How to use a Samba Share from VPN:

Introduction:

One very common request at CIS is to be able to mount a UNIX home directory from a PC both on campus and off. On the 5 CIS subnets (129.21.55-59.*), this is done directly with a Samba connection. On any other network, both on and off campus, this is done with Samba over VPN.

These instructions were written for a Windows XP laptop, using the RIT VPN client with connections made from both on and off campus. On other platforms, the specifics may vary, but the general instructions apply.

Turn on Plain Text Passwords:

You must turn on plain text passwords in order to use Samba. This is a one time task, but it must be done. The University of Alberta has good instructions at:

http://www.cs.ualberta.ca/systemssupport/PC/plntxtpasswds.html

Acquire and Install the Software:

To download the VPN software, visit the web page at:

http://www.rit.edu/~wwwits/services/vpn.

Once there, click the link that says: "Click Here to Login and Download VPN". You will be required to enter your DCE user name and password. Download the version for your computer platform and follow those specific installation instructions.

Connect with VPN:

The ITS web site gives sufficient documentation on how to connect. The only change to make depends on whether or not you are trying from off campus. There are 2 defined profiles. One is called "RIT On Campus" and the other is called "RIT Off Campus". Choose the one that matches your current geographic location.

Before you click the "Connect" button, Select the "Options" drop-down box. Select the entry titled "Properties...". Ensure that the box next to "Enable Transparent Tunneling" is checked. If you are off campus, select "Use IPSec over TCP (NAT/PAT/Firewall)" and if you are on campus, select, "Allow IPSec over UDP (NAT/PAT)". Click "OK" to exit the "Properties" window. There is no documented reason why this works this way. This is, however the observed way that Samba over VPN works.

Click the "Connect" button to connect via VPN. You will be asked for your DCE user name and password. When connected, a dialogue box will pop up. Click "Continue" to close this box and use VPN.

On the Mac OS X platform, it has been observed that Samba over VPN works with no required modifications.

Connect to a Samba Share:

To connect to a CIS Samba share, right click on the "My Network Places" or "Network Neighborhood" button (depends on the version of windows) and select "Map Network Drive...". Select an unused drive letter and enter the Samba share name for the Folder name. For example, a share called test on a machine called test1.cis.rit.edu, you would enter "\\test1.cis.rit.edu\test" as the folder. NOTE: You must use the fully qualified host name, i.e. "test1.cis.rit.edu" instead of just "test1".

If your user name on the machine is different than your CIS user name, you need to tell this to windows. Click where it says, "Connect using a different user name. Enter the user name and password and click "OK". Note: On windows 95, 88 and ME, this is not an option. The user logged on to the windows machine, must be the same user name as your CIS user name.

Click "Finish" to make the Samba connection. If everything works, in a few seconds, a Windows Explorer window will pop up with that Samba share directory.

Disconnect Samba Mounts:

It is good practice to disconnect your network connections before you exit VPN. To do so, right-click "My Network Places" and choose "Disconnect Network Drive...". Click on the drive you wish to disconnect and click "OK".