Ricmedia PC Help

Tech Guides for Everyone

Connect VPN using OpenVPN on MAC OS X

[youtube=https://youtu.be/j2ZMLFMsq3c]

In this guide I will show you how to connect your Apple MAC to any VPN service that’s using the OpenVPN protocol. OpenVPN is a fast, stable and secure protocol and most VPN service providers will support it.

Before we start the connection setup process, you will need to find out the following details (best have them written or printed). If you are connecting to a paid VPN service, just login and your details and settings will be there. If you are connecting via a workplace, please contact your Network Administrator and ask them for the following details:

Required Info

  • Your VPN username
  • Your VPN password
  • The OpenVPN configuration files (.ovpn, .tblk, .conf) you may need to login to your VPN service provider to access these files which will usually be in a .zip folder

Once you have this info you can then watch the video above or follow the text guide below.

Connect via OpenVPN to VPN on MAC OS X

  1. Download Tunnelblick for MAC OS X (choose the stable version) https://tunnelblick.net/downloads.html
  2. Locate the downloaded .dmg file, then right-click and Open
  3. The installation window will now be open, double click on the Tunnelblick icon to install, choose to Open in the security alert.
  4. Tunnelblick will now be installed
  5. Download and unzip your VPN service providers OpenVPN (.ovpn, .tblk, .conf) configuration files
  6. Enter the unzipped folder and select all, then drag all the .ovpn/.tblk/.conf config files on to the Tunnelblick icon top-right of your screen
    Drag OVPN Configuration file to Tunnelblick icon
  7. To connect, click the Tunnelblick icon top-right of your screen, then choose Connect to [vpn_name], to disconnect, click the Tunnelblick icon again and choose Disconnect [vpn_name]
  8. Tunnelblick will tell you if the connection was successful, if it wasn’t, contact your VPN service provider or network admin
  9. All done!

Connect VPN using L2TP-IPSec on MAC OS X

[youtube=https://youtu.be/5LxmMGY_yW8]

In this guide I will show you how to connect your Apple MAC to any VPN service that’s using the L2TP/IPsec protocol. L2TP over IPsec is a relatively common and secure protocol and most VPN service providers and workplaces will support it.

Before we start the connection setup process, you will need to find out the following details (best have them written or printed). If you are connecting to a paid VPN service, just login and your details and settings will be there. If you are connecting via a workplace, please contact your Network Administrator and ask them for the following details:

Required Info

  • Your VPN username
  • Your VPN password
  • The server name or IP address (ie. contoso.com or 102.562.243.12)
  • The pre-shared key (PSK)
    (PSK will be a series of characters like a password)

Once you have this info you can then watch the video above or follow the text guide below.

Connect via L2TP/IPsec to VPN on MAC OS X

  1. Open System Preferences Apple MAC System Preferences from your menu bar
  2. Click on Network Settings Apple MAC Network Settings
  3. On the left pane, click on the plus + icon to add a new connection
  4. In the drop down box, for Interface choose VPN
  5. For VPN Type choose L2TP over IPSec
  6. For Service Name enter a descriptive name ie HomeVPN or WorkVPN
  7. Now click the Create button, then select the new connection in the left pane
  8. Leave the Configuration option to Default
  9. Enter the server name or IP address into the Server Address field
  10. For Account Name, enter your VPN username
  11. Now click the Authentication Settings button
  12. For User Authentication enter your VPN password
  13. For Shared Secret, enter your Pre Shared Key or PSK, then click OK
  14. Check the Show VPN status in menu bar checkbox
  15. Now click the Advanced… button, then make sure Options item is selected
  16. Check the Send all traffic over VPN connection check box, then click OK
  17. Finally click Apply then close the Network Settings window
  18. You can now connect/disconnect from your VPN connection via the icon in the menu bar (top-right) as shown below…

VPN Connection Status on menu bar MAC OS X

Smoothwall Mini-ITX Intel Build with iCase

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPbmIp2CJkA]

OK time for some fun! I recently built a custom Smoothwall firewall that I had wanted to build for almost a year, so I finally bought the parts and went for it. Only problem is that the case I bought was for a "Thin" Mini-ITX motherboard, but the motherboard I bought was a standard Mini-ITX size, so I learned the hard way that there is a big difference between "Mini-ITX" and "Thin Mini-ITX".

Not one to be beaten, I decided to "Mod" the case and make it accept the full size Mini-ITX board that I already had, and not buy another mobo damn it!

Enjoy 🙂

Parts List

  1. Apple style iCase, Thin Mini-ITX
  2. Gigabyte mobo J1900N-D3V
  3. 12v 160w Pico ATX PSU power supply (eBay)
  4. Elpida 4GB PC12800 1600MHz RAM low voltage 1.35v (eBay)
  5. Mini PCIe extender ribbon cable (eBay)
  6. 10A 12v AC/DC power supply (eBay)
  7. Mini PCIe dual Gigabit ethernet adapter NIC (eBay)
  8. Real metal chrome letters (eBay)
  9. Fujitsu 64GB SSD hard drive (already had it)
  10. Orange LED pulled from old case

Change homepage in Safari (MAC)

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hn3sEhPucAo]

In this short guide I will show you how to change your homepage in Apple Safari running on MAC, and it’s pretty easy too. Safari has a few other options I will go through in the video guide above so be sure to watch that too.

Watch the video above or follow the text guide below.

Change your homepage in Safari (MAC)

  1. Open Safari
  2. Visit the web page you want as your homepage
  3. Click on the Safari item from the top menu bar
  4. Click on the Preferences… menu item
  5. The Preferences window should now be open, click on the General icon
  6. Look for the Homepage: item, then click the Set to Current Page button
  7. You can also manually enter the URL into the text box
  8. Enter the URL in the following format: http://www.google.com/ replace google with your webpage address
  9. When you’ve finished, close the Preferences window and restart Safari to check your homepages
  10. You’re all done!

Delete history from your web browser

Whether it’s for privacy reasons or just maintenance, deleting history from your web browser is something all of us should do, preferably on a regular schedule.

It has the benefit of speeding up your browser, as well as removing cookies that could well be tracking all your website visits. Sites also store a ton of temporary files on your computer for many reasons, especially for browser-based games, Flash and JAVA apps etc.

And what about all those YouTube videos? Well they are also stored locally on your PC’s hard drive taking up a ton of space which can amount to gigabytes of data for heavy YouTube users (a 90 minute movie sometimes upwards of 300mb at standard resolutions).

So I have made both video and text guides for all commonly used browsers as set out below, it’s not rocket science but there’s a few tips I give that will save your favorite website settings and passwords etc.

Choose your web browser…

If your browser isn’t listed or you need more info about deleting your web history, just email me anytime and I’ll help you out. There are also a ton of resources at the bottom of each guide with links to official support pages for each browser.