Rutgers: Office of Information Technology

OIT VPN Documentation

What is VPN?

The Office of Information Technology, in providing better service to the University community, will be securing some of its services so they can only be used by computers on the Rutgers Network. That means those services will not be available through Internet Service Providers (ISPs) from off-campus, but instead through the Rutgers Virtual Private Network (VPN). In addition to configuring some software, VPN users will need to use their Rutgers NetID (username) and passwords.

What software do I need to use the VPN, and where can I obtain it?

Connecting to the VPN Server may require a piece of software called a VPN client. VPN clients are available for all major operating systems. The two main types of VPN clients supported by OIT are the Microsoft Windows built in VPN client, and the Cisco VPN client. The following links will direct you to configuration instructions for each.

NOTE: The Cisco VPN Client encrypts all communication going out to the Internet from a users' computer. After making a vpn connection with the Cisco VPN Client other software on the connected computer (Samba, Microsoft Remote Desktop, RIAS, etc) can be run normaly and the connection will be encrypted.

Information about configuring the Cisco VPN Client. (Recommended Client)
Information about configuring the built in Windows VPN Client. (Not Recommended)

Where can I go for help?

Help with configuring and using the VPN software is available in three ways.

Troubleshooting Documentation
OIT has documentation that is designed to help users with common configuration problems that may arise. There is a troubleshooting guide which covers some common error messages that user may get when using the VPN and how to resolve those problems. There is also the NBCS Frequently Asked Questions Database which has answers to questions about OIT services.

Help by E-mail
Help with connecting to the VPN Server is also available through e-mail. Those users who are having problems with the VPN should contact the help e-mail address for the system upon which they have an account. The help e-mail addresses are:

Users System	Contact E-mail
eden	help@eden.rutgers.edu
rci	help@rci.rutgers.edu
andromeda	help@andromeda.rutgers.edu
pegasus	help@pegasus.rutgers.edu
clam	help@clam.rutgers.edu
crab	help@crab.rutgers.edu

Help By Phone
Help is also available by contacting the OIT Help Desk for your specific campus:

Campus	Phone Number
New Brunswick	732-445-help
Newark	973-353-5083
Camden	856-225-6274