Using VPN and Remote Desktop

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Did you know that you can access your Pace desktop computer in your office from another computer on any Pace campus, or even from an off-campus location such as your home?  Using Remote Desktop and Pace University’s Virtual Private Network (VPN) software over a network or Internet connection can allow you to remotely access your computer files and programs, email and calendar, and other network resources while not having to physically be sitting at your office computer. 

Some possible scenarios may be:
  • you travel between Pace campuses and need to access your main office computer from another computer
  • you are away at a business conference and need to connect from your laptop to your office computer
  • you are telecommuting and need to connect from your home computer to your office computer
Connecting is fairly easy to do once you complete the initial setup of your office and remote computers.
 
Here's what you need:
  • enable remote access on your office computer
  • download and install the Pace VPN software (needed when connecting from off-campus locations)
  • network or Internet connection (Internet is required for VPN, at least DSL or Cable is recommended)
VPN software does more than let you connect to the Pace University network; it allows for secure, encrypted access, provided you have an account and an Internet connection. For more information click on the following link: Virtual Private Network
 
Getting VPN

With the new AnyConnect VPN client, you can connect directly to the Pace University network through a web browser. This solution is now available for Macintosh OSX, Linux and Windows Vista users including the 64-bit architecture - go to https://vpn.pace.edu/

Note: You do not have to uninstall the previous VPN Client to use AnyConnect and the previous VPN Client will continue to be supported

Note: If your browser blocks pop-ups, you may need to click on 'allow pop-ups' at the top of the screen to begin your VPN session. Also, during the installation, you may be prompted to accept security certificates more than once; you should allow these in order to continue.

At the time of install, Windows may require the installation of an ActiveX control. In addition, if you are using Internet Explorer, you may be prompted to add https://vpn.pace.edu/ to the list of trusted sites before proceeding with the installation. On both Linux and Mac OSX, you will be prompted for a local administrator password in order to proceed.

The first time you access this site, a program will download and install to your computer. For future connections, you can either run the program directly from your machine to connect or you can return to the https://vpn.pace.edu/ site and connect. Either way, your machine will not need to install the client software again.

32-bit Windows, Mac, and Linux users can go to Apps Downloads and Account Management (ADAM) to download the VPN client as well as to get detailed documentation for installing, configuring, and running VPN all 32-bit based operating systems.
 
How-To Videos and Documentation
 
Some videos and documentation have been created to show you how to configure and use Remote Desktop on your office and remote computers as well as how to download, install, and use the VPN software on a remote computer.  The videos for Windows XP, Vista, and Mac OS X (10.4 or higher) can be found at the Password Reset Utility web page at http://adam.pace.edu. Scroll down to the bottom, and click on the "Download VPN Client" link.  After logging in with your MyPace portal user name and password, vidoes can be seen at the bottom of the page. Documentation in how to configure and use these tools can be found by clicking on the following links: VPN, Remote Desktop (Windows), and Remote Desktop (MAC).
 
Free QuickTime Player Download
You will need QuickTime Player to view the Mac video demonstration. Click here to download the latest version of Quicktime.
 
Free Adobe Flash Player Download
If you can't see the flash videos after clicking their links, you may not have Adobe Flash Player installed. Click here to download the latest version.