Remote Access
UTMB requires a secure method of transmitting or receiving data for any user wishing to connect to computing resources from off-campus. Traveling faculty, staff, and students as well as those located at home can connect to the UTMB network with either MyVPN or Dial-Up Services.
MyVPN
Advances in technology and competition have resulted in very competitive pricing for user broadband access to the Internet both at home and while traveling through the use of wired and wireless connectivity within hotels and “hot spots”. Users wishing to take advantage of these high-speed connections (often 1.5-3 Mbit or 50x faster than dialup) to connect to UTMB can do so through the use of a secure application known as MyVPN. MyVPN will allow you to access Exchange email and departmental files and directories or other services behind the UTMB firewall.
To get MyVPN access, you must first apply through your Trusted Requestor to Information Resources Access Management (IRAM).
More information on Virtual Private Network can be found at the VPN site.
UTMB Dial-Up Services
Dialup services are the slowest available to remote users. Connectivity results can vary based upon the user’s location in the U.S., weather conditions, and quality of telephone service delivered by hotels and/or neighborhoods. Dialup service at UTMB is currently free and unrestricted to individuals with UTMB login IDs. Once connected through dialup, users have full access to the UTMB network and can connect to files, directories, Exchange email, and other systems as if they are on campus. Configuration of each of these services must be performed by the user on the home or traveling PC and is covered in a different area of the document.
Did you know?
(1) The FCC limits the speed of communication over telephone circuits to 53Kbit even though the official standard currently has a maximum speed of 57.6Kbit.
(2) Most hotels and neighborhoods “lock-in” the maximum speed of a data call to around 19.2-28.8Kbit. Hotels typically have 19.2Kbit connections due to limitations of their phone system and newer neighborhoods are stuck at 28.8Kbit due to limitations of newer wiring types use that share the phone service.
(3) Clicks, pops, and other phone line noise interfere with a data call even more than when in a conversation. If you pick up the phone and press a key on the phone pad and hear anything other than silence there is a good chance your data call will be unsuccessful.