VPN Service

Setting up Windows Remote Desktop Connection

On the target computer (the computer TO which you want to connect)

1. Click on the Start menu and go to Control Panels -> System (Control Panels are sometimes under Settings in the Start menu)
2. Click the Remote tab
3. Under Remote Desktop, check “Allow users to connect remotely to this computer” and click OK.
4. Click on the Start menu and click “Run…”
5. Type cmd and click OK.
6. At the command prompt, type ipconfig
7. Under your Local Area Connection, look for a field called “IP Address” and write down that number.  If you are on the School of Medicine network, it should start with a 171.65.
8. *Note* The target computer must have a user account with a password to connect using the Remote Desktop Connection.  If your user account does not have a password, you should give it one in the User Accounts Control Panel.

On the client computer (the computer FROM which you want to connect)

1. Open the Cisco VPN client and connect to Stanford as described above.  *Note: If your target computer is on the SUMCNet you will need the SUMCNet connection Profile.  See the SUMCnet Remote Access section of the SUMCnet page for more information.
2. Click on the Start menu -> Programs ->Accessories -> Communications -> RemoteDesktop Connection.  *Note: it may help to put a shortcut of this on your desktop for easy access.  To do this, navigate to the Remote Desktop Connection as specified above and rather than left clicking on it, right-click-drag the icon to your desktop and when you let go of the right mouse button, click “Copy Here”*
3. In the Computer field, type in the IP address of your target computer as you found in step 7 above and click connect.
4. You will be prompted to log in to your target computer.  This is the same username and password that you use at that computer.  For example, if you are sitting at your home computer and you are trying to Remote Desktop to your work computer, you would type in the username and password of your work computer here.
5. Your target computer’s desktop will then appear and you will be able to work on it as if you were sitting at it.
6. When finished with your Remote Desktop Connection, go to the start menu and click “Log off”.  Do NOT click “Disconnect” as that will unlock the target computer’s screen so that anyone near it can use it without knowing the password.

To remotely connect to your Mac system on campus, you will need to complete two steps.  The first step will be done on your Mac on campus and the second step will be done on your Mac at home.

STEP 1:  

1) Go to Apple Menu -> System Preferences -> Sharing. The appearance of your System Preferences may vary; type “Sharing” in the search field to isolate Sharing and click on it.

2) Make a note of your computer name (in case it is required later) and tick the checkbox for “Screen Sharing.” Make sure you click “Allow access for Only These Users” and select your name only. Do NOT select “All Users”.

3) If you have the message “Blocked By Firewall” (as shown below), go to the “Security & Privacy” panel in System Preferences and click the Firewall tab. Click the lock to make changes, and click the Firewall Options button.

4) Uncheck the box for “Block All Incoming Connections” and “Remote Management” and “Screen Sharing” should appear with “Allow Incoming Connections.”

5) Go to the Networking pane in System Preferences and select “Ethernet.” Your computer must be on Ethernet to ensure your ability to connect to it. Make a note of the IP address.

6) Go to the Energy Saver preference pane and make the following changes:

· CHECK the box for “Prevent computer sleeping automatically when the display is off”

· UNCHECK the box for “Put hard disks to sleep when possible”. * CHECK the box for “Wake for network access”. * CHECK the box for “Start up automatically after a power failure.”

7) Before leaving the office, make sure your computer is turned on and the screen saver is locked. Do NOT turn off your computer. It will not be possible to turn on your computer remotely if it is turned off.

STEP 2:

CONNECTING REMOTELY TO YOUR MAC WITH SCREEN SHARING

 Note: You must have completed the steps above in Setting up your Mac for remote access on your work Mac first. These directions will not work if you have not set your work Mac up already.

1) From your home Mac, connect to Stanford VPN normally.

2) On your Mac, go to the “Go” menu and select “Connect to Server.”

3) Fill in your work Mac’s IP address, using vnc:// 171.65.xxx.x (use your the address of your mac at work, (5) in Step 1 above.)

4) Log in using the same user name and password you normally use to log into to your Mac.

5) Your desktop will appear in a window. To take control of your Mac, click the arrow-and-target button (the binoculars button is for observation only, not control). You may use the Scaling buttons to either have the entire desktop in the window, or to show the contents in real size (in which case you may only see a portion of your desktop in the window. You may scroll around as needed. If your work computer has a larger display than your home computer, you may have to go between these settings to work normally).

6) DO NOT RESTART OR TURN OFF YOUR MAC. It is not possible to log into FileVault remotely. If you restart or shut down your Mac, you will lose the ability to connect remotely. If it becomes necessary to restart the Mac because of a BigFix push or some other update, ONLY use the following command in Terminal:

      sudo fdesetup authrestart

and follow the prompts as directed. When the computer reboots, attempt to connect and log in at the desktop IMMEDIATELY to prevent the computer turning itself off for want of a login.

7) If you are connecting to your work Mac from a PC or other computer that has a VNC client, connect to Stanford VPN as you usually do and launch the VNC client according to its instructions. Fill in the IP address and the unique password (as noted in the prior directions) and you should be able to connect to your Mac desktop. Please note your screen may appear substantially different from what is shown here if you are using a Windows VNC client.