Troubleshooting VPN connection on a Mac

School-owned Mac laptops use a VPN to connect securely to campus to access many resources, including the G drive and licensed software such as Rhino, V-Ray and AutoCAD.

If you can no longer reach those resources from off campus, the VPN may not be working correctly.

The VPN app is called OpenVPN and sits at the top of your screen in the status bar.

When connected properly, the VPN icon displays a small green dot.

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It displays an orange dot when not connected

Problem Scenarios

1. The OpenVPN icon is missing.

   1. Try restarting the computer. This usually brings it back.

   2. If not, look in Applications for OpenVPN and run the program to bring the icon back.
      
      

2. The OpenVPN icon displays an orange dot instead of a green dot.

   1. Try restarting the computer. This usually restores the green dot.

   2. If that didn't work, click the OpenVPN icon and then choose Connect.

If the problem persists, please contact us at archit@syr.edu.

Can’t connect to G drive even though green dot is present

• If the G drive is not showing in Finder (usually appears as shared.ad.syr.edu), try clicking the Jamf Connect icon on the menu bar (looks like a couple of small blocks) and choose connect to G.

• If that doesn’t work and you need urgent access, remote into one of SU’s virtual Windows desktops at https://rds.syr.edu and access G in Windows File Explorer.

Annual VPN Certificate Renewal

• Once a year you will get a popup about renewing the VPN certificate. Click the Submit button to confirm the renewal.
  
  

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