What is a VPN?
VPN is an acronym for Virtual
Private Network. A VPN provides an
encrypted and secure connection "tunnel" path from a user's
machine to its destination through the public Internet.
Why would you want this?
The VPN client software encrypts the data stream so that only
the VPN server can understand it. This provides a method for
secure communications, a feature especially relevant for
wireless connections. Its use also allows your machine to
appear to be connected directly into the University network,
even though you're actually connecting through an Internet Service
Provider (ISP). This, in turn, permits access to restricted use sites and
to University Simple Mail Transfer Policy (SMTP) servers for sending
email.
How does it work?
As shown in the diagram below, standard Internet connections
go from your machine to your ISP, through the Internet and on
to the site of your choice. At any point along the connection
path, the data stream is open to packet sniffing, i.e., the
data can be intercepted and read.
Using a VPN, as in the next diagram, the connection path runs
through a "tunnel", isolating the data stream from the
Internet while still remaining part of it. It connects to a
VPN server which decrypts the data, provides authentication,
and acts as the gatekeeper to the campus network. Because the
campus network sees the VPN server as the source of the
communication, your connection is considered to be direct to
the network rather than from the outside.
Do I need anything special in order to use the VPN?
In order to download and use the VPN client software, you
will need to have a University of Maryland
Directory account. This is to ensure that only
members of the
University of Maryland can use this service.
Is this foolproof?
Unfortunately, no. Due to the wide variety of ISP
technologies, connection methods, and software configurations,
there may be instances where the client is simply
incompatible and won't work as required. Be assured, however,
that Office of Information Technology (OIT) will make every effort
to see that such instances are reported and analyzed in order to identify
a possible fix or workaround.
OIT has created a webpage for dealing with ISP and configuration
issues that have already been discovered. You can reach that
page by clicking here. If you
experience a problem with the VPN software that is not listed on that
page, you are encouraged to contact the Office of Information Technology (OIT) Help Desk to
report the issue.
What platforms are supported?
Supported VPN client software is available for both windows and
macintosh systems. Click on a platform below to be connected to the
download and installation instructions for that operating system (OS).
What if I use a different operating system?
Due to the nature of Linux OS, we are not supporting the clients
running on those systems at this time.
The University of Maryland Linux Users Group (UMLUG) has reported
that they have been able to get Virtual Private Network Connector (VPNC)
to connect to the University's VPN.
Here is a link to the UM Linux Users
Group page.
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