Mac OS Built-In VPN

Built-In VPN Instructions for Snow Leopard and Lion

  1. Open System Preferences 
  2. Click on Network 
  3. Click the + to add a new connection 
  4. Change Interface to VPN 
  5. Change VPN Type to Cisco IPSec 
  6. Enter any name you'd like into Service Name and click Create
  7. Enter "vpn.vassar.edu" into Server Address 
  8. Enter your Vassar username and password 
  9. Click on Authentication Settings
  10. Select Shared Secret
  11. Download the shared secret passcode here.  You will have to authenticate to VSpace.
  12. Enter the passcode into the Shared Secret field.
  13. Enter Vassar into the Group Name field. 
  14. Click OK 
  15. Click Apply 
  16. Click the check box next to "Show VPN status in menu bar". This will make a black rectangle with several vertical lines appear on your menu bar at the top right of the screen. You can click on that to connect to the VPN at any time.