The University provides a Virtual Private Network (VPN) service for you to connect and login to the University network from off-campus locations or on-campus from personal laptops. If possible, set up the VPN on your computer while on campus.

Notes for staff and Postgraduate Research Students (PGRs):

• University-owned computers have GlobalProtect already installed on Windows computers
• If you cannot see it, you can install GlobalProtect from the Software Center or the University of Southampton Software Download Service
• If you need administrator rights on your machine, read the article Administrator account and rights on university-owned computers

When you need to use this service

Use this service when:

• You are working away from campus
• You need to access University IT systems and services
• You would like access to Library resources (such as databases and journals)
• You need access to your University Personal filestore (My Documents) and shared filestores

Instructions are below and you will need the following information:

• Address: globalprotect.soton.ac.uk
• Your University username
• Your University password

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How to install the VPN on a University-owned device

Windows

There are two ways to install GlobalProtect on university-owned computers.

Software Center

1. Double-click the icon "Software Center" on the desktop or select "Software Center" from the Windows start menu
2. Search for GlobalProtect using the search bar near the top
3. Select GlobalProtect and select the Install button

Direct link 

1. Go to https://globalprotect.soton.ac.uk and log in using your university account
2. Select the right version to download
3. When complete, launch the installer and follow the wizard through the installation process

Once installed through one of the two ways above, a globe-shaped icon will appear in the Notification area, then you can:

1. Launch the GlobalProtect application from the start menu on the desktop or through the search field near the start button 
2. Enter the portal address globalprotect.soton.ac.uk
3. Select Connect. Enter user credentials when prompted
4. You will now be connected to the University’s VPN service
5. To disconnect, press Disconnect. The GlobalProtect icon will always appear in the Notification area, regardless of the status of the connection

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Apple macOS

There are two ways to install GlobalProtect on university-owned computers.

Self Service 

1. Open Self Service application 
2. Search for GlobalProtect in the search bar from the left panel 
3. Select Install button

Direct link 

1. Go to https://globalprotect.soton.ac.uk and log in using your university account
2. Select Download Mac 32/64 bit GlobalProtect agent to download
3. When complete, launch the installer and follow the wizard through the installation process

Once installed through one of the two ways above, a globe-shaped icon will appear in the top menu bar, then you can:

1. Select the Launchpad icon in the Dock and select GlobalProtect  or 
       Type the name GlobalProtect in the search field at the top of Launchpad to Launch the GlobalProtect application
2. Enter the portal address globalprotect.soton.ac.uk
3. Select Connect. Enter user credentials when prompted
4. You will now be connected to the University’s VPN service
5. To disconnect, press Disconnect. The GlobalProtect icon will always appear in the Notification area, regardless of the status of the connection

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Android and Apple iOS

1. In the Google Play Store / Apple App Store, search for and install the GlobalProtect app, published by Palo Alto Networks
2. When installed, open the app and enter the portal information as globalprotect.soton.ac.uk
3. Press Connect and enter your University credentials. You will now be connected to the University’s VPN service. A VPN icon / An icon resembling a key will appear in the top bar
4. To disconnect, press Disconnect at the bottom of the screen

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Linux

1. Go to https://software.soton.ac.uk and log in using your university account
2. Search for GlobalProtect using the search field at the top of the page
3. Select the GlobalProtect button and select Linux under Versions 
4. Select the download button by following the instructions
5. Launch the application by selecting the Show Applications button on the top left of your taskbar
6. The application GUI will appear on the top right of your screen.
7. Enter the portal details "globalprotect.soton.ac.uk" in the text box, and press the Connect button just below this
8. To disconnect from the VPN, you need to launch the application from the Show Applications button on the top left of the task bar and select Disconnect 

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How to install the VPN on your own device

Windows

The current version of GlobalProtect requires Windows 8.1 or later:

1. Connect to https://globalprotect.soton.ac.uk
2. Log in using your University account
3. Select Download Windows 64 bit GlobalProtect agent
4. The installer will download. When complete, launch the installer and follow the wizard through the installation process
5. Once installed a globe-shaped icon will appear in the Notification area
6. Launch the GlobalProtect application from the start menu on the desktop or through the search field near the start button 
7. Enter the portal address globalprotect.soton.ac.uk
8. Select Connect. Enter user credentials when prompted
9. You will now be connected to the University’s VPN service
10. To disconnect, press Disconnect. The GlobalProtect icon will always appear in the Notification area, regardless of the status of the connection

