Cisco VPN Client Software Installation
The links below will guide you through the steps needed to download, install, and use the Cisco VPN client to connect to Drexel's VPN. Before you go any further, though, we should say something about routers.
Many people with broadband or "high speed" internet connections use home routers from makers such as Linksys, D-Link, SMC, and many others. Generally speaking, you should be able to connect to the Drexel VPN through the vast majority of these routers, including wired and wireless models, but there are always exceptions. Some routers will require that something called "IPSec pass-through" (or something like that) be enabled before you can connect to the VPN.
Many of the broadband routers available today will allow you to connect to the VPN right out of the box without any further configuration. If you are using a router and have trouble with the VPN, your router be incompatible or simply need some reconfiguration in order to allow the VPN to connect. Http://nscsysop.hypermart.net/vpnnat.html has a listing of most of the commercially available broadband routers and shows which ones work and which ones just don't. If your router falls into the "Works" category, but you still have problems, please consult the owners or operators manual and see if it mentions anything about "VPN compatibility" or "IPSec passthrough". If you can't find anything, then contact the IRT Help Desk for further assistance. To help us help you more quickly, please provide as much detail as possible, including the brand & model of the router (for example, "D-Link WL680+"), the name of the ISP you're using, and what, if any error messages you're getting when trying to connect.
If you have problems with any of the following steps or pages, please let us know. Again, provide as much detail as possible so that we can respond more quickly with appropriate information. An e-mail that simply says "VPN doesn't install" doesn't really give us much to go on. Please be sure to include specific information such as what version of Windows or Mac OS X you have and the exact text of any error messages or dialog boxes that you're seeing when you try to install or use the VPN client. Again, you can send an e-mail to the IRT Help Desk for further assistance or give us a call at (215)895-2698. |
Final Notes
While you are connected via the VPN, all of your communications are encrypted and sent to Drexel -- even when you're trying to talk to a server that isn't on the Drexel network. Since you are using the Drexel network, even though you are off-campus, your actions are bound by Drexel's Acceptable Use Policy.
You should also know that there will be some loss of performance because all of the data being sent needs to be encrypted and data being received needs to be decrypted. While this doesn't tie up a lot of time or system resources, there can be a noticeable difference if you have a slower connection, such as a dial-up ISP like DCANet. If you have a fast broadband connection via DSL or cable, the performance hit is usually negligible.
Finally, if you have a home network including a network printer (or you use a printer that's shared from another PC on your network), you won't be able to print to it while you're connected to the VPN. In most cases, Windows or Mac OS X will realize that they can't reach the printer and queue the jobs to print at a later time. When you disconnect from the VPN, you may need to "restart" your printer queues to get things to print out. If you run into this problem, please contact the help desk and an consultant can assist you with getting the print jobs flowing again. We plan to publish more information on this sort of troubleshooting in the future, so check back from time to time. |
Coming Soon...
In the coming weeks and months, we'll be publishing more information here such as troubleshooting guides, Outlook/Exchange configuration instructions, and more information about what you can actually do with the Cisco VPN Client now that you have it installed. |
