Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are the timeouts on the VPN connection?
There is a fixed timeout of 8 hours after which your VPN connection is disconnected. There is also a non-activity timeout of 20 minutes which takes effect if no network traffic passes for 20 minutes. If you have a legitimate requirement for a VPN connection which is not subject to these timeouts, please contact net-admin@slac.stanford.edu to request an exception. Your VPN will also be disconnected if your system goes to sleep. IT Department Support can assist you if you need to adjust the sleep settings of your system, they can be contacted at itds-support@slac.stanford.edu .
I'm using Mac OSX, can I use SLAC's VPN Service?
Yes, please follow the instructions on this page:
Connecting to SLAC's VPN Using Mac OS X
Can I Connect to SLAC's VPN with my Linux Machine?
Yes, please follow these instructions:
Connecting to SLAC's VPN Using Linux
I want to connect my Smart Phone to SLAC's VPN
This is not yet supported, but iPhone connections (via IPSec) are planned in the near future. Android and Windows Mobile connectivity are on our roadmap.
Can I access PeopleSoft?
Yes, you can access PeopleSoft just as you would from your desk while connected to the SLAC VPN.
Can I access the license server?
The license server may not function well over VPN. There are many failure modes, and most vendors have not upgraded to more recent flexlm versions that are more reliable, nor to support alternative license servers when one fails or needs to be restarted due to upgrades/patching/failure. Also serving a license across a VPN may be a license violation (e.g. if the licenses is limited to a site). At the moment it appears to work, however there are no guarantees.
Can I use RDP
You should be able to access RDP. If not please report this with details as a problem to net-admin@slac.stanford.edu .
Can I access Confluence?
You should be able to access Confluence. If not please report this with details as a problem to net-admin@slac.stanford.edu .
Does all traffic go via VPN or does SLAC traffic go direct?
When connected to our VPN service, policy states that all traffic will go through SLAC. We do not use split tunneling.
After connecting to the VPN, I could not access my local network
This is a security feature of the new VPN. Once connected to SLAC, your system is isolated from the local network for your protection. In order to do things like access a local network-shared printer, you will need to termporarily disconnect from the SLAC VPN.
I could not ping vpn.slac.stanford.edu
You can't ping the vpn servers directly if you have established a VPN connection. You should be able to ping www.slac.stanford.edu to test your connection.