LRDC Computing Services

Transcription

1 LRDC Computing Services Remote Access to the LRDC Fileservers Windows XP* April 5, 2005 *While these instructions have been created for and tested on a Windows XP computer, they may also work for your Windows Me or Windows 98 computer. If you are using Windows Me or Windows 98 and have difficulty accessing the LRDC file servers, please contact LRDC Computing Services at We will do our best to assist you with your specific configuration.

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3 Before you can connect to the LRDC file servers remotely, you must first establish an Internet connection. This can be a dial-up connection to Pitt or another Internet Service Provide (e.g., Earthlink or AOL); a DSL connection (e.g., Verizon); or a cable Internet connection (e.g., Comcast). If you do not already have Internet access set up, detailed instructions on setting up a dial-up connection to Pitt are available from LRDC Computing Services or can be downloaded from Please note that you no longer need to install the Novell Netware client on your home computer to access the LRDC file servers remotely. However, while some Internet Service Providers (ISP) allow access to the Pitt network without additional software (such as Verizon); others require you to first authenticate to the Pitt VPN in order to access University resources including the LRDC file servers. Please also remember that file transfers between the LRDC file servers and your local computer will be significantly slower than when you are working on the LRDC network from a campus network computer. This is especially true when you are using a dial-up connection. Also, it is strongly suggested that you do not try to open a document or file while it is on the file server. If you have to work on it, copy it to your hard drive, work on the file, and then copy it back to the server. 1. Determining Whether Pitt VPN Software is Required If you receive an error while following the four steps below, proceed to section 2 (Connecting to LRDC File Servers through the Pitt VPN) If you are able to access your LRDC file server using the four steps below, you do not need to use Pitt VPN software and may either log in to the LRDC file servers at any time using these same steps (which are repeated in section 4: One-Time Access to Your LRDC File Server) or you may proceed to section 3 (Mapping a Network Drive to Your LRDC File Server) which will allow you to attach to the LRDC file servers each time you start your computer. Please note that mapping a network drive may slow down your computer. April 5, Remote Access to LRDC File Servers-Win

4 1. Click on the Start menu and select Run. 2. Next, in the Folder textbox, insert \\<server>.lrdc.pitt.edu\<volume> where <server> is your LRDC file server (Explore. Learn, Reflect or Discover) and <volume> is the volume on the LRDC file server that you are accessing. In most cases, this will be Home. For example, if you have an account on the Home volume of Explore, the <volume> would be Home; therefore, you would enter \\explore.lrdc.pitt.edu\home in the folder textbox. However, if you have an account on the Resnick volume of Learn, you will need to insert \\learn.lrdc.pitt.edu\resnick. Please contact Computing Services at x47033 if you can not remember your volume. April 5, Remote Access to LRDC File Servers-Win

5 3. You will then be prompted for your LRDC File server username and password. 4. Once authenticated, the file server will automatically open. 2. Connecting to LRDC File Servers through the Pitt VPN In order to connect to the LRDC file servers through the Pitt VPN, you must have your University account added to the SSLVPN Network Connect Mode. You may request this by contacting the University Help Desk x4-help. If you prefer, you may contact LRDC Computing Services (x4-7033) and we will issue a request on your behalf. Please note, access to this network mode should only be used from a secure computer (with updated antivirus software and definitions as well as security patches). Also, you may use the Secure VPN service for a maximum of four hours at a time. After four hours you will be automatically disconnected from the service. You will also be automatically disconnected from the Secure VPN service if you are idle for thirty minutes. Once your account has been added, you must connect to the Secure VPN Service and authenticate using your University ( ) username and password by following the instructions below. 1. To connect to the Secure VPN Service, open a Web browser such as Internet Explorer or Netscape and go to April 5, Remote Access to LRDC File Servers-Win

6 2. When prompted, enter your University Computer Account username and password, and then click the Sign In button, in order to authenticate to the Secure VPN. 3. After authentication, a screen will appear indicating that Network Connect Mode is available. Click Network Connect to begin the installation and connection process. Future logins will display a window showing your connection options. April 5, Remote Access to LRDC File Servers-Win

7 4. Click Continue to acknowledge that you are using a secure, private computer. 5. Click Start Session to begin. After you have clicked the Start Session button, the Network Connect ActiveX control will be loaded onto your workstation. This process may take several minutes depending on the configuration of your workstation and the performance of your network connection. You might observe a Network Connect Status window during the load process: April 5, Remote Access to LRDC File Servers-Win

8 6. Once the Network Connect software is fully loaded, the Network Connect Status will change from Connecting to Connected, as in the following window and there will be a new Network Connect icon in the Windows system tray. Disconnecting from the Secure VPN System tray Network Connect icon 7. Prior to ending the connection you should have terminated any applications running on your workstation that use the secure connection. Double-click on the Network Connect icon in the system tray and click the End Session button to terminate the connection. You may also rightclick on the system tray icon and select End Session from the drop-down menu. 8. It is recommended that you also click Sign Out on the Web page to ensure that all connections to the Secure VPN have been terminated. April 5, Remote Access to LRDC File Servers-Win

9 3. Mapping a Network Drive to Your LRDC File Server The following instructions will allow you to map a network drive, which will result in an automatic connection to the file server every time you log in to your computer. This will likely cause your computer to slow a bit. 1. Locate and open the My Computer icon on the Desktop. 2. On the toolbar, click Tools, then select Map Network Drive. April 5, Remote Access to LRDC File Servers-Win

10 3. Map Network Drive opens a new Dialog box. The first step is to select a free Drive Letter to map the Network Drive. 4. Next, in the Folder textbox, insert \\<server>.lrdc.pitt.edu\<volume> where <server> is your LRDC file server (Explore. Learn, Reflect or Discover) and <volume> is the volume on the LRDC file server that you are accessing. In most cases, this will be Home. For example, if you have an account on the Home volume of Explore, the <volume> would be Home; therefore, you would enter \\explore.lrdc.pitt.edu\home in the folder textbox. However, if you have an account on the Resnick volume of Learn, you will need to insert \\learn.lrdc.pitt.edu\resnick. 5. Check the Reconnect at logon box if you wish to have the drive automatically map every time you log in to your machine. Click Finish to move to the next step. April 5, Remote Access to LRDC File Servers-Win

11 6. After clicking Finish, you are prompted for a username and password to authenticate with the LRDC file server. Please enter your LRDC file server username and password and click OK. The computer will then attempt to connect to the file server. If you entered your username and password correctly, it will map the network drive. If you selected, Reconnect and logon, they will appear under Network Drives in My Computer when you restart your computer. April 5, Remote Access to LRDC File Servers-Win

12 4. One-Time Access to Your LRDC File Server The following is a one time quick way of connecting to the file server. This connection will not be reestablished the next time you log in to the computer. 1. Click on the Start menu and select Run. 2. Next, in the Folder textbox, insert \\<server>.lrdc.pitt.edu\<volume> where <server> is your LRDC file server (Explore. Learn, Reflect or Discover) and <volume> is the volume on the LRDC file server that you are accessing. In most cases, this will be Home. For example, if you have an account on the Home volume of Explore, the <volume> would be Home; therefore, you would enter \\explore.lrdc.pitt.edu\home in the folder textbox. However, if you have an account on the Resnick volume of Learn, you will need to insert \\learn.lrdc.pitt.edu\resnick. April 5, Remote Access to LRDC File Servers-Win

13 3. You will then be prompted for your LRDC File server username and password. 4. Once authenticated, the file server will automatically open. If you have any questions or problems, please contact LRDC Computing Services at April 5, Remote Access to LRDC File Servers-Win