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Virtual Private Network - VPN

The University of York Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a secure connection that allows your computer to access the University network when you are off campus. You can access services such as:

• Filestores
• Restricted web apps - applications which normally require you to be on campus to use them eg SITS
• Terminal sessions - SSH sessions to machines on campus and also remote desktop sessions to Windows machines
• Licence servers - enables use of applications that require access to the University's licence servers

Please note: you no longer need to use the VPN to access the Library’s electronic resources from off campus. For more information on accessing these resources, please visit the E-resources Guide.

Getting started

The recommended method for using the VPN is to use an application called Network Connect.

Before you connect for the first time, you need to install Network Connect on your computer:

Linux

• Additional informations for Linux users

1. Open a web browser and go to https://webvpn.york.ac.uk - Windows users should use Internet Explorer or Firefox, and Mac users should use Safari for this step
2. Log into the site with your University username and password. You may see a pop up asking you to install software from Juniper Networks - accept this.
3. In the section called Network Connect, click Start.

This will install the Network Connect on your machine and automatically start it up once the installation is complete.

Once the program is installed on your machine, you can simply run it from your Programs menu (Windows) or Applications folder (Mac) when you want to use the VPN. You do not need to visit the VPN website again.

The program will ask for your username and password. Once connected you can access resources as if you were using a computer on campus.

Alternative method of using the VPN

You can also use the VPN web page to access some network services. It provides a quick way to access files or view restricted web pages:

• Web VPN

It will not be suitable for everyone, but may be useful if you can't install Network Connect.

Please note that:

• not all websites are supported
• the file browser does not allow you to drag and drop your files

Setup guides