University Computer Help Desk

Before You Begin

Support meetings in WebVPN allow you to remotely assist an end-user by connecting to and controlling his or her computer.

Technical Support Staff

Only authorized technical support staff can create support meetings in WebVPN. To create support meetings, you must be assigned to a special access role in WebVPN by Telecommunications & Networking. Otherwise, you will not have the Meeting option when you log in to WebVPN.

End-Users

All students, faculty, staff, and retirees can participate in support meeting requests created by authorized technical support staff. When an end-user agrees to join a support meeting through WebVPN, he or she is prompted to grant you control over the computer. For more information, refer to 1500: Joining a support meeting created through WebVPN.

Java and/or ActiveX Required

Java is required for Firefox, Chrome, and Safari. If you are using Internet Explorer, you will be prompted to install an ActiveX control the first time you use support meetings in WebVPN. If you do not have Java or the necessary ActiveX control installed, you will be unable to click on the Start Meeting button (i.e. it will be grayed out).

Create the Support Meeting

We recommend creating support meetings at the date and time when you want to provide support, as opposed to creating support meetings ahead of time. These instructions are for technical support staff.

To create a support meeting through WebVPN, do the following:

1. Go to https://webvpn.ilstu.edu/.
2. Log in with your ULID and password.
3. If you are asked to select a role, choose one with permissions to create meetings. If you belong to only one role, you will automatically log in to WebVPN without being prompted.
4. Click the Meetings button in the upper-right corner of the WebVPN page.
   • If you do not see the Meetings button, your role does not have appropriate permissions to create support meetings.
5. Click the Support Meeting... button.
6. You will be presented with a page titled Join Meeting, which displays a couple of important details about the support meeting you are creating.
   
   • Meeting URL: Give this web address to the end-user so he or she can join your support meeting.
   • Password: Give this password to the end-user so he or she can join your support meeting. Rather than using the preassigned password, you can specify a different password in this box before clicking Start Meeting.
7. Click Start Meeting to start the support meeting.
   
   • The first time you start a support meeting, the Juniper Secure Meeting program will be installed and opened.
   • By default, a support meeting has a one-hour duration. If the support meeting is nearing the end of its duration when you click Start Meeting, you will be prompted to extend the meeting.
   • We recommend waiting until you have given the end-user the support meeting web address and password before you start the support meeting.

Once you have started a support meeting, the end-user you plan to assist can join the meeting. When the end-user joins the support meeting, he or she will be prompted to grant you control over the remote computer.

We recommend you advise the end-user to avoid using the keyboard or mouse for the duration of the support meeting, as this can interfere with your ability to effectively use the support meeting. However, the end-user is free to use the keyboard and mouse, and you may want that person to show you the problem so you can see it before you begin troubleshooting the issue at hand.

End Support Meeting

At any time, you can end a support meeting by opening the Secure Meeting window. Click End Meeting to end the support meeting.