The University of Chicago virtual private network (cVPN) provides faculty, students, and staff with secure access to University network resources as if you are on campus, no matter where you are in the world. The cVPN can be used to remotely access resources that are not available to you when you're off-campus. You should also use the cVPN when you are working on an unknown network such as a hotel or coffee shop wireless network.
You can access cVPN by logging in to cvpn.uchicago.edu with your CNetID and password. You will need to verify your identity using two-factor authentication (2FA) in order to access the cVPN. Upon logging in, your operating system will be detected, such as Windows or Mac, and then it will prompt you to download the appropriate AnyConnect VPN app for your computer's operating system.
Current faculty, students, and staff of the University are eligible to use cVPN. A current student is defined as a student taking classes in the current quarter.
The cVPN client is supported on the following Linux distributions: Linux Red Hat 8 and 7 & Ubuntu 20.04, 18.04, and 16.04 (all x64). IT Services does not support the installation and configuration of the cVPN client on Linux. The installer packages (32-bit and 64-bit) are available for advanced users who support themselves or have divisional IT support for Linux.
IT Services does not support cVPN use with Windows versions before 11, nor Apple MacOS versions lower than 14.8.7.
Yes, a special ARM based installer is available. Please submit this request that gets routed directly to the networking team.
The cVPN's current IP address range is 205.208.120.0/22. When you connect to the cVPN, you'll obtain an IP address within the 10.190.128.0/20 range. When you access campus or online resources, cVPN will perform the same function that allows multiple computers on a home network to utilize a single Internet connection, Port Address Translation (PAT). Once the traffic leaves the cVPN, it will appear as if you are using the 205.208.120.0/22 IP range. This is done as an effort to efficiently utilize the IP space on campus, as well as ensure campus resources are still accessible from cVPN.
You can download Cisco AnyConnect for your Android or iOS, and most other mobile platforms. Support is limited for mobile devices.
For the most part, cVPN functions as intended while traveling abroad. However, some countries have laws restricting the cryptographic software that VPNs utilize. Countries like China have measures in place that block VPN usage. Please refer to the Travel Tips and Technology knowledge base article for up-to-date information related to technology use while traveling abroad.
No. The way VPNs work is to force network traffic through a VPN tunnel. Having multiple VPN applications open simultaneously would cause a conflict on where the computer should send traffic. This conflict causes traffic to be dropped.
cVPN is considered a "full tunnel" VPN. This means that the VPN logically makes your computer appear as if its on campus. This configuration is intentional. Besides accessing campus resources remotely, cVPN is meant to allow people to safely browse the Internet while on unfamiliar/public networks. In order for the later to be possible, all network traffic must go through the VPN. Because of this, local resources will not be available.
Yes. See the list below: