A guide to using LSBU VPN (Virtual Private Network )

A guide to using LSBU VPN (Virtual Private Network ) VPN is a secure file access tool that gives web access to files remotely. VPN is provided by ICT, the Information Communication Technology Department

Guide produced by the Organisational and Staff Development Team www.lsbu.ac.uk/osdt

London South Bank University 2

LSBU_Secure_Web_File_Access_VPN Page 2 of 16 Russell Kenny – April 2012

Table of contents Introduction ............................................................................................................... 3

First time use – setting up LSBU Secure Web File Access on a PC .................... 4

The LSBU Secure Web File Access home page .................................................... 5

Downloading and Uploading ................................................................................... 6

Zipping and Unzipping files and folders................................................................. 7

Bookmarking Network Share Folders ..................................................................... 8

Bookmarking other Shared Folders ........................................................................ 9

Web Bookmarks ..................................................................................................... 10

Setting up an Instant Meeting ................................................................................ 11

How the other person / people join the meeting .................................................. 12

Showing an application on your PC during a meeting ........................................ 13

Sharing control of an application on your PC during a meeting ........................ 14

Other information about controlling meetings .................................................... 15


Introduction

LSBU Secure Web File Access (Sometimes called Virtual Private Network) is a web based application that allows you to:

• Access files in your I: drive from any PC with an internet connection, on or off campus

• Access any shared drives that you have set up on the “Hawk” server from any PC with an internet connection, on or off campus

• Create links to other local shared folders that you have so that you can access them from any PC with an internet connection, on or off campus

• Link to LSBU resources (Outlook , Blackboard, Staff Gateway, etc.) with a single sign on

• Create a list of “Favourite” web site links that you can use from any PC

• Show or share applications on your desktop with others for online meetings


First time use – setting up LSBU Secure Web File Access on a PC The first time that you use LSBU Secure Web File Access on a PC, certain files are downloaded and installed automatically. You do not need administrator access to do this.

Step by step

Open a Web Browser (Internet Explorer for example) and go to the URL http://secure.lsbu.ac.uk/ You will be presented with a log on screen. Use your standard LSBU Windows Username and Password. Leave the realm as Staff. Click on the Sign In button. If it is the first time that you have used LSBU Secure Web File Access on this computer, you will be asked for permission to continue and run an application. Choose Yes and Run or Always and Always depending on the dialogue boxes you see. After a few seconds the LSBU Secure Web File Access screen will appear.

Future logging in on this PC will not bring up the dialogue boxes.

http://secure.lsbu.ac.uk/

Depending on how your PC is set up, you will see either these messages or these messages

http://secure.lsbu.ac.uk/


The LSBU Secure Web File Access home page

These are the main areas of the LSBU Secure Web File Access home page.

Link to your I: drive. The I: drive is an area that you can copy files and folders to and access them from anywhere. The Network Share area contains all the shared folders on the Hawk server. You can see the names of all of them but only get into ones that you have been given permission for. Setting up and changing the access permissions on the Hawk shared folders is administered by the ICT department. Contact [email protected] for details. You can add your own bookmark shortcuts to folders within the I: drive, to shared folders and to folders on your LSBU PC. When set up, they appear here, just under the main links. The Web Bookmarks section allows you to open (without further sign on) a range of LSBU resources. Using the [+] button, you can add your own bookmark shortcuts to any URLs that you choose. This area shows who you are logged into VPN as (this may appear above Web Bookmarks). This Meetings section allows you to set up a secure meeting where you can show applications on your desk top (a PowerPoint presentation, for example) to others. A meeting number and a password are generated which you send to other people. They open a web browser; go to secure.lsbu.ac.uk/meetings/ and type in the meeting number and a password.

mailto:[email protected]


Downloading and Uploading You can download and upload files and folders from your I: Drive and any Shared Network folders to which you have access to your local internet connected PC, wherever it is. The I: drive is a network drive that all LSBU staff members have. Shared Network folders are set up on the Hawk server by the ICT department for particular staff members. This example shows using the I: drive, but it is the same principle for shared network folders.

To get to the I: drive or Network Share, click on the link. Selecting a folder (clicking in the small box will put in a tick) then choosing Bookmark Selected will add the folder to the File Share list on the Home page. You can’t bookmark files, only folders. Selecting folders or files then choosing Delete will remove them. Take care! You cannot undo a deletion. Selecting folders or files then choosing Download lets you download a copy of the file to your local computer. If you download a folder it will be downloaded as a ZIP file that will need to be unzipped to get at the files within it. You can upload files and folders using this button. If you upload a folder, it must have been previously zipped into a single file. The folder will be unzipped as you upload it. New folders can be created here. This Home button takes you back to the LSBU Secure Web File Access home page. You can also download files by right clicking on a filename and choosing Save Target As

See next page for

more information

on Zipping

Important

To edit files, you should always download the file to your local PC, edit and save it locally, then upload it back to

the I: drive or shared network drive.

If you double click on a file name to access it, always SAVE the file on to the local PC - do not OPEN it

otherwise any edits you do may be lost.


Zipping and Unzipping files and folders When uploading and downloading folders and groups of files to LSBU Secure Web File Access, you have to be able to zip and unzip them. Zipping a folder just means converting it (and all the files inside it) to a single compressed file, unzipping is converting a compressed zipped file back to the folder / group of files that it contains. Windows XP allows you to zip and unzip files and folders.

