How to connect to Windows 10/11 VPN for Students

Introduction

These instructions are for setting up the Palo Alto Global Protect Virtual Private Network (VPN) client on South Dakota Mines student personal and campus computers. Installing and connecting the VPN will enable students to access campus resources and software licensing. These instructions are intended for South Dakota Mines use only.

Environment

Windows 10/11

Instructions

Install Palo Alto Global Protect Agent

  1. Open a web browser and go to the site pa-vpn.sdsmt.edu

     
  2. Log in with your campus email address and campus computer password. These will be the same credentials you use to log in to campus computers and may not be the same password as your student email.

     
  3. If you have DUO MFA setup, you will be prompted to send a push to your device.


    Tip: Selecting the 'Remember me for 30 days' checkbox allows you to directly sign in without going through the authentication process again.


     
  4. To proceed, you need to open DUO on your mobile device and approve the push. The picture below is similar to what you will see on your device:

     
  5. Download the correct version of the GlobalProtect agent. For most users, this will be the Windows 64-bit version. You can either choose to download the file or run it directly.

     
  6. Run the downloaded GlobalProtect application and go through the installation steps.
     



     

     
     
  7. Congratulations, you have installed the Palo Alto GlobalProtect agent.

Connect to Palo Alto Global Protect Agent

  1. Click the GlobalProtect world icon in the taskbar. You may need to click the up arrow to see it.

     
  2. In the Window that appears, click on 'Get Started'.

     
  3. Next, type the portal address – pa-vpn.sdsmt.edu – and click the Connect button.

     
  4. You will be redirected to sign in with your student email and your campus computer password like step #2 in the above section.
  5. If the credentials were entered correctly the GlobalProtect agent should show that you have successfully connected.

 

Note: If you are on campus using a university-owned computer or student tablet PC and successfully connected to the "sdsmtwpa" wireless network, you do not need to use a VPN connection to access network resources. 

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