On October 23, 2003, the campus VPN (virtual private network) system will be upgraded with a new server. Current users of the VPN 5000 system will need to install the new VPN 3000 client before the VPN 5000 server is retired on January 2, 2004.

The new VPN 3000 client software is significantly easier to configure, easier to use, and fully supported by the manufacturer, Cisco. In addition, as part of our commitment to provide a highly reliable service, we expect to see improved stability with the new client software.

Please note that the name of the new version (VPN 3000) has a lower number than the name of the previous version (VPN 5000).

To make the transition easier, both servers will be available simultaneously for the rest of this semester.

Details are included below.

What This Means for You

• If you currently use the VPN 5000 system, you will need to uninstall your 5000 client software and install the 3000 software before the retirement date.
  
  
• If you currently use Movian software for Windows CE or Palm OS, you won't need to change your configuration. (Movian client users are already using a smaller VPN 3000 system on campus.)
  
  
• If you want to use the VPN system and are using a Macintosh with MacOS 9.1 or earlier, you will need to purchase a Cisco 3000-compatible software package from Netlock. Cisco does not produce or distribute VPN 3000-compatible client software for pre-OS X Macintoshes.
  

Detailed installation and configuration instructions are available from:

http://www.cites.uiuc.edu/vpn/

About VPN

For UIUCnet Wireless users, the VPN server provides secure network access to the campus and the rest of the Internet. For users of a third-party ISP, the VPN server provides a UIUC-based IP address in order to permit access to resources that are available only to users connecting from UIUC IP addresses.

VPN client software is required to connect to the VPN server. The software is freely available for several operating systems, including Windows 98 through XP, Macintosh OS X, Solaris, and Linux.