VPN Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I access VMs in the Big Data Lab?
- How do I login? What is my username and password?
- What do I do with the file downloaded from csconnect?
- Where do I need to use the VPN?
- Who can use the VPN and how do I get access?
- Help! I can’t get the VPN to work.
- How does this relate to faculty VPN access?
- See also
How do I access VMs in the Big Data Lab?
Unless you are on a Hofstra lab computer in Adams Hall, Weed Hall, Weller Hall, or C.V. Starr, you first need to connect to the VPN. To connect to the VPN from your laptop or home computer, you need to install an OpenVPN client and obtain a client profile from csconnect.hofstra.edu. In the Open Access Labs (Hammer and Calkins), you must instead use the Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client and connect to https://csvpn2.hofstra.edu.
Once connected to the VPN, follow these directions and use the vSphere Client or OpenNebula to access your VM.
How do I login? What is my username and password?
For csconnect and OpenVPN (OpenVPN GUI or Tunnelblick), you must provide your Network ID without “students" at the beginning (e.g. h702345678 or tstude4) or the username part of your pride email address. For the Cisco AnyConnect Client, you must enter your username as “students" followed by your network id. The password is the same one you use to login to the my.hofstra.edu portal. For more information, please see this.
What do I do with the file downloaded from csconnect?
Once you have downloaded the .zip file, you must use a program such as 7-Zip or WinRAR to extract its contents. On Linux, run the command unzip profile.zip to extract it. Once extracted, you need to open the .ovpn file with the VPN client or move it into the correct folder. If you haven’t already done so, first install the appropiate OpenVPN client software.
- For the OpenVPN GUI on Windows, move the
.ovpnfile into the directory C:\Program Files\OpenVPN\config. - For the OpenVPN Desktop Client on Windows, double-click the
.ovpnfile to import the profile. - On Linux, run the command:
sudo mv profile.ovpn /etc/openvpn/client.conf. - On Mac OS X, double-click the
.ovpnfile to open it with Tunnelblick.
Where do I need to use the VPN?
A VPN connection is required to access the Big Data Lab from off-campus and throughout the campus, except from lab computers in Adams Hall, Weed Hall, Weller Hall, and C.V. Starr. This means you must use the VPN to access the Big Data Lab from the Open Access Labs and Dorm rooms. Please note, you do not need to use the CSVPN if you have access through HUVPN.
Who can use the VPN and how do I get access?
The CSVPN is for students in Computer Science, students in Information Systems & Business Analytics (ISBAN), faculty, and users of the Big Data Lab. To access this VPN, please see the client setup guide for Windows or the client setup guide for Mac.
The main campus VPN (HUVPN) is for faculty and staff only. To request access to this VPN, fill out and submit the VPN Access Request Form in the IT self-service portal.
Help! I can’t get the VPN to work.
Please see the tips on the following pages:
How does this relate to faculty VPN access?
The Computer Science VPN is completely separate from the Hofstra IT VPN. If you have access through HUVPN, you do not need to use the CSVPN. Please do not use the OpenVPN client in conjunction with the Cisco Unity Anyconnect client. (Even if this works, it is an unsupported configuration.)