Error 403: Access denied by server configuration.

Please read the following to gain access to the information you requested.

Access to the physics course information server (physics.d.umn.edu) requires a connection from a recognizable UMD network address. If you are trying to access course materials using a network connection from an independent Internet Service Provider (such as AOL, Charter, CPinternet), and you have an active UMD account, you can get access through the use of virtual private networking, VPN. 

Use VPN software provided free by ITSS.  See the ITSS page https://itss.d.umn.edu/services/network-wireless/vpn  to learn how to download and install this software. You must also start the VPN client and log in to the UMD VPN server before attempting to connect to physics.d.umn.edu.

If you are connecting from an authentic UMD network connection (an on-campus computer connected directly to the UMD campus network, or you have VPN software correctly installed and have started it, and you cannot access a page, it may be that the page author has not set permissions to make it available. Contact the instructor for that course.

Valid (on-campus or VPN) network connections will get to the Physics Courseware Server here. If this doesn't work and you think you are using VPN see the trouble-shooting hints below, or the ITSS VPN web page above for other possible problems.


Windows users can test for a true VPN connection:

From Windows' Start or Search button, choose Run... and type:
cmd.exe

A new window will open to the Windows command line. In this window type:
ipconfig

You should see a bunch of information about network connections. I expect you will see at least one connection with an suffix indicating your internet provider (aol.com, charter.com or something similar) and a numeric IP address (nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn)

With VPN connected, there should be another network connection with a d.umn.edu suffix and a 131.212.... IP address.

If you don't see the d.umn.edu or 131.212.... you will not be recognized as an authenticated UMD user by the physics server. You're not connected through VPN. Go back and connect to the UMD VPN server.

Be sure to refresh the webpage after connecting to the VPN server if you have received this error message.

This page is maintained by J. Maps