Virtual Private Network (VPN)
VPN's establish protected network connections when using public networks. VPN's encrypt your internet traffic and provides you a direct connection to SDSU resources without needing to be on the campus proper. The encryption takes place in real time.
Prerequisites
In order to access systems on SDSU's network, including the cluster and other Research Computing systems from off campus, you will need to request VPN access.
Fill out the VPN Request Form, if you are faculty or staff, on InsideState to get started. Please note: you will need to log in to InsideState with your Faculty/Staff credentials before accessing the form. If you are a student, please reach out to us directly at SDSU.HPC@sdstate.edu.
Complete the VPN Request Form
Once you have logged in to InsideState, you will be presented with the VPN request form. Please fill it out to the best of your ability. Once submitted, the form will be routed to your supervisor for approval, and from there, approved by the Information Security Office at SDSU. Please allow 3 to 5 business days for processing. Afterward, you will receive a message to let you know that VPN access has been granted for your account, as well as instructions on connecting via VPN.
Connecting to VPN
Connecting to SDSU VPN requires several steps.
First, navigate to https://sslvpn.sdstate.edu for faculty and staff or https://sslvpn.sdstate.edu/research for students and sign in with the credentials you used to request your VPN access. Please note that this will need to be done from off campus. From there, you will be allowed to download the Cisco VPN client.
Once you have downloaded and installed the Cisco VPN client, open it and type in sslvpn.sdstate.edu as the address and click Connect. You will be prompted for your credentials. Once you have successfully authenticated, you will be connected to the SDSU VPN.
Using VPN
From here, you will be able to access internal campus resources. You may create a remote desktop connection with your office computer (if you know the IP address or hostname). You may also connect to the Roaring Thunder cluster or other Research Computing systems directly from your desktop by using an SSH client of your choice.
When you are finished with your work, you can disconnect from the SDSU VPN by right-clicking the client in your taskbar and selecting 'Disconnect'.