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MSU Denver Virtual Private Network (VPN)
MSU Denver Virtual Private Network (VPN) services are provided to give faculty and staff access to campus resources from remote locations. VPN services may be requested for any full time employee (staff, faculty or administrator) by providing a business justification for VPN access. Before submitting your request please review the VPN Policy below. No part time employees will be given VPN access.
Please note: VPN services are available to students in specific courses that require VPN access. In this case, access for students will be requested by their professor.
Internal Policy: VPN Access to Metro State Administrative Computing Resources
I. Purpose
To create policies and guidelines for the Division of Information Technology regarding VPN access to Metro State administrative computing services not otherwise accessible to home users.
II. Scope
This policy applies to all remote access to Metro State Administrative computing resources maintained by the Division of Information Technology.
III. Policy Statements
The Metro State administrative computing resources contain a great deal of private and confidential information regarding members of our College community. The institution must take appropriate measures to safeguard this information. Therefore, the Metro State administrative computing resources are not accessible off campus. The Metro State administrative computing resources will be made available through an encrypted Virtual Private Network (VPN) service to authorized college employees who have a genuine business need to access these resources remotely.
- Access to Metro State administrative computing VPN services may be requested for any full time employee (staff, faculty or administrator) that can provide a business justification for VPN access. VPN services will not be made available to student or part time employees.
- Support for VPN services will be provided on IT-approved college owned laptop computers with functioning whole drive encryption.
- VPN access will not be provided for any non-IT approved system without the written approval from both the Vice President of the requesting department and the Vice President for Information Technology.
- Employees who wish to use VPN services to access Metro State administrative computing services remotely may apply on-line for VPN access. As a part of the application for VPN access, the applicant will be required to:
- Provide a business justification for their need to access Metro State administrative computing services remotely.
- Affirm that they will use the services in accordance with the College’s computing, security and privacy policies.
- Affirm that they have an IT-approved college owned laptop with functioning whole drive encryption.
- Affirm that they keep their computer up to date with all patches and other security updates for their computer’s operating system.
- Affirm that they run a name brand anti-virus scanner on their computer.
- Affirm that they have a firewall installed on their home network or that they have a personal firewall installed on their computer.
- Affirm that they will disconnect from the Metro State VPN service when using their computer for personal use (such as surfing the WEB or listening to NET radio, etc…). VPN users should only perform MSCD related activities while connected to the Metro State VPN service.
- Affirm that they will disconnect from the Metro State VPN service when not using their computer or not accessing Metro State administrative resources.
- Affirm that they will not redistribute the VPN client software or share the VPN access key.
IV. Reporting Violations
Any suspected violations of these policies, or unauthorized access to computing resources, or any other condition which could compromise the security of Metro State computing resources must be reported to the Director of Information Security at 303-352-7548.
V. Remedies for Non-Compliance
Failure to comply with these policies may result in one or more of the following actions: a) suspension of access to the network for the individual, educational or administrative unit violating the policy, b) when appropriate, disciplinary action ranging from warning to termination and (for students) expulsion from the College, depending on circumstances, in accordance with applicable policies and procedures, c) when appropriate, initiation of civil or criminal proceedings.
VI. Authority
The College President grants authority to the Vice President of Information Technology to oversee compliance with this policy. Questions regarding this policy, or requests for variances from the policy, should be directed to the Interim Vice President of Information Technology at (303) 556-5321.
Approved: August 2004
Revised: June 2008
VPN Request Form
To be given VPN access, you must first complete the VPN Request form. Please note that the request form is specifically for faculty and staff members. Access for students will be provided by their professor if VPN access in required for their course.
Connect to MSU Denver VPN
Please click on the following selection that applies to you in order to expand the instructions on connecting to the MSU Denver VPN.
Setting up MSU Denver’s connection to VPN on your Mac is a very easy process. There are some key settings you will be asked for which are provided in the table below. VPN or Virtual Private Networking allows you to access the college resources from your home computer or laptop anywhere in the world.
VPN server: vpn.msudenver.edu
PreShared Key: M$UD3nver
Domain: winad
- Open System Preferences by going to the Apple menu and choosing System Preferences. You can also choose System Preferences from the Dock.
- Next, click on the Network under Internet & Wireless in the System Preferences. Make a new connection.
- There is a list of network connections on the left side. Click the + icon to make a new connection for VPN. When you click the + icon, a new service sheet appears. Enter the following VPN information:
Interface: VPN
VPN Type: L2TP over IPSec
Service Name: MSUDenver VPN
- Now that you have a VPN connection, you'll need to make a Configuration for it. Enter the following network information:
Server Address: vpn.msudenver.edu
Account Name: winad\username
- Also, check the checkbox at the bottom of the window labeled Show VPN Status in menu bar. This will allow you to connect to VPN much easier when needed from an icon located in the menu bar.
