Connecting to the SSCC Network via VPN

VPN (Virtual Private Networking) allows a computer to connect to the SSCC network as if it were in the building regardless of its physical location. This gives you access to all the network drives and printers. It also gives you a UW IP address, which allows you to use services like the many library databases which are restricted to UW IP addresses.

VPN bypasses the SSCC's firewall, so please make sure your computer is secure and virus-free before setting up VPN. Also, be aware while your VPN connection is active all traffic between your computer and the Internet is first routed through the SSCC. Please only activate your VPN connection when you actually need it to use SSCC or UW resources.

For many years the SSCC has provided remote access to the SSCC network using our own Virtual Private Networking (VPN) server and the VPN clients built into Windows, Mac OS, and other operating systems. However, the campus has recently upgraded its VPN service, making it significantly faster than the SSCC's. We are therefore in the process of transitioning to the campus service.

There are two differences between the new campus VPN service and the old SSCC service that we recognize may not be popular: with the new service you must type your password every time you log in, and you must log in again if your computer is off or sleeping for more than 20 minutes. These are now standard best practices for security, in particular for ensuring a stolen laptop doesn't lead to a network compromise.

Installing the Cisco AnyConnect Client

To connect to the campus VPN service, you'll need to download and install the Cisco AnyConnect client for your computer or device. The AnyConnect client manages the connection for you so that the only thing you need to tell it is what to connect to.

Download the AnyConnect client for:

• Windows
• OS X
• Linux (32-bit)
• Linux (64-bit)
• iOS (Apple devices)
• Android (version 4+ICS)

Once you've run the install program, start the client. In the connect field type:
dept-ra-cssc.vpn.wisc.edu/SSCC . It will then ask for your SSCC username and password.

Network Drives

Your VPN connection is now ready for use. However, keep in mind that activating a VPN connection does not run the login script that normally runs when you log into PRIMO. This means that your network drives are not set up for you automatically. If you'd like to map your usual network drives, please see Mapping a Drive to a Network Share in Windows or Using SSCC Network Disk Space from Macs.

If you mapped drives using the old VPN service, they must be remapped for use with the campus VPN service. Click on the appropriate link above for instructions.

Last Revised: 8/08/2013