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~help  /  News Archive  /  2020 Archive  /  Off-Campus SCS AD Domain Access Change

Off-Campus SCS AD Domain Access Change

Remote Windows Domain Access

Date:

Beginning April 14th, 2020

Services Affected: 

Windows, SCS Active Directory Domain Authentication

Details:

On Tuesday, April 14th, 2020 at 9:00am SCS Computing Facilities will change the way computers connect to the SCS Active Directory Domain when off campus. Previously, this service was publicly available to allow off-campus logins to SCS domain bound computers without a VPN connection. For security reasons, we will be requiring a VPN connection to contact SCS domain controllers, moving forward.

How does this affect me?

Most computers should not see any change in their normal behavior. For computers on the SCS Domain, the SCS domain controllers allow authentication and login to your Windows systems, as well as management policy updates. These services will continue to be available, but will require periodic VPN access to be effective.

What do I need to do?

If you have an SCS domain-bound machine, you will need to use your VPN client to connect to the campus network. This connection will ensure that your client is able to communicate with the SCS Domain Controllers. Many, if not most SCS Domain-bound computers will already have the Cisco AnyConnect client installed and ready for connection.

Please Note: If you are not already doing so, you will need to log in to the VPN when using your computer to allow for connection to the domain controllers. We recommend staying connected to VPN for at least 4 hours per week.

Download & Install Cisco AnyConnect VPN Client

  1. Download the Cisco AnyConnect VPN client.
  2. Double-click the downloaded file to run the installer.
  3. Follow the onscreen instructions to install.
  4. Uncheck all the boxes except VPN for Installation Type.

Connecting to the CMU network via VPN

  1. Connect to the Internet.
  2. Open the Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client.
  3. Type vpn.cmu.edu and click Connect.
  4. Select the General Use Campus VPN from the Group drop-down menu.
  5. Enter your Andrew userID and password.
  6. Click OK. 

If you experience any issues with logging in to your SCS domain bound machine on or after April 14th, please submit a ticket for support, or call our Help Desk at 412-268-4231.

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