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Apple macOS

1. Log in to https://globalprotect.soton.ac.uk using your University account
2. Select the appropriate version of the agent, relevant to your OS
3. The installer will download. When complete, launch the installer
4. Follow the wizard through the installation process. At the step called "Installation type", please remember to tick the following options:
   
   1. GlobalProtect
   2. GlobalProtect System extensions
5. Once installed, a globe-shaped icon will appear in the top menu bar
6. Select the Launchpad icon in the Dock and select GlobalProtect  or 
       Type the name GlobalProtect in the search field at the top of Launchpad to Launch the GlobalProtect application
7. Launch the GlobalProtect application
8. Enter the portal address globalprotect.soton.ac.uk
9. Select Connect. Enter user credentials when prompted
10. You will now be connected to the University’s VPN service
11. To disconnect, press Disconnect. The GlobalProtect icon will always appear in the Notification area, regardless of the status of the connection

Please note: you may have to allow the GlobalProtect application to connect with the university system. To do this select the following:

• On Sonoma OS or later:
  1. Select the Apple menu from the menu bar
  2. Select System Settings... from the drop-down menu
  3. Select General
  4. Select Login Items
  5. Scroll down to the section Allow in the Background
  6. Ensure that the option to allow Palo Alto Networks is turned on
     
     
• On Ventura OS:
  
  1. Select the Apple menu from the menu bar
  2. Select System Settings... from the drop-down menu
  3. Select Privacy & Security 
  4. Scroll down to the section Security
  5. Ensure that the option to allow Palo Alto Networks is set to Allow. If it is not, please select the button Allow to turn it on
     
     
• On Monterey OS or older versions:
  1. Select the Apple menu from the menu bar
  2. Select System Preferences from the drop-down menu
  3. Select Security and Privacy 
  4. Select General
  5. Ensure that the option to allow Palo Alto Networks is set to Allow. If it is not, please select the button Allow to turn it on
  6. Once completed, click the lock icon to make the changes

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Android

1. In the Google Play Store, search for and install the GlobalProtect app, published by Palo Alto Networks
2. When installed, select Open and enter the portal information as globalprotect.soton.ac.uk
3. Tap on the shield to connect and enter your University credentials. You will now be connected to the University’s VPN service. An icon resembling a key will appear in the top bar
4. To disconnect, open the GlobalProtect and tap on the shield icon

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Apple iOS

1. In the Apple App Store, search for and install the GlobalProtect app, published by Palo Alto Networks
2. When installed, open the app and enter the portal information as globalprotect.soton.ac.uk
3. Press Connect and enter your University credentials. You will now be connected to the University’s VPN service. A VPN icon will appear in the top bar
4. To disconnect, press Disconnect at the bottom of the screen

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Linux

GlobalProtect is the VPN application pre-installed on our Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) computers. It is also available from the University of Southampton Software Download Service.

Please note you will not be able to use Command Line Prompt due to Microsoft Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA).

Connecting

The first time you connect to the VPN you will need to supply some details. Please follow the steps below:

1. Launch the application by selecting the Show Applications button on the top left of your taskbar:

2. The application GUI will appear on the top right of your screen

In the text box:

1. Enter the portal details "globalprotect.soton.ac.uk"
2. Press the Connect button just below this

3. In the next screen enter your university username (for example: ab1c24) and password:

The authentication process will begin:

You will be prompted to authenticate using Multi-Factor Authentication so be sure to have your phone on hand.

4. A new screen will open, this is for Multi Factor Authentication. Please enter your email address and your password and follow the MFA prompt:

> >

5. Once MFA has been completed you will be connected to VPN

Please note: sometimes the GlobalProtect application might ask you to go through the MFA process twice.

6. To check the connection you can select Show Applications - on the GlobalProtect app, this will pop up and show as connected

 

How to disconnect

To disconnect from the VPN you need to:

1. Launch the application from the Show Applications button on the top left of the task bar

2. Once the application launches, you can select Disconnect

 

How to connect to GlobalProtect by using the OpenConnect protocol

GlobalProtect 6.2 is compatible with most of the popular Linux distributions. If your distribution or version is not listed in the compatibility matrix, you might still be able to connect using the OpenConnect protocol.

OpenConnect and the necessary packages are already pre-installed on the University provided Red Hat Enterprise 9 build. It’s likely your distribution already has the necessary packages installed by default.

