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Frequently Asked Questions About VPN

These are some of the most frequently asked questions about VPN. See if these questions and answers resolve your questions. If not, please call the Service Desk at (402) 280-1111.

• What is a VPN?
• Do I need VPN?
• What is the AnyConnect VPN Client?
• How does VPN work?
• What do I need to begin using VPN?
• What operating systems do you offer technical support for?
• What operating systems do you have VPN clients available for?
• I already have a VPN client on my PC; can I use the Creighton VPN client as well?
• I can’t get the client because I have no network access, what do I do?

• What types of Internet connections work with VPN?
• What is the difference between VPN and SSL or SSH?
• What kind of VPN server do we use?
• Will VPN work with my wireless home network?

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A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is used to provide secure, encrypted communication between a network and a remote host or other remote networks over the public Internet. VPNs allow the establishment of an encrypted “tunnel” that protects the flow of network traffic from eavesdroppers.

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Increasingly stringent legislation requires Creighton to assure the privacy of personal, clinical, academic, administrative, and research information. VPN ensures that confidentiality and integrity of information as it travels over the public Internet because VPN requires:

• User Authentication
• Secure private transmission of data
• Verification of unadulterated data transmission

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AnyConnect is the name of Creighton’s VPN access method.  When you go to launch the VPN, you will need to launch the AnyConnect program.

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A VPN consists of two components: a software client on the remote computer and a concentrator. The software client allows a user to establish an encrypted “tunnel” with the concentrator. This tunnel prevents other users on the Internet from being able to easily view the encrypted data.

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You will need two things to begin using Creighton’s VPN:

• Creighton issued VPN client software.

  VPN software can be downloaded to your computer, but you must be off-campus before you can reach this website.

• NetID and BLUE password.

  All active members of the Creighton community have an NetID and BLUE password. Check this page for more information on NetIDs and BLUE passwords

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Creighton’s Service Desk offers technical support for Microsoft Windows XP, Windows 7, Mac OS X 10.5 - 10.7. Please keep in mind DoIT will do everything in their power to assist you with VPN connectivity, however, DoIT will not offer support for the VPN in conjunction with routers, firewalls, or other network devices that may be part of a home network. Only direct connections, i.e. cable modem into PC, will be addressed.

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The Creighton VPN client is currently available for all Windows XP, Windows 7, and Macintosh OS X 10.5 - 10.7 operating systems, however DOIT does not provide VPN technical support for issues with home systems.

While it may be technically possible to install and use multiple VPN client on a single PC, DoIT does not recommend doing so. VPN clients interact with an operating system’s network components, and can conflict with one another if multiple brands are installed. By default, Cisco’s VPN client (the client used by Creighton) will uninstall any other VPN client that is installed on the PC prior to installing itself.

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The VPN client is available on the CU@Home anti-virus disk that can be checked out from any of the Creighton Libraries. However, network access will be necessary to use the VPN.

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VPN should work with:

• DSL (Digital Subscriber Line)
• Cable Modem
• Satellite
• ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network)
• Dial-Up ISP

Although VPN will work over dial-up access, due to added overhead of encryption, performance of the VPN over dial-up is degraded. Creighton highly recommends the use of broadband access for VPN connectivity.

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SSL and SSH provide an end-to-end encrypted connection, whereas the VPN connection is only encrypted between the remote computer and the VPN concentrator. Between the VPN concentrator and the final destination, the traffic is sent in its original form (which may or may not be encrypted, depending on what protocols you are using). You can still use SSL or SSH over the VPN connection.

Creighton is running a Cisco 3030 VPN concentrator. This concentrator allows connections with IPSec for Cisco clients. This concentrator will support 1500 concurrent sessions.

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Successful testing has been conducted using a Linksys wireless access point. Other models of wireless access points should also work. However, Creighton does not provide support for VPN connectivity over wireless networks. While VPN should work over a wireless connection some routers may require a firmware upgrade to the latest version from the manufacturer.

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