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Remote Desktop VPN

Instructions for Connecting to your Work Computer from Home

Remote Desktop Connection is a feature that allows a user to configure their desktop computer so that they can access it from another computer on the Internet. You can access your work computer from home by using Remote Desktop Connection and going through a VPN tunnel between the two sites. This will not work for all county and REC offices, only those where we manage the network and have the proper VPN enabled router. If your office is one that supports this you will have a link in your ANR Portal called Remote Desktop under Office Network Information.

Macintosh users -- the instructions below are for Windows machines. Apple does have a remote desktop application you can use. And there is a Cisco VPN Client for Macs. If you are interested in doing a remote desktop connection please contact James Bai at jbai@ucdavis.edu or 530-754-3915.

Set up your work computer

1. Find out the IP addresses of the computer at work as follows:

Windows Vista or XP
  • Go to 'Start'
  • Choose 'Run' and type in 'cmd' or 'command' and click 'OK'
  • A black window will open up. At the prompt type ipconfig
  • Your IP Address will be listed.
Mac OS X
  • Click on the Apple and Choose 'System Preferences' or select the System Preferences icon in your dock.
  • Double click on 'Network'
  • Your IP Address should be displayed in the box marked 'IP Address'.

2. Set up Remote Desktop on your work computer.

Go to the System Control Panel: Start Button, select Control Panel, and they you will either see a control panel called System or a category called Performance and Maintenance.

Select System

Click the Remote tab, select the Allow users to connect remotely to this computer check box, and then click OK.

If you don't already have a password set on your computer it will require you to do so.

Set up Computer at Home

Download and install the Cisco VPN client from your ANR Portal. You'll find it under Office Network Information, Remote Desktop. (Remember, if you are a Mac user contact James Bai for the VPN client.) Accept all of the defaults and just keep hitting next until you get to finish. It may require you to restart your computer.

How to use it

Open the Cisco VPN Client. Go to Start, Programs, Cisco Systems VPN Client, then select the VPN Client.

Double click on the entry for your office.

Enter your Username and password in the dialog box. These were emailed to you from the portal.

It should connect immediately and a small closed lock symbol will appear in the task bar in the bottom right corner of your screen.

To open the Remote Desktop Connection go to the Start button, selct Programs, then Accessories. (XP computers with Service Pack 1 or earlier may not have this installed, download and install Remote Desktop Connection Software before continuing)

Put in the IP address of your work computer (from step 1 above) and click Connect.

Then your computer will ask for a login and password. This is what you put in every day when you login to your computer. Now you are logged onto your computer at work, just like you are sitting in front of it.

When you are done log off your work computer. Go to the Start button on your work computers and select Log Off.

To close the VPN connection right click on the lock symbol in the taskbar and select disconnect.

The IP address of the computer at work should not change. Also the computer at work has to be on. It won’t work if the computer is off, in standby or hibernate mode.