Many faculty and staff have a need to access UCInet and other network resources from off campus, in particular, scholarly resources licensed by the UCI Libraries and available only to systems which are part of UCInet.
NACS has developed and supports three different ways of connecting to UCInet from off campus:
- the lifeline modem pool
- the proxy server
- the virtual private network (VPN) device.
Modem Pool
The first such service deployed was the “lifeline modem pool.” This is, as the name implies, the resource of last resort. Bandwidth (data throughput) is limited, compared to cable modem or DSL, and there are limits on the amount of time you are allowed to use the service. The advantage is that it can be used from any telephone line in the world (if you are willing to accept long-distance charges).
Proxy Server
The proxy server is a collaborative effort between NACS and the UCI Libraries. Users of the proxy server make web requests as if from on campus, regardless of how they connect to the Internet. However, this service is sometimes slow depending on the number of users simultaneously working through it.
VPN
An alternative to using the proxy server is to use the NACS Virtual Private Network, or “VPN”.
The advantage that the VPN has over the proxy server is that it opens up ALL network resources that require a UCI network address, while the proxy server only addresses Web-based applications. It may also be faster. Finally, the VPN offers a secure connection to campus from outside, commercial, and wireless networks, which are inherently insecure.
It is expected that proxy server and lifeline modem pool users will migrate to the VPN as the preferred way of connecting with campus services which are restricted to UCI address space.
Because the proxy server requires manually encoding each site which is restricted to UCI affiliates, it is difficult to maintain, and it is intended that this service be phased out over the next year.
For more information, please consult the following web pages.
Lifeline modem pool: http://www.nacs.uci.edu/network/modem/
NACS Proxy Server: http://www.nacs.uci.edu/network/proxy/
NACS VPN Information: http://www.nacs.uci.edu/security/vpn.html