Unzipping in Windows XP can be done by right clicking on a Zipped file and choosing Extract All

Unzipping files and folders

Zipping files and folders in Windows XP can be done by selecting the files/ folders to zip, right clicking and choosing 7-Zip>Add to archive. In the dialogue box that appears, choose Zip as the archive format, and then click OK.

Zipping files and folders


Bookmarking Network Share Folders When first used, LSBU Secure Web File Access lists your I: drive and all of the shared drives on the Hawk server. It is a good idea to create Bookmarks (shortcuts) to any commonly used shared network folders and folders in your I: drive.

Example

Here we are going to bookmark a shared network folder… We will choose the Network Share link. These are the shared folders on the Hawk server. We will scroll down and click on a Network Share folder that we have access to. We can now either bookmark the shared folder that we are in (in this example the ICTUG folder) by clicking on the Bookmark Current Folder link… or We can select a subfolder by putting a tick in the box next to it and then clicking on the Bookmark Selected button. You can then create a name and a description for the bookmark and then click on the Add Bookmark button. The bookmark will be added at the bottom of the Files list on the LSBU Secure Web File Access home page.


Bookmarking other Shared Folders You can add Bookmarks (shortcuts) to other folders that you share In order for these links to work the PC or server that hold the folders / files that you are accessing need to be switched on.

Example

To Bookmark a shared folder not on the Hawk server (a folder shared with you on another PC in your office for example) put the name of the shared PC in this box and click the Browse button. For example \\Wo12345678\ (back slashes are important!) VPN will show the folders that are shared with you on that PC, click on one. You can new either click on the Bookmark Current Folder. or Select an item within the folder and click the Bookmark Selected button. Add some details then click on the Add Bookmark button. The Bookmark is listed here. You can now access the folder, via LSBU Secure Web File Access, from any PC with an internet connection.


Web Bookmarks VPN comes with links to commonly used LSBU web resources (Blackboard, Staff Gateway, Outlook Web Access, Etc.) without having to sign in again. You can add your own links to your commonly used web sites which will be available every time you log into VPN.

Example

To add your own Web Bookmarks, click on the + symbol. Enter a name and a description for the Bookmark. Enter the full URL. Choose if the site will launch in a new window, and if it does if you want there to be an address line, menu and toolbar in the new browser window. Click on the Add Bookmark button. The new Web Bookmark will appear under the built in bookmarks.


Setting up an Instant Meeting A LSBU Secure Web File Access Instant Meeting allows you to show (and share if you wish) applications that you are running. This could be a PowerPoint presentation or a Word document, for example. Although there is a chat facility built into LSBU Secure Web File Access, it would be hard to conduct a meeting in this way. LSBU Secure Web File Access does not support voice communication, so if you were demonstrating something or collaborating on a document, you would need to also use the phone at the same time.

Example

Click on the Meetings button. Click on the Instant Meeting button which will start a meeting session right away. Click the Start Meeting button. NOTE The other person/s meeting with you need to go to the URL

http://secure.lsbu.ac.uk/meeting/ They also need to know the meeting ID number and the password (case sensitive) so you may need to tell them this during your phone call, or you could email them the information.


How the other person / people join the meeting When the other person or people know the URL, the meeting ID number and the password, they can join the meeting. This page shows what they have to do.

Example

The other person / people go to the URL that you have provided

http://secure.lsbu.ac.uk/ meeting/

They then fill in the Meeting ID number and the password that you have provided. They make up a user name (it can be anything). Then they click on the Join Meeting button, and again on the Join Meeting button on the next screen. If any security dialogue boxes that appear, the user should click on Yes or Always. A Meeting window will appear on their desktops.


Showing an application on your PC during a meeting While the meeting session is going on, you can show and demonstrate an application or all of the current applications on your desktop.

Example

In your meeting window, click on the Sharing button. It is probably better to be making a phone call to the person at the same time to describe what’s happening, but you can if you wish use this chat window. You can choose which of the applications that you are using are to be shared. In this example it is just PowerPoint . Clicking here will share all your applications and your desktop. As soon as you click on the Share button, a Meeting window will appear on the other person / peoples screen. Whatever you do on your PC will be shown in the window on their PC.

Their screen Your screen


Sharing control of an application on your PC during a meeting As well as showing / demonstrating applications, you can share control of it with others.

Example

In this example we have shared a Word document with another user. In the Meeting window the participants are listed. In this example kennyr is the Conductor of the meeting (the person who started it, indicated by the crown). RK Test Person is someone who was invited to join the meeting. To give control of the document to the other person, select them the click on the Controller button. RK Test Person now has joint control (indicated by the mouse icon) with kennyr. Both people can edit the document. Control is passed to a person when they click on the document. The mouse icons change from yellow to grey to indicate who has control currently. You can take away control by selecting yourself and clicking on the Controller button. Control is now removed.


Other information about controlling meetings

The meeting conductor and all of the participants see this window. Depending which you are, various options are available to you.

The conductor can give joint control of shared applications with this

The conductor can give presenter control (so a participant can share their applications)

The conductor can remove others from the meeting

The conductor can share applications with other participants

This will make a drawing toolbar appear so that parts of the screen can be drawn on to add emphasis

Meeting participants can click here to make the Meeting viewer window reappear if they have closed it

Meeting participants can ask the meeting conductor for control of a shared application. The meeting conductor will see a dialogue box asking if the participant can have control.

If there are multiple participants, an individual can send a message to the conductor that others will not see.

Close the meeting using the Meeting Menu

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Documents

A guide to using LSBU VPN (Virtual Private Network )