Click the Authentication Settings button. Enter 'M$UD3nver' for the Shared Secret. Do not input the password field, as we would like your Mac to ask you for that every time you need to log in.
Click OK. Click the Apply button on the Network window.
- Congratulations, you have setup your connection to MSUDenver VPN. To use the connection, simply click the icon from your menu bar and select Connect MSUDenver VPN. Be sure you have an active internet connection before connecting to MSUDenver VPN.
- A window will pop-up asking for your password, input it and connect.
Revised: February 2015
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Setting up MSU Denver’s connection to the student VPN on your Mac is a very easy process. There are some key settings you will be asked for which are provided in the table below. VPN or Virtual Private Networking allows you to access the college resources from your home computer or laptop anywhere in the world. 1. Open System Preferences by going to the Apple menu and choosing System Preferences. You can also choose System Preferences from the Dock.
2 Next, click on the Network under Internet & Wireless in the System Preferences. Make a new connection.
3. There is a list of network connections on the left side. Click the + icon to make a new connection for VPN. When you click the + icon, a new service sheet appears. Enter the following VPN information: Interface: VPN VPN Type: L2TP over IPSec Service Name: MSUDenver StudentVPN
Interface: VPN VPN Type: L2TP over IPSec Service Name: MSUDenver StudentVPN
4. Now that you have a VPN connection, you'll need to make a Configuration for it. Enter the following network information: Server Address: studentvpn.msudenver.edu Account Name: winad\username
Also, check the checkbox at the bottom of the window labeled Show VPN Status in menu bar. This will allow you to connect to VPN much easier when needed from an icon located in the menu bar. Click the Authentication Settings button. Enter “Stud3ntVPN0!” for the Shared Secret. Do not input the password field, as we would like your Mac to ask you for that every time you need to log in.
A window will pop-up asking for your password, input it and connect.
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Click OK. Click the Apply button on the Network window.
Please select your OS version
Windows 10 Home/Pro Edition
- Left click the Network Icon by the start menu clock
- Then click Network settings at the bottom of the menu
- When the Settings menu appears, click the VPN tab on the left side of the menu
- In the VPN menu, click Add a VPN connection
- When the Edit VPN connection menu appears, provide the following settings
- VPN Provider: Windows (built-in)
- Connection Name: MSUDenver VPN
- Server Name or address: vpn.msudenver.edu
- VPN type: Automatic
- Type of sign-in info: User name and password
- Username: Provide your NetID (beginning of your email without "@msudenver.edu")
- Password: Provide your login password
- Uncheck Remember my sign-in info
- Click Save
- Arriving back at the VPN settings menu, click Connect
- The connection will prompt you for your username and password.
- The connection will prompt you for your username and password.
- A successful setup will connect you to the VPN and display Connected
- To disconnect from the VPN, click the Disconnect button
- To disconnect from the VPN, click the Disconnect button
Windows 10 Enterprise
- Left click the Network Icon by the start menu clock.
- In the next window, choose Add a VPN Connection.
- In the next window, choose Microsoft as the VPN provider and enter your NetID login details. Type the name of the MSU Denver VPN server: vpn.msudenver.edu in the server name box. The connection name is just an identifier, so use whatever name you prefer. Click Save.
- Click Connect to use the VPN access. You are now connected to our VPN service.
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For Student VPN to work on Windows 10 you must have the latest update installed.
Click here for more information about installing Windows updates |
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Setting up MSU Denver’s connection to VPN on your Windows 10 machine is a very easy process. There are some key settings you will be asked for which are provided below. VPN or Virtual Private Networking allows you to access the University’s resources from your home computer or laptop anywhere in the world. |
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VPN server: studentvpn.msudenver.edu Domain: WINAD (optional)
2. Select the block that has Network & Internet.
6. The next step is to click on “change adapter options.” It will take you to a Network connections page. Right click on the MSU Denver VPN and select properties.
10. You are now connected to the Student VPN. |
3. Once you are in Network & Internet setting, on the left hand side you will see a list with a VPN option. Select this to begin setting up the connection.
4. Click on the option that reads “Add a VPN connection.”
5. A dialog box will appear and you will have to fill in the blanks with the information provided below; (for VPN provider, there is only one option: Windows (built-in))
*remember to have the check box filled in for remember my sign-in info.
*Once you have saved all the information, you will have to enter in a "pre-shared key" for authentication.
7. This will take you to the VPN properties. Then select the network tab and select on the Internet Protocol Version 4. Then select the properties button. 
Select the advanced button at the bottom. This will then take you into the advance settings of TCP/IP. Uncheck the box that has use default gateway.. and click OK.
