How to use OpenConnect instead of Cisco AnyConnect

updated: 2025-11-18

In college, we were encouraged to use Cisco AnyConnect to connect to the school computing servers through a VPN when we were not connected to the campus network.

At some point, I started developing the desire to use more free and open software, so AnyConnect had to go.

OpenConnect is a good alternative and it's fairly simple to use.

Guide targeted to Cornell students

You want to connect to cuvpn.cuvpn.cornell.edu. It's as simple as running the following command in the terminal:

sudo openconnect cuvpn.cuvpn.cornell.edu

It will first prompt you for your root password.

Next it will prompt you for a username, you should put your NetID here. Next it will prompt you for a password, you should put the password to your Cornell account here. Next it will prompt you for another password, this time you can input "push" to trigger a push notification to your Duo account.