Specifications

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Resource Management
Resources are the key entities that a user of the system will interact with. Without such things, a user
has no means of using or gaining any benefit from the system – it is the resources that provide the
‘value’ in an SSL VPN. This section covers the basics of resources; what they are, how they are used
and finally ends with what types are available.
What are Resources?
The main purpose a user will use an SSL VPN is to access the corporate network usually from a
remote site, be it from a remote branch office or from a clients site. Securely allowing users into your
network is just one side of the remote access solution. Once logged in, the user must have a means of
actually interacting with items within the corporate network such as network drives, files and
applications and this is where resources fit into the picture.
Some resources such as Network Places allow a user to interact with shares on the network. Other
resources as Web Forwards allow users to interact with company intranet Web Sites. Each resource
provides a different way to access and interact with the remote network, from running remote
applications to creating secure VPN tunnels.
It is the administrator’s responsibility to create these resources and provide a secure working
environment for the remote user population. Without the right configuration of resources, accessing
areas of the corporate network remotely would be at the least difficult and in the worst case,
impossible.
The administrator is also responsible for the management and configuration of resources. As the
corporate network evolves so to must the resources which access the network. As further company
security policies are put in place not only must the network change to suit but so too must the
appliances resources.
The user console is the page from which the users are able to access these resources for use. Resources
are listed under the Resources tab and these can also be added to a user’s Favorite page.
Administration of resources however is done through the Management Console.
Resource Wizards
Every resource is created through an intuitive wizard. The wizard directs the administrator in defining
the appropriate steps in the correct order.
Some of these steps can be skipped and then redefined as required through the Edit Resource pages
later. Also any step can be re-attempted by simply clicking on the appropriate step in the Navigation
Pane.
Available Resources
The Barracuda SSL VPN defines a number of resources. Resources that can be used are listed below:
• Web Forward: Provides secure intranet and internet access