Nebula Virtual Private Network (VPN) Service

Installing the VPN
Using the VPN
Requirements for the VPN
Can I connect after login & Internet connection?
Using VPN from a non-Nebula system

What is the Nebula VPN? Why would I use it?

The Nebula VPN service allows you to log in to the Nebula domain from any location on the Internet. This is important for mobile users who need to use Nebula devices while outside the UW network. Anyone with a Nebula account has permission to install and use the Nebula VPN Connection Manager. However, connecting to Nebula resources from a non-Nebula system may or may not work, depending on the configuration and security settings of the non-Nebula machine. For these reasons, while access to network resources should work, we don't support this type of connection. Please see the Using VPN from a non-Nebula system for more details.

Using the VPN ensures that:

Your connection is secure and encrypted.
Your Nebula login script runs normally.
All Nebula-distributed patches and updates are applied.
All Nebula resources (i:\ drive, server access, and configured applications) are available and work properly.

Installing the VPN

Your Nebula support person may already have installed it. In the Windows Control Panel, open the "Network Connections" object. If you see a "Nebula VPN" object in the "Connection Manager" section, the VPN is installed.

If you don't see that object, you can download the connection manager installer. Save the nebvpn.exe file to your desktop, then double-click on it to run the installer. Or you can choose to run it immediately, if you have a fast connection. Make sure to choose "anyone's use" for Connection Availability.

Using the VPN

When you start your Nebula computer or perform a new login, you'll be prompted to log into Windows. This login can be set up to use the Nebula VPN at login time. Doing this allows your computer to behave just like it would if you were on campus.

To do that, you have to select "Log on using dial-up connection" at the login screen. Provide your user name and password, and you will be prompted to pick a connection to use. Choose the Nebula VPN and click OK, and you should then have your Nebula login and VPN login happen together.

Note that things may run a bit slowly at first when this happens. This is because you are connecting over the Internet, using a slower connection than you would have on campus, and the entire session is encrypted, which adds overhead that can impact throughput somewhat. After the initial login script finishes its work, speed should improve.

Requirements for using the VPN

You need to be running Windows XP and have an active Nebula account to perform the login.
You must have a broadband connection of some kind. Modem dialup connectivity will not work with the VPN.

Can I connect to the VPN after logging in to Windows and setting up my Internet connection?

Yes, this is possible. However, the login scripts that provide drive mounts and package updates will not run, so much of the benefit is lost.

If you do this, you will be assigned a virtual address on the UW campus network, however, so if you need to use resources that require the source IP address to be on the UW network, this would help.

Using VPN on a non-Nebula system

Anyone with Nebula credentials can use the Nebula VPN Connection Manager to connect to the Nebula domain from a computer that is not in the Nebula domain. The user is responsible for ensuring that the computer accessing UW resources is patched and using a current anti-virus program, as applies to any computer that falls under UW policy. Please see the Minimum Computer Security Standards for more details on UW policy.

The Nebula VPN allows a remote user to connect to the UW network, bypassing firewalls and border intrusion prevention devices, as if they were directly connected in their offices. Due to this added security risk, VPN connections are treated differently than a locally connected system. Part of the connection process using the Nebula VPN connection manager includes several security checks mandated by Nebula Engineering to ensure the integrity of the user's workstation. These checks must succeed before the Nebula VPN will grant complete access. You can check to see if you can communicate with the VPN service by using this basic connectivity tester.

Thus, while any Nebula client can use the Nebula VPN, its use from non-Nebula systems is not supported.

If you have questions or suggestions about the VPN, please forward them to nebula-support at cac.washington.edu.