What is a VPN?
Virtual Private Networking, or VPN, is a technology that allows you to become part of the UF computer network from any location. It is called “Virtual” because you are not actually present on the physical UF core network, but are connected to it via an encrypted software “tunnel” through the Internet, from wherever you happen to be. This has the benefits of allowing you access to restricted or confidential UF resources from connections that are not part of the UF network (such as AOL or another university). One of the most useful and important features of VPN is that it secures all of the communications between your computer and the University of Florida with some of the strongest encryption available. Even if you are already part of the UF network (such as using a wireless connection on campus), you can benefit from an added strong layer of security. In fact it is highly recommended that all wireless networking users on campus install and use the VPN client for all their wireless acce
A virtual private network (VPN) is a network that uses a public telecommunication infrastructure, such as the Internet, to provide remote offices or individual users with secure access to their organization’s network. There are two types of VPN, IPSec (Internet Protocol Security) and SSL (Secure Socket Layer).
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) can be defined as a means of transferring information using secure methods over a public network. The data transfer is private, but the network is public thus making it “virtual private.” For example, you could set up a VPN between your home computer and your Duke office computer with security and encryption technology while using the Internet as your network. The data transfer is private, but you don’t own the Internet so it is a Virtual Private Network. Duke’s VPN creates a secure connection between your computer and Duke’s VPN Concentrator. While the VPN is running, any network traffic from your computer is sent securely to the concentrator. The concentrator then passes the data along to the intended destination. This lets your home computer appear to the Duke network like it is at Duke rather than remotely connected.
