VPNs baffle the fuck out of me. (Mac)

ben0207

So, I'm working from home now and I need VPN access. So I got all the authorisation set up, and now I need to actually get to the folder I've been set.

I just can't figure out where to stick the address I've been given;
\\viral01\Data\TVF\Projects\TVF108 Activision - Guitar Hero\Competition

But that's bullshit by Mac standards. It doesn't make any sense. Like, as a network address - it should have a protocol attached, for one thing (ignoring that it uses backslashes, too)

Ruckus

That looks like a standard UNC path. Once you're connected to the VPN you should be able to connect to that the same way you'd connect to any other network resource.

EggyToast

It looks like they're directing you to a shared Windows drive. We get that crap at work, too -- "Go to the Shared drive and blah blah" which is mounted as S:\ for everyone but the mac people, who mount it like a normal shared drive (with the full server path).

That's probably what you have to do -- get the machine name and log on directly, mounting it as a network drive.

vonPoonBurGer

EggyToast wrote: »

get the machine name

The machine name from that UNC path in the OP would the part after the double backslash: viral01. Everything else is part of the folder hierarchy on that system.

ben0207

Okay you guys a re talking french. Where do I type stuff and what do I type?

I really don't understand Windowsy stuff at all

FF

How do you connect to \\viral01\Data\TVF\Projects\TVF108 Activision - Guitar Hero\Competition when you're on site?

For example here, Windows users connect to shares (like Fashion$) on the "G Drive" by browsing their network shares. Us Mac users have to type in a URL starting with "smb://vault/Fashion".

Lewisham

Yeah, go to Finder -> Go -> Connect To Server... (is it still called Go? I forget).

Then connect to

smb://viral01/Data/TVF/Projects/

I'd probably navigate manually from that point on, dunno whether you need to escape the spaces.

mcp

Go to the finder.
Click Go -> Connect to Server
Type smb://viral01
Click Connect
Click Authenticate if you need to log in.
Select the share you want.

Edit: Damn you, Lewisham.

embrik

Lewisham wrote: »

Yeah, go to Finder -> Go -> Connect To Server... (is it still called Go? I forget).

Then connect to

smb://viral01/Data/TVF/Projects/

I'd probably navigate manually from that point on, dunno whether you need to escape the spaces.

Just FYI, some VPNs won't be able to do DNS short names. You may need a fully qualified hostname (like viral01.mysite.com) or you may need the IP address of the server. And Command+K is the finder keyboard shortcut for those of you who love their keyboards (myself included)