1.0 Table of Contents
  1.1 Introduction

2.0 The Technology
  2.1 What is SSL?
  2.2 How does blueRoam™ work?
  2.3 Is blueRoam secure?
  2.4 What port(s) does blueRoam™ use?
  2.5 How can I see blueRoam™ traffic on my network?

3.0 Install and Configuration
  3.1 What are the system requirements for running the blueRoam™ Hub site software?
  3.2 What are the system requirements for the remote computer connecting to my site?
  3.3 How is it installed?
  3.4 The blueRoam™ Hub site software is hanging during install, why?
  3.5 How do I add users?
  3.6 Can I make sure blueRoam™ remote users are protected with AntiVirus Software before letting them on my network?
  3.7 Can I make sure blueRoam™ remote users AREN'T running applications while connected to my network?
  3.8 Can I make sure blueRoam™ remote users AREN'T running certain processes before I let them connect?

4.0 Licensing
  4.1 How is blueRoam™ licensed?
  4.2 How many licenses do I need?
  4.3 How much does it cost?
  4.4 How do I adjust my license count?
  4.5 How am I billed?

5.0 Troubleshooting
  5.1 I'm having trouble with blueRoam™ not mentioned here, how do I get this thing fixed?

6.0 Misc
  6.1 I don't want blueRoam™ running on my firewall. How do I stop users from installing it anyway?
  6.2 Someone has already installed the blueRoam™ Hub on one of my computers, how do I remove it?
  6.3 How do I remove my blueRoam™ account?
  6.4 What is your privacy policy?
  6.5 I want to talk to someone with a pulse, how do I do that?


1.1 Introduction
Hello, and thanks for taking interest in blueRoam™. This technology is very cool indeed, and we've created this document to help you understand some of it better. This document is not and never will be as deep as we'd like it to be, but we update the heck out of it anyway. We hope you find what you need here, but if you don't, please contact us at customercare@blueroam.com. Thanks again!

2.0 The Technology

2.1 What is SSL?
In layman's terms, SSL, or Secure Sockets layer is the industry standard for encrypted web communications. Basically, all of your credit card purchases, online banking, many healthcare websites, and blueRoam™ secure otherwise clear communication using SSL. If you require more information on SSL, click here.

2.2 How does blueRoam™ work?
blueRoam™ works by turning the Internet into your remote access service. It does this in two easy steps. First the Hub is installed on a computer at your office, or any computer on the network with the resources you want to access. Once setup, this Hub connects through the Internet and authenticates itself to the blueRoam™ web server using ssl.

This connection is on constantly and will let you to access your office even if it is behind a firewall (being security nerds, we highly recommend you go get one of these if you haven't yet. We're not nagging, just trying to help). Once you are out and about you can connect to the blueRoam™ web server and login. Once blueRoam™ is sure you're you, it'll make sure the computer you're using has the blueRoam™ light-client installed. If you don't, no need to worry, blueRoam™ will download it to the computer for you. Once it has, it'll take you to your login page where you'll be shown a list of sites to connect to.

When you click on a site, the computer that you are sitting at creates a secure ssl connection back to the blueRoam™ web server. The blueRoam™ web server then checks the connection to validate you're access rights, and creates your connection to your Hub site back at your office/home/cabana. Keep in mind, that up to this point, you've clicked your mouse at the most 3 times to have the border of your network extended to include the computer you've just logged into.

2.3 Is blueRoam™ Secure?
blueRoam™ uses today's most secure and stable methods to ensure that your remote access traffic stays confidential, keeps its integrity, and is always available.

blueRoam™ ensures the confidenciality of all traffic using SSL with the AES encryption standard. In short, it's the only encryption standard recommended by the United States National Security Administration. All traffic between the blueRoam™ Hub, the blueRoam™ VPN client, and the blueRoam™ web server is encrypted using this algorithm.

blueRoam™ ensures 24/7 availabilty of your remote office by utilizing tuning and monitoring technologies on the Hub. This ensures that the Hub, if turned on and has Internet access, is always connected to the blueRoam™ web server.

Authentication is another important feature incorporated with the blueRoam™ service. All elements, both the blueRoam™ Hub and blueRoam™ VPN client, authenticate themselves through revolving secure keys which are generated by the blueRoam™ web server. These revolving keys ensure that there are no unauthorized connections and prevents impersonation.

blueRoam™ allows you to specify that users must have specific software running before they can connect to your network. This software can include security products such as an anti-virus product or a client firewall. In addition you have the capability to prevent users from connecