AccessTUE
Easy access to TU/e resources
Preface
AccessTUE is a software tool that provides easy access to several TU/e resources from remote locations. The tool can also be used on personal laptops or other computers that are not preconfigured for use at the TU/e.
The five predefined accessible resources are: Network printers, Personal network drive, Shared network drive, Campus software and Library resources. The location and name of the resources is user-configurable.
Requirements
AccessTUE requires a computer using a Microsoft Windows operating system (Windows XP or newer) with an active internet connection. Any internet connection will do,
provided it’s not ‘firewalled’ for outgoing traffic.
Also required is a valid TU/e user code, a password and sufficient permissions for accessing the selected resources.
The tool includes the Cisco AnyConnect VPN software, you don’t need to install or run a VPN connection manually. Support for the Microsoft Built-in L2TP VPN client is also available for Windows 7 and newer. The Microsoft VPN client can be selected from the AccessTUE Settings menu.
Installation
The installation package for AccessTUE is can be downloaded from the following public web location:
http://servicedesk.ieis.tue.nl/access-tue
Download and run this installation package. Your internet browser may ask for additional confirmation, because the software package does not yet carry an official signature.
Internet Explorer
Using Microsoft Internet Explorer to download the package requires 3 to 4 mouse clicks:
Other internet browsers
Other browsers like Firefox or Chrome, require the program to be saved first, before you can run the installer:
Depending on your Windows configuration, a confirmation screen can be shown like below when executing the AccessTUE setup program:
Windows XP: Windows Vista/Windows 7:
Click the ‘Run’ (or ‘Yes’) button to proceed with the installation.
The next screen will show the installable components. Unless you already have Cisco AnyConnect VPN software installed, it is advisable to mark all checkboxes:
A small black window will be momentarily visible during installation of the VPN software. Do not close this window; it will automatically disappear when the setup is finished. After installation, the AccessTUE tool is available as desktop icon and/or as shortcuts in your Windows Start menu.
Using AccessTUE
Double click the new Access TUE icon to start the program. The tool will first check the status of the predefined resources. This takes a few seconds.
The main screen will appear shortly afterwards:
If you are in a hurry, just perform the following three steps to connect to a resource: 1. Enter your TU/e user code and password
2. Select the desired resource(s) 3. Click the Connect button.
That’s all. The tool will automatically decide whether a VPN connection is required or not, it will automatically log on and provide drive letters to the selected resources. To explore the contents of the resource, click the magnifying glass icon to the right.
AccessTUE in depth
The main screen of AccessTUE shows an overview of the resources to which you are
currently connected. We will describe all sections one by one: Section User Information
This section defines your identity. Enter your TUE user code and password here. There is no need for any prefixes or backslashes, just your user code. If you have more than one user code, take the one that has access to the selected resources.
Section Resources
This section shows all selectable resources and your current connection status to each of them.
Default Printer
Select this if you require a connection to a TU/e network printer. The name of the printer is defined in the Advanced Settings menu (menu: Edit -> Settings).
See also: Advanced Settings
Personal drive
This resource links to your personal network drive on the TU/e file server. On most departments this is also known as the G:-drive. AccessTUE is preconfigured with the G-drives of IE&IS. Please change the Settings if you are from a different department (menu: Edit -> Settings).
Shared drive
This resource adds access to the ‘shared’ directories, which is also known as the S:-drive. AccessTUE is preconfigured with the S-drives of IE&IS. Please change the Settings if you are from a different department (menu: Edit -> Settings).
Campus software
Select this if you require access to the server that stores TU/e campus licensed software. The list of available software is published on the campus software web site, which is accessible by clicking the 'magnifying glass' icon on the right side. Library
This will authenticate you for access to the resources of the TU/e library. Selecting this resource is also required when accessing online publications and papers. Click the ‘magnifying glass' icon on the right side to open the TU/e library main web page.
Combine with Corporate Systems
When selecting this resource, AccessTUE will start a VPN connection that will allow access to both network drives and Corporate Systems. When connectec, click the ‘magnifying glass' icon on the right side to open the FB&O web site. Status column
This column shows the connection status to each resource. A green sign means that it’s fully accessible; a red cross signifies a connection problem. If you are experiencing connection problems, click the button for a description of the error.
The 'magnifying glass' icons to the right will only appear upon a successful connection. Using these buttons you can browse (explore) the selected resource.
Section Other
Remember these settings
When selected, the program will remember your user code and the resources you have activated. Note: For security reasons, your password will never be
remembered.
Start this program on computer boot
When selected, this will run AccessTUE automatically every time when you start this computer.
Lower section Buttons
Connect
Clicking this button will start the authentication process. If successful, the Status
will turn green for each resource you have selected. If a selected resource displays a red cross, click the "?" button for a more detailed explanation. Disconnect
This will terminate the connection to the selected items and -if necessary- close the VPN connection.
Exit
This will exit the program, but does not close the connection to the selected resource(s). It is not required to keep AccessTUE running when you have an active connection. You can work online, until you restart or shut down your computer. If you require to disconnect from the resources (or to close the VPN connection) just start AccessTUE again and click the Disconnect button.
Advanced Settings
AccessTUE is preconfigured for staff members of the department of Industrial
Engineering & Innovation Sciences. This means that the names and locations of the personal/shared drives are from IE&IS. All other resources and the VPN connection settings are predefined for general use at the University of Technology in Eindhoven. AccessTUE is fully configurable to use resources from any other department. It is also possible to select between different types of VPN connections (if installed). All
AccessTUE settings are available through the menu item Edit->Settings
Please be careful when modifying these settings. If you mistakenly changed a setting, you can revert AccessTUE back to its ‘default’ settings by selecting File->Default from the menu bar.
The second input box should contain the name of the printer (aka print queue). Unfortunately there is no browse option available yet, so you have to know the exact name of the printer. No backslashes or dots allowed in this name.
The next settings are grouped in four input boxes. The first one contains a description of the resource, which can be changed into any name as long as it is not kept empty. The second one defines the drive letter for the resource. You may have to change this when a device on your computer is already using one of the predefined letters.
The third input box defines the server name on which the resource is located. The last input box is defines the so called share name of the resource.
Personal Drive
This will normally represent the network drive where you can store your personal data. In most cases this drive will be mapped to letter G:
The share name has the special keyword %UserCode%, which automatically substitutes for the name you have entered in the Default user code field. The server name is preconfigured as TMFILER, which is the server of IE&IS. If you are from a different department, see Appendix A for a list of known server names for other departments.
Shared Drive
Most departments have a special drive letter for storing sharing documents. In most cases this is called the S:-drive. If you don’t require access to a shared drive, keep the default setting in this screen, and just unselect the resource in the main window. The server name is preconfigured as TMFILER, which is the server of IE&IS. If you are from a different department, see Appendix A for a list of known server names for other departments.
Campus Software
This drive is only required if you need installation of campus licensed software. The setup files are stored on this server, but installation must be performed through the TU/e campus software web page.
Library Software
This section was previously reserved for accessing software managed by the TU/e library. Nowadays all software is merged onto the Campus Software server. However, selection of this resource from the main screen is still required when you want to access publications and papers hosted on external web sites which are restricted in access from the TU/e campus network only.
The sections Network and VPN Settings do normally not require any change. Please do not modify these settings unless required.
NT Domain name
The Windows internet domain name of the resource servers. AccessTUE can only access resources that all share the same internet domain name.
Campus IP Range
The IP network section of the internet address that belongs to the campus
network. Together with the current IP address of your computer, AccessTUE used this information to determine if a VPN connection is required. Only one class B or
class C network is supported. VPN Connection type
By default, the Cisco AnyConnect VPN software is preferred. But if for some reason this software cannot be successfully installed, other VPN clients can be selected. Starting from version 1.30 of AccessTUE, a pre-configured Microsoft L2TP VPN client is also included in the setup program..
VPN Install Path
When using the Cisco VPN client, this will point to the location of the VPN software.
VPN Connect cmd
The command line used for activating a VPN connection. Substitute variables are available for user code, password and profile name.
VPN Disconnect cmd
The command line used for terminating a VPN connection. VPN profile name
The name given to the VPN connection. For Cisco VPN this is TUe by default. If you are experiencing connection problems due to firewalls, you may try one of the alternate configurations called TUe-firewall1 or TUe-firewall2.
The Microsoft VPN client includes two profiles: TUE L2TP VPN and TUE PPTP VPN. When selecting Microsoft VPN, The L2TP profile is always preferred.
Troubleshooting connection errors
Below is a list of known connection errors and their remedy:
If you are experiencing continuous X1 errors, this could be caused by a firewall which is blocking your outgoing network connections. Since many types of firewalls exist, it is not possible to give an all-in-one solution. You may try the following options to get around a firewall:
a. From the Settings menu, try one of the alternate VPN Profile names: TUe-firewall1 or
TUe-firewall2.
b. From the Settings menu, select as VPN Connection type: Microsoft VPN Connection. See also: http://servicedesk.ieis.tue.nl/vpn .
c. Modify the firewall settings to allow AccessTUE to pass your local network. Below is a list of network protocols that AccessTUE uses:
− ICMP-Echo to each resource server (PING-command)
− HTTP to server servicedesk.ieis.tue.nl for determining your public IP address (TCP-port 80)
− MS-DS connections for authenticating to each server (TCP-port 138, TCP-port 445)
− Incoming IKE, if the Cisco VPN software is being used (UDP-port 500)
− Outgoing PPTP, if the Microsoft VPN software is being used (TCP-port 1723)
About AccessTUE:
AccessTUE is an internal software tool
programmed by Servicedesk ICT IE&IS. It has no connections with the TU/e as such. Servicedesk ICT IE&IS cannot give any warranty to this piece of software, nor can they be held responsible for any damage caused by using this software tool. Do you have any improvements or other tools to share with us? Don't hesitate to contact us at: [email protected] or give us a call at 2361.
Appendix A: List of known server names
The following table shows a selection of known server names for each department at the TU/e. Use this name for the Personal or Shared drives in the AccessTUe Settings menu.
Server name S share Department
CAMPUSF (variable) Diensten
TMFILER SHARED IE&IS
IDFILER COMMON ID
ARCHFILER1 COMMON ARCH
BMTFILER (variable) BMT
WTBFILER (variable) WTB
ELEF (variable) E
PHYSSTOR (variable) PHYS
STFILER (variable) ST
WINFILER COMMON WIN
