Access from outside the University

If you are a user of University computing facilities wishing to connect to resources from home or from elsewhere outside the University network you will normally connect via broadband from a commercial ISP or from facilities provided, for instance, by a conference venue.  If you are using your own machine which is configured for use in Cambridge, you may need to reconfigure it.

If you are visiting another University and want to use your own laptop via their wireless facilities, you will often be able to do so using eduroam (which you need to have set up before leaving Cambridge).

You may also need to note the following:

Web access

Some University web pages and web-based facilities may be restricted, generally in one of two ways: many pages will require a Raven password, but others may be restricted to connections from the cam.ac.uk domain.  The VPDN service allows a user connecting from outside the CUDN access to such facilities.

Logging in to Cambridge computer systems

The easiest way to access Hermes email when you are away is via Hermes Webmail.  If you prefer to use a different mail program, and are using your own machine configured for use in Cambridge, you may need to reconfigure it (and reverse the process on your return).

You can login to remote Linux, for instance, from anywhere provided that you use a secure login (ssh).

If you think that, when you are away, you will be logging in from a computer other than your own (e.g. Internet cafe, conference, hotel) you might like to consider changing your passwords before you go away and changing them back when you return. This will minimise the risk to your accounts if a computer you use has been hacked, and had a keystroke logger installed, as any password obtained by the hacker will only be a temporary one.

DS-Filestore and other file systems

Personal or group filespaces on DS-Filestore may be accessed by the web access facility or by Secure FTP. Users of MCS Linux can also log in to the remote access server using SSH.  Note that plain FTP (as distinct from secure FTP, SFTP) is blocked across the CUDN boundary apart from specific exceptions.