This guide outlines how to configure and establish a VPN connection to the Stony Brook University Computer Science network on CentOS Linux using the vpnc client. This document adheres to ADA accessibility standards for publishable knowledge base articles.
Note: The following documentation is based on CentOS 7.4. Commands require root or sudo privileges.
Step 1: Install EPEL Repository and VPNC Client
The vpnc package is available through the Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux (EPEL) repository. Run the following commands in terminal with root privileges:
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Install EPEL Release Repository:
sudo yum install epel-release
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Install VPNC Package:
sudo yum install vpnc
Step 2: Connection Parameters Reference
When running vpnc, you will be prompted for two sets of credentials: the IPSec gateway parameters and your CS Active Directory user account.
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Prompt Name
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Value / Input Required
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Enter IPSec gateway address
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vpn.cs.stonybrook.edu
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Enter IPSec ID
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cs_mobile
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Enter IPSec secret
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mobile
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Enter username
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cs\{your CS Active Directory User ID}
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Enter password
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{your CS Active Directory Password}
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Step 3: Connect and Verify
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Execute VPNC Command:
sudo vpncFollow the interactive prompts using the table above. Upon successful authentication, you will see output confirming:
VPNC started in background (pid: 26186)...
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Verify VPN Interface:
To verify that your CS VPN connection is active, execute:
ifconfig tun0The tun0 network interface should show your assigned IP address (e.g., inet 130.245.X.X) provided by the Palo Alto GlobalProtect Gateway.
Step 4: Disconnect from the VPN
To disconnect the VPN session and terminate the tunnel, run:
sudo vpnc-disconnect