Connecting to the VPN - hasselmonians/knowledge-base GitHub Wiki

Using the virtual private network (VPN) is necessary to access many BU resources off-campus, including SCC OnDemand and CAS fileservers.

Installing the VPN

The best way to acquire the required Cisco software is to visit

https://vpn.bu.edu/2fa

You will need to login using your BU/Kerberos credentials and use 2-factor authentication via Duo.

Once logged in, you will be able to download the Cisco AnyConnect installer.

Windows

Download and run the executable (.exe) to install Cisco AnyConnect. You should then be able to access the VPN by running that program from the start menu.

Mac

Download the .dmg file and drag it onto Applications to install. You should then be able to access the VPN by running that program from the Applications launcher.

GNU/Linux

Download the shell script (.sh). Run the following commands from the terminal. They may vary based on your distribution and the name of the downloaded shell script.

# navigate to the directory containing the shell script
cd ~/Downloads
# make the shell script executable
sudo chmod a+x anyconnect-linux64-4.7.01076-core-vpn-webdeploy-k9.sh
# install the shell script
sudo ./anyconnect-linux64-4.7.01076-core-vpn-webdeploy-k9.sh

The Cisco AnyConnect client will install and should be available from your launcher.

Using the VPN

Once you've launched the program, a small window should appear asking you for the address of the VPN server to which you wish to connect. Please enter "vpn.bu.edu/2fa" without the quotation marks. This should spawn a new window, with three fields: username, password, and second password. The first field is your BU/Kerberos username (no "@bu.edu" needed). The second field, password, is your BU/Kerberos password. The third field, second password, is how you indicate your preferred Duo interaction. Duo is the name of the program used for authentication. If you normally receive push notifications to your smartphone, enter the word "push" in the second password field. If you normally have Duo call you, use the word "phone" instead. Once you've received and approved your Duo notification, you should be connected to BU's VPN server.