IT Security and Disaster - VPN Home Networking :::

This document is designed to help you setup your home network, in preparation for use with the UT-Houston Virtual Private Network (VPN). Before you get started, here are a few important points you should know and keep in mind as you select your service provider and desired setup.

You will be able to connect to the UT-Houston VPN with any type of Internet connection, including dialup, DSL, and cable. However, you may notice reduced performance over low-speed connections. For this reason, we recommend that you use cable or DSL with VPN. The remainder of this document is designed for the cable/DSL home user.

If you only have one PC that needs Internet access, then you can plug that machine directly into your cable/DSL modem. To do this, you will need a category 5 Ethernet cable, available at stores such as Best Buy or Microcenter. Remember that this setup puts your computer in direct contact with the Internet, which makes it vulnerable to attacks. Protect yourself from such attacks with a good home firewall such as ZoneAlarm, which you can download free from the following website:

http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/company/zap_za_grid.jsp

The IT Security department has tested and confirmed Zone Alarm's compatibility with the UT-Houston VPN. Other personal firewalls may or may not be compatible with the UT-Houston VPN.

If you have multiple PCs at home that need Internet access, then they will be protected by the setup options and devices described in the rest of this document.

Suggested Equipment

If you have multiple users that need internet access, you need to connect a device called a router to your cable modem. A good choice is the Linksys BEFSR41 EtherFast Cable/DSL router with 4-port switch. This router has one WAN or Wide Area Networking port that plugs directly into your modem, and four LAN or local area networking ports that plug into your internal PCs.

If you require wireless network access to your cable or DSL, you will need to purchase a wireless enabled router, and connect it to your DSL or cable modem. For wireless access IT Security has tested and confirmed that the Netgear MR814 is compatible with our VPN. The MR814 provides four wired networking ports as well as the wireless connection, so if you think you might want wireless in the future, it might be a good idea to purchase this product instead of a wired only router.

Key features include:

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) - The router gives each PC on your home network a private IP address that is used to communicate with the home router and other PCs on the home network. This private IP address cannot be used to reach sites on the Internet.
Network Address Translation (NAT) - Your ISP provides you one public IP address that is used for Internet access. When one of your home PCs needs to reach a website on the Internet, the router changes the PC's private IP address into the public IP address supplied by your ISP. The router is smart enough to keep track of many simultaneous connections, even though all the PCs are using the same public IP address to reach the Internet.
IPSec Pass-Through - In order to use the UT-Houston VPN, your home router must allow IPSec (Internet Protocol Security) traffic. This feature is built into the recommended Linksys BEFSR41 router.

The Linksys BEFSR41 wired router and the Netgear MR814 wireless router may be purchased at computer stores such as Best Buy or Microcenter. For more information, see the links below:

Linksys BEFSR41 EtherFast Cable/DSL wired router

Netgear MR814 wired and wireless router

The IT Security department has tested and confirmed that these routers are compatible with the UTHSCH VPN. ITS cannot guarantee compatibility of other routers with the UTHSCH VPN.

Setup Instructions for Linksys BEFSR41 Router/Switch

Before you get started with the setup, you need to configure your PC. If your PC is a laptop that you also use at work, the configuration below may differ from the one you use at work. If this is the case, you will probably need to reconfigure your PC every time you move it from office to home, or vice versa. Contact your LAN manager if you have questions about how to do this.

For the setup in this document, you will need to configure your PC for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). To do this, go to your computer's network connections (see your LAN manager if you need help with this step). Find the icon that corresponds to your LAN connection, right-click, then choose properties. Highlight TCP/IP at the bottom of the list and then click on "properties." Choose the following radio buttons on the resulting screen: obtain an IP address automatically, and obtain a DNS server automatically.

These instructions may differ depending on the operating system you are using. Contact your LAN Manager if you have additional questions.

Next, test your Internet connection by connecting your PC directly into your modem using a category 5 Ethernet cable, available at stores such as Best Buy or Microcenter. After you've confirmed Internet access, disconnect the cable from the modem and plug it into one of the LAN ports on your router. Then take a second cable, and use it to make the connection between the router's WAN port and the cable modem.

After re-cabling your network, insert the CD that comes with your router, and follow the self-explanatory instructions until the installation is done. If you've already completed the steps listed above, you will not need to perform additional cabling or configuration steps during this process.

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