8. Once you are finished, click on and return to the menu that displays the MSU Denver VPN connection. Click on connect. (Please keep in mind it will take a short while since it is being configured for the first time.)
9. Enter in your username and password if you have not entered this in the beginning of the setup process.
- Open Network and Sharing Center from Control Panel, then choose Set up a new connection or Network.
- In the next window, choose Connect to a workplace.
- In the next window, choose Use my Internet Connection (VPN).
- Type the name of the MSU Denver VPN server: vpn.msudenver.edu. The Destination name is just an identifier, so use whatever name you prefer. Click Create.
- Browse to your current network list. You should see the VPN connection that was just created. Right click and select “Connect”.
- You will be prompted for your NetID (username) and password.
- You are now connected to the MSU Denver VPN.
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Setting up MSU Denver’s connection to VPN on your Windows 8.1 machine is a very easy process. There are some key settings you will be asked for which are provided below. VPN or Virtual Private Networking allows you to access the University’s resources from your home computer or laptop anywhere in the world. VPN server: studentvpn.msudenver.edu Domain: WINAD (optional) |
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*on a touch screen laptop, swipe at the right end of the screen to bring that menu up. Select on settings. It will then bring you to this menu and you can select the control panel from here. This will allow you to add the Student VPN connection. |
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1. Open Network and Sharing Center from Control Panel, then choose Set up a new connection or Network.
2. In the next window, choose Connect to a Workplace.
3. In the next window, choose Use my Internet Connection (VPN).
4. Type the name of the MSU Denver VPN server: studentvpn.msudenver.edu. The Destination name is just and identifier, so whatever name you prefer. Click Create.
5. Once you have created the connection, go back to the Network setting in control panel and select Change Adapter Settings.
6. In the next window, you will see the connection types. Select the student VPN connection and right click on it. Then go to properties.
7. In the VPN properties, you will see several tabs at the top, select the one that says Networking. You will see several connections in the box below. Select IPv4 and then select properties at the bottom.
8. In the IPv4 properties, you will see another advance button. Select it. It will then take you to another screen.
In settings menu, uncheck the box that states: Use default gateway on remote network. Then click on OK. You can click ok on all the windows and close them out.
9. Browse to your current network list. You should see the VPN connection that was just created. Right click and select “Connect”
10. You will be prompted for your NetID (username) and password. ( it is the same user name and password you use to log into your email, computer labs, and web portal.)
*once you have entered the correct username and password you will see a screen that will say "connected".
11. You are now connected to the MSU Denver Student VPN
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Setting up MSU Denver’s connection to VPN on your Windows 7 machine is a very easy process. There are some key settings you will be asked for which are provided below. VPN or Virtual Private Networking allows you to access the college resources from your home computer or laptop anywhere in the world.
VPN server: vpn.msudenver.edu
Domain: WINAD
- Open Network and Sharing Center from Control Panel, then choose Set up a new connection or Network.
- In the next window, choose Connect to a workplace.
- In the next window, choose Use my Internet Connection (VPN).
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Type in the name of the MSU Denver VPN server: vpn.msudenver.edu. The Destination name is just an identifier for your use; name it whatever you prefer. Please check the box “Don’t connect now; just set it up so I can connect later.”
- In the next window, enter your user name, password and WINAD for the domain and click Create. Only check the ‘Remember this password box’ if you are the only user of this computer.
- Connect to MSUDenver VPN. The connection is now ready to use. In order to connect/disconnect to MSUDenver VPN, click on the icon in the bottom right corner of the window to join a network.
**Please note, the first time you connect to MSU Denver's VPN may take some time as your computer is downloading all the necessary security information from MSU Denver servers. The process should return to normal speed on subsequent connections.
Revised: January 2015
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VPN Server: studentvpn.msudenver.edu Domain: WINAD (optional)
1. Open Network and Sharing Center from Control Panel, then choose Set up a New Connection or Network.
2. In the next window, choose Connect to a workplace.
3. In the next window, choose Use my Internet Connection (VPN).
5. In the next window, enter your user name, password and WINAD for the domain and click Create. Only check the ‘Remember this password box’ if you are the only user of this computer.
6. In order for the Student VPN to work, you must also disable the default gateway. You can disable it by going into your network settings and select change adapter settings.
8. In the properties, you will see several tabs. Select the networking tab to view the connections. Then, Select the Internet Protocol Version 4 and select properties.
9. You will then see the properties for IPv4. There is an advanced option in here, select it.
11. You can close out all windows by clicking OK. Connect to the MSUDenver VPN. The connection is now ready to use. In order to connect/disconnect to the MSU Denver VPN, click on the icon in the bottom right corner of the window to join a network. |
4. Type in the name of the MSU Denver VPN server: studentvpn.msudenver.edu. The Destination name is just an identifier for your use; name it whatever you prefer. Please check the box “Don’t connect now; just set it up so I can connect later.”
