Access WHOInet through your Internet Service Provider

Virtual Private Networking, or VPN, services allow computer users to establish a secure connection to an internal network from an external ISP (Internet Service Provider) as if they were inside* the network. WHOI uses a Cisco Systems VPN concentrator to provide this service to WHOI employees, students and affiliates who have high speed connections using DSL, cable modems or ISDN. Additionally, for security reasons, the VPN must be used with the WHOI wireless network Atlantic.

How does the VPN work? The VPN creates a 'tunnel' from your computer into WHOInet. Client software on your computer connects to an authentication server. Once authenticated, your computer is assigned a WHOInet IP address. Thereafter, all communications sent to/from WHOInet are 'tunneled' through the secure VPN connection.

The WHOI VPN service is available to WHOI affiliates. The Cisco VPN client has been tested on Windows Vista, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows 98, and Mac OS X. An alternate client, vpnc has been used successfully with a number of Linux distributions.

What is needed to use the VPN? Before using the VPN, you will need to:

• Verify that your high-speed or wireless link to the Internet functions properly.
• Register for VPN access. After registering, you will receive an email containing your name and password.
• Obtain the VPN client and installation instructions from the WHOI FTP server.
• Install and configure the VPN client software.

Once installed, use the VPN client software to establish a connection to WHOInet. When you are finished using the VPN to access WHOInet, disconnect and close the client application.

* Note: Some WHOI Web sites direct browsers to off-site locations. One such instance is the WHOI/MBL Library 'Full Text' journals and databases. Accessing these sites over the VPN requires using a proxy.