How do I access VMs in the Big Data Lab?

Unless you are on a Hofstra lab computer in Adams Hall, Weed Hall, or C.V. Starr, you first need to connect to the VPN. To connect to the VPN from your laptop or home computer, you need to install an OpenVPN client and obtain a client profile from csconnect.hofstra.edu. In the Open Access Labs (Hammer and Calkins), you must instead use the Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client to connect to https://csvpn2.hofstra.edu.

Once you are connected to the VPN, follow these directions and use the vSphere Client, OpenNebula, Remote Desktop, or SSH to access your VM.

How do I access Big Data Lab VMs from Hofstra lab computers?

Adams Hall, Weed Hall, and C.V. Starr:

A VPN connection is not needed to access VMs on Hofstra lab computers in Adams Hall, Weed Hall, and C.V. Starr, except for VDI labs.

Hammer and Calkins Labs (Open Access Labs):

To access VMs from the Open Access Labs, please open the Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client and connect to https://csvpn2.hofstra.edu. When prompted, enter your username as "students\" followed by your portal username, e.g. students\h702345678.

Why can't I access my virtual machine from the Hofstra network?

You need to use the VPN throughout the campus to access VMs in the Big Data Lab, except from lab computers in Adams Hall, Weed Hall, and C.V. Starr. A VPN connection is needed to access VMs from any device connected to eduroam, even in one of the aforementioned buildings.

It does not accept my username and password! How do I login?

Please make sure you are using the correct network credentials. For csconnect and the VPN client, you must provide your network id without "students\" at the beginning (e.g. h702345678 or tstude4) or the username part of your pride email address. For the Cisco AnyConnect Client, you must enter your username as "students\" followed by your network id. The password is the same as for the my.hofstra.edu portal. Please see this page for details and examples.

What do I do with the file I just downloaded?

A .zip is downloaded upon entering your network credentials. First, you must extract its contents (e.g. with 7-Zip or WinRAR). On Linux, run the command unzip profile.zip to extract it. Once extracted, you need to open the .ovpn file with the VPN client or move it into the correct folder. If you haven't done so already, first install a suitable VPN client.

• For the OpenVPN GUI on Windows, move the .ovpn file into the directory C:\Program Files\OpenVPN\config.
• For the OpenVPN Desktop Client on Windows, double-click the .ovpn file to import the profile.
• On Linux, run the command: sudo mv profile.ovpn /etc/openvpn/client.conf.
• On Mac OS X, double-click the .ovpn file to open it with Tunnelblick.

Where do I need to use the VPN?

A VPN connection is required to access VMs in the Big Data Lab from off-campus and throughout the campus, except from lab computers in Adams Hall, Weed Hall, and C.V. Starr. This means you must use the VPN to access the Big Data Lab from the Open Access Labs, Dorm rooms, and devices connected to eduroam. Please note, you do not need to use this VPN if you already use HUVPN.

Who may use the VPN?

The VPN is for students and faculty in Computer Science and Information Systems & Business Analytics (ISBAN).

Help! I can't get the VPN to work.

Please refer to the troubleshooting tips on the help page.