The installation and configuration of Open Connect varies from distribution to distribution, below are the steps that allow you to set this up on a Debian / Ubuntu based system. Please note, that you must have sudo access to install the packages:

1. Open a terminal and type "sudo apt install network-manager-openconnect-gnome"

2. Go to Settings, and select Network

Close to VPN, select the "+" (plus) sign

3. Select the first option Multi-Protocol VPN Client (openconnect)

4. Please fill out the following fields with the information provided:

• Name field: SOTON-VPN
• VPN Protocol: select the Palo Alto Networks GlobalProtect option from the drop-down menu
• Gateway: globalprotect.soton.ac.uk

Select the Add button to go ahead.

5. Toggle the slider to initiate the VPN connection, on the new pop-up box click Connect

6. Now please:

1. Enter your university username (for example: ab1c24) and password
2. Select Login

7. You will be prompted to use Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). Once again, enter your credentials and follow the MFA prompts:

>

8. Once the MFA has completed you should be see the following message "Login Successful!":

To disconnect from the VPN simply toggle the slider:

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ChromeOS

1. Open Google Play or the Web Store from your Chromebook
2. Go to the search bar and type GlobalProtect 
3. Press Enter to search
4. Install and open GlobalProtect
5. Enter globalprotect.soton.ac.uk into the prompt on the app
6. Add the connection
7. Your browser will open. It may ask you to log in with your university username followed by @soton.ac.uk (for example: ab1c24@soton.ac.uk)  and university password

Troubleshooting

If a window appears stating that 'This XML file does not appear to have any style information associated with it', please:

1. Find the Open in App button on the right of the browser address bar
2. Press that button
3. Press Open

Repeat this step one more time if the error message appears again.

You will now see you are connected within the app.

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Connecting to GlobalProtect

Before starting

During the process you will be prompted to authenticate using Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), so be sure to have your phone on hand. Once MFA has been completed you will be connected to VPN.

Windows

There are many ways to launch GlobalProtect on a Windows computer. Here we will explain how to launch it from the toolbar and through the Search function.

Connecting to GlobalProtect from the toolbar

1. Go to the right corner of your toolbar and look at icons. You should see the GlobalProtect icon close to the time and calendar:

If you cannot see the icon, select the Show Hidden Icons arrow:

GlobalProtect icon should appear within the hidden group:

2. Select the icon

3. A pop-up will display your status and the portal (globalprotect.soton.ac.uk):

4. Select the Connect button

5. After a couple of seconds, your status will change to Connected:

The icon present in your task bar will change to be the following:

Connecting to GlobalProtect through the search function

1. Go to the search field next to the Start icon

2. Enter GlobalProtect

3. From the new window, select Open

4. A pop-up will display your status and the portal (globalprotect.soton.ac.uk):

5. Select the Connect button

6. After a couple of seconds, your status will change to Connected:

 
The icon present in your task bar will change to be the following:

Disconnecting your computer

To disconnect your computer from GlobalProtect, please:

1. Go to the right corner of your toolbar and look at icons. You should see the GlobalProtect icon close to the time and calendar:

If you cannot see the icon, select the Show Hidden Icons arrow:

GlobalProtect icon should appear within the hidden group:

2. Select the icon

3. A pop-up will display your status (Connected) and the gateway (UoS_Gateway):

4. Select Disconnect

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Apple macOS

You can launch GlobalProtect from the menu bar or the Applications folder.

Connecting to GlobalProtect from the menu bar

1. Go to the menu bar

2. Select the GlobalProtect icon (a grey globe):

3. A pop-up will display your status and the portal (globalprotect.soton.ac.uk):

4. Select the Connect button

5. After a couple of seconds, your status will change to Connected:

The icon in your menu bar will change to be the following:

Connecting to GlobalProtect from the applications folder

1. From the Finder, open the Applications tab

2. Select GlobalProtect

3. A pop-up will display your status and the portal (globalprotect.soton.ac.uk):

4. Select the Connect button

5. After a couple of seconds, your status will change to Connected:

The icon in your menu bar will change to be the following:

Disconnecting your computer

To disconnect your computer from GlobalProtect, please:

1. Go to the menu bar

2. Select GlobalProtect icon:

3. A pop-up will display your status (Connected) and the gateway (UoS_Gateway)

4. Select Disconnect:

Checking your connection to the VPN

To check that you have been successful in connecting to the VPN, you can:

1. Select the GlobalProtect icon from the task / menu bar:
   
2. If you are connected, you will see the following screen:
   

Another way to check your connection is through the web page Am I on VPN?.

Note that the VPN service is provided for use with University staff and student accounts, and it may not be used with generic accounts (that is, group, departmental or club accounts). Alumni will not be able to connect to VPN.

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Getting IT help

If you need help, please contact ServiceLine or visit one of our Tech Hubs.

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