7. You will see the list of connection types. Select Student VPN and right click on it. Going into properties will give you more options to disable the default gateway. 
10. You will come to an advanced setting for TCP/IP. Under IP settings, you will see a box that states: use default gateway on remote network. Unselect that and click ok. You can now connect to VPN.
Follow these directions to map network drives using an OS X computer.
Before you Begin
When you connect to a shared folder on a remote computer, it is known as mapping drive or mounting a volume. To map network drives, you must first know:
- The name of the network drive (e.g. //adsharedrive )
- The name of the specific folder on that drive (e.g. /appsdata )
- The user name and password to connect to that drive (e.g. your MSU Denver NetID & password)
NOTE: If you are not on the local campus network, you will also need to connect to the MSU Denver VPN. If VPN is not connecting, try the following troubleshooting tips:
- Make sure you are connected to the Internet when off campus. Open a website to make sure you have Internet connectivity.
- Disconnect VPN. Restart the computer and try connecting to VPN.
- Make sure your username and password are correct. If you have changed your password recently, make sure you are using the new password for VPN.
- If you are still having issues call the Help Desk at 303-352-7548.
Mapping Network Drives
To map network drives in OS X, do the following:
- If you are off campus and want to connect to a computer or server on campus, you must first connect through VPN.
- On the finder menu bar, click GO > Connect To Server…
- Enter a network path in the Server Address field (example: smb://servername.domain/sharedname). Common paths include:
- Departmental Y: drive: smb://vmwfs18.winad.msudenver.edu/(folder name)
- APPSDATA or U: drive: smb://vmwfs17.winad.msudenver.edu/appsdata
- Public P: drive: smb://vmwfs08.winad.msudenver.edu/public
- Public K: drive: smb://vmwfs04.winad.msudenver.edu/public
- Click Connect.
- You can add the path to the list by clicking the
button (this will save you from writing the path to the network drive next time you connect to network drives through VPN).
- Note: If you are prompted to enter a password, select Registered User.
- Enter your user name and password.
- When mapping network drives to computers hosted on campus, the user name might be winad\username. Then enter the password.
- Click Connect.
- Once you click Connect in any of the above cases, you will see another windows that has a list of folders to select from. (You should know what folder you need to connect to network drive. Your department specifies this.
- Select the folder you like to connect to and click OK.
Once connected, the folder will open and an icon will appear on the Desktop, which is the network drive that you are connected to. Congratulations! You are now connected to your network drive and folder.
NOTE: When you disconnect from VPN the network drive will disappear and you will have to follow the above steps to connect back to the desired network drive and folder.
Revised: January 2016
Follow these instructions to map network drives using a Windows 7 computer.
Before you Begin
When you connect to a shared folder on a remote computer, it is known as mapping drive or mounting a volume. To map network drives, you must first know:
- The name of the network drive (e.g. //adsharedrive )
- The name of the specific folder on that drive (e.g. /appsdata )
- The user name and password to connect to that drive (e.g. your MSU Denver NetID & password)
NOTE: If you are not on the local campus network, you will also need to connect to the MSU Denver VPN. If VPN is not connecting, try the following troubleshooting tips:
- Make sure you are connected to the Internet when off campus. Open a website to make sure you have Internet connectivity.
- Disconnect VPN. Restart the computer and try connecting to VPN.
- Make sure your username and password are correct. If you have changed your password recently, make sure you are using the new password for VPN.
- If you are still having issues call the Help Desk at 303-352-7548.
Mapping Network Drives
The computer should automatically connect to the network drives when the user logs into the computer. If the computer for some reason does not automatically map these drives, follow these steps to manually map a network drive:
- Open the Computer window from the Start Menu, then click the Map network drive button.
- In the new windows, specify the drive letter you would like to give this drive, then enter the full path of the drive you would like to connect to (some examples of common drives are given below). Be sure to check the "Reconnect at logon" box.
| Public or (K:) drive APPSDATA or (U:)drive Public or (P:) drive Dept (Y:) drive |
\\vmwfs04\public \\vmwfs17\appsdata \\vmwfs08\public \\vmwfs18\(department_folder) |
Click Finish to add the network drive to your computer. The newly-added drive will open in a new window and will also be accessible under the Network Locations section of the Computer window.
Congratulations! You now have access to the files located on a network drive through VPN.
NOTE: When you disconnect from VPN you will no longer have access to the network drives unless you reconnect or physically connect to the network.
Revised: January 2016
Further Assistance
If you have additional questions, concerns, or need immediate assistance - Please contact the MSU Denver Helpdesk.