configuration on VPN server can servers could be rebootedchanged.

Thanks to our a redundant system, users using vpn.slac.stanford.edu as connection string are not affected won't be impacted by our scheduled maintenancesmaintenance.

If I connect to SLAC's VPN will I lose all my active ssh sessions?

Yes, as all your traffic will be then routed through the VPN tunnel making you appearing from a different IP address to the server. Only persistent connections are affected (ssh, remote desktop...) all other traffic (web surfing,...) will be transparently rerouted through the VPN.

Which login should I use to connect to the

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VPN system?

You must use the login of your SLAC windows account, and this account should be enabled for "dialup services".VPN enabled. From a computer on the SLAC network you can check whether an account is VPN capable by doing a query on https://www-internal.slac.stanford.edu/comp/windows/search/usersearch.aspx (VPN status will indicate "Active" or not)

When putting your login into Cisco anyconnect client's interface please do not prefix it with "SLAC\", only put your login name in the field.

I can't get IPv6 working through the VPN.

IPv6 is currently not enabled for the SLAC VPN and is actively blocked.

Where can I find more information on VPN security issues

See http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/800-113/SP800-113.pdf from NIST.

Can I connect to Stanford university using SLAC VPN?

Yes, Stanford supports the SSL protocol.  Instead of connecting to "vpn.slac.stanford.edu", connect to "su-vpn.stanford.edu".  You should use your SUNetID and password rather than the SLAC Windows password.

When connected to the SLAC VPN, Stanford university is using different VPN protocols and technologies, so the SLAC VPN client can't be used to connect to Stanford through VPN. But when connected to SLAC VPN you can reach Stanford ressources as if you were in your office at SLAC.
If you are a SLAC employee/user willing to access SLAC ressources you should use SLAC VPN, if you are a Stanford university employee/student you should use the Stanford VPN client provided on http://itservices.stanford.edu/service/vpn.