VPN client
What Does the VPN Client do?
The VPN client allows users to authenticate themselves as part of the University of Ottawa's network. This authentication provides users with a secure way of connecting to the Internet when using the University's wireless network. It also enables certain users to access IP-restricted resources off-campus. When wireless networking started on campus, the only secure method of authenticating users was with the use of a VPN client.
As evolution of wireless networking continues, advanced authentication protocols have developed including WPA and more recently WPA2. In the event that your computer does not provide WPA2 support, it may defer to WPA which is backward compatible and provides a higher level of security than VPN.
Additional information on WPA/WPA2 can be found at http://www.ccs.uottawa.ca/connect/wireless/wpaclient.html
Who needs to use the VPN client?
Students or employees who need to access IP-restricted resources when using an external Internet Service Provider (i.e. Bell, Rogers) from home.
If I want to download the VPN client:
- Download the client from the Download Zone, or
- Buy the CD from the Campus Computer Store for $6.00 (the VPN client and Norton Anti-Virus are bundled together on one CD), or
- Download the client at work, burn it to CD and bring it home (for employees only), or
- Get an LDAP account and use Proxy to download the client from the site above (for employees who use an external ISP at home)