What is a Virtual Private Network (VPN)?
A virtual private network, or VPN, is an encrypted connection over the Internet from a device to a network, such as the Berkeley Lab network. The encrypted connection helps ensure that sensitive data is safely transmitted and prevents unauthorized people from eavesdropping on the traffic and allows the user to conduct work remotely. The VPN also makes the device logically appear on the Berkeley Lab network, this can be useful to access resources that are restricted to the Berkeley Lab network.
What login credential do I use to login to VPN?
User your Berkeley lab identity or (LDAP) credential to login to VPN. Do not use your AD credential, it will not work.
Why do I need to use VPN?
The majority of Lab services are already easily accessible from any place on the Internet, without VPN. You can access Gmail, Google Calendar, Drive, and the rest of the Google Suite with no special setup. You can the vast majority of Lab web applications, such as LETS and eBuy without VPN. However, there are a few cases where you will need additional technology in place to work from home. most common cases are using applications that are only accessible from the Lab network (such as certain information in the phonebook) or accessing files on a shared drive.
Typical VPN use cases at LBL include:
- Anyone working at home who needs to access resources at LBL that are not available to the Internet
- Users on travel or on unsafe networks (shared wifi at a coffee shop) that want addition security.
How do I use VPN?
The instructions for setting up Cisco AnyConnect can be found here.
Can I use VPN on a personally-owned computer?
Yes, you can. Use of VPN is recommended when accessing Lab resources from any computer, including those that are personally owned.
Be advised, however, that while connected to LBL's VPN, all of your computer's network traffic will be routed through LBL's network. When you connect to Netflix, for example, your request is encrypted, tunneled to the Lab, decrypted, then routed to Netflix. For all practical purposes, you are "on site," and for that reason you may want to review the Lab's policy for appropriate computer use:https://commons.lbl.gov/display/rpm2/Acceptable+Use+of+Information+Technology. It is highly recommended that you review what is running to running on your computer before you connect to VPN.
When my VPN tunnel is enabled, will network performance decrease?
While there is some overhead associated with VPN security features, end-users typically do not detect any performance degradation.
