VPN-F.A.Q.
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How can I access the VPN with my iPhone, iPad, iMac, MacBook, Android, Debian, Ubuntu, openSUSE, Linux Mint ...?
We don't support any other operating system but Windows 7/8/10. Use the hints on the computing center webpage or search the internet for instructions. If you found a workable instruction, tell us about it.
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I want to use the VPN but I can't connect to it. Can you help me?
This might have several reasons.
- Maybe you don't have internet connection at all.
- Or you don't have a TF-Account.
- Did your TF-Account get locked? You'll need to come to our offices and prove your rights to use a TF-Account (students identification card, passport). We will unlock your account.
- Maybe you forgot your password. You'll need to come to our offices and prove your rights to use a TF-Account (students identification card, passport). We will assign a new password.
- Maybe your password contains non-ASCII characters. You'll have to change the password.
- Or you are inside the faculty (see next FAQ).
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I'm inside the faculty and VPN doesn't work. What's wrong?
The VPN-service is meant to be used from outside the faculty to reach services inside the faculty. If you are already inside the faculty, using this service is useless and made impossible. Anyway, if you are connected to the TF-WLAN (Eduroam) you are able to connect to the VPN-service.
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OK. I'm connected to the VPN, but I can't connect to the workgroup server. Did I do something wrong?
- As your computer in most cases is not a member of the Windows-TF-domain, you have to enter the full-qualified hostname of your workgroup-server (e.g. if the server you wanted to access is stuserver then you have to enter \\stuserver.tf.uni-kiel.de in Windows Explorer).
- Or you use the VPN-profile of the University Computing Center. With this profile you will not be able to connect to your workgroup-server.
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After some login attempts I can't login anymore. Why is this?
Obviously you forgot your password. The VPN-Server locks your computer if you try to login with the wrong password too often. After a while the server will unlock your computer and you can login again.
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After some time I have to re-enter my TF-username and password. Is my computer configured badly?
No, not at all! For security-reasons your credentials aren't cached in your computer's memory. If your computer losts the connection to the OpenVPN-server, it tries to reconnect and you have to enter your credentials again. When the encryption of your VPN-session gets updated you also have to re-enter your credentials. Under normal cirumstances this mostly happens once an hour.
Update: As from 21. August 2012 the connection-profiles contain an option that disables renegotiation on client side. Renegotion is now controlled by the server and should only take place each 12 hours. If you are still using old connection-profiles from before 21. August 2012 and if you want to benefit from the new settings you'll have to replace the old ovpn-files with the new ones. -
Normally VPN works fine. But I'm sitting in a hotel/airport/... right now and I'm not able to establish a VPN-connection. Can you help me?
We can't help you at the moment. It might be that the provider of your internet-connection blocks VPN-traffic. Please ask them whether or not the suspicion is right and if they can grant you VPN-traffic. If they are blocking VPN-traffic please inform us for statistically purposes.
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I'm unable to connect to the shares of my workgroup-server or to establish a remote-desktop-connection. Can you help me?
Please try to deactivate IPv6 on your Virtual-LAN Network Interface.
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I'm unable to connect to a certain website for publications research. Can you help me?
Please try the following steps:
- Double-check if you can connect to the affected site from our Terminal-Servers jupiter or spiderman (instructions). If that works, do the next step. Otherwise it might be a problem outside our reference.
- Try if it works with the provided connection profiles (TF-normal or TF-roadwarrior). If that doesn't work, go to the next step.
- Restart your browser after you connected to the VPN. Try again to connect to the research site. Do this procedure with both connection-profiles. If this doesn't work take the next step.
- Remove your browser's cookies for the site you want to connect to. Try again. If it doesn't work redo this step and previous step. If this doesn't work take the last step.
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I'm unable to establish a VPN connetion after I upgraded my system. Can you help me?
Please try the following steps:
- Check if your VPN adapter (TAP-Windows Adapter V9) still exists as a network connection. It might be deleted during the upgrade procesdure.
- If the network adapter is present, please deactivate and reactivate it.
- If the network adapter is not present, execute the batch-file C:\Program Files (x86)\OpenVPN\bin\addtap.bat on Windows 7/8/10 to add an adapter to your system. The question wether to install a driver from unknown source you have to answer with "yes". If it doesn't work or the batch-file doesn't exist go to the next step.
- Reinstall OpenVPN and select the option "TAP Virtual Ethernet Adapter" to install/upgrade the necessary network adapter.