We are pleased to announce the availability of the Virtual Private Network (VPN) Service. A Virtual Private Network is a private data network that makes use of a public shared network such as the Internet. Now, you can connect to the HKU network even if you are using an external network service.
The VPN connection makes use of the Internet's routing infrastructure to move secure data to and from a private network, maintaining privacy through the use of a tunneling protocol and security procedures. Currently, this service is available for Windows 95 and Windows 98 computers.
VPN is especially useful for HKU staff and students who may be accessing the HKU network using a commercial Internet Service Provider (such as HKNet, Netvigator etc.) and wish to gain access to the Intranet resources that are available to HKU members only (such as the Staff or Student Intranets or the library's electronic resources). By using HKU's VPN, your network address (i.e. IP address) would appears as a part of the HKU network. It is as if you are connected to the HKU network from a machine on campus rather than connecting from a commercial ISP network. After connecting to the VPN service, you can gain access to the HKU web services and applications which require a HKU IP address.
You need to have an active HKU PPP account in order to connect to the HKU VPN. You can use the HKU Computer Account Status Enquiry form to enquiry your account status. If you do not currently have a PPP account, you can apply for one by filling the electronic form at
http://intranet.hku.hk:8030/ccform/app/ppp3.fillform
The following links provide instructions for installing the client
and instructions for connecting to the
University network :
Should you have any questions on using the VPN service, please contact
the undersigned.
Katherine Kwok
Tel: 2859 2497
E-mail: katkwok@cc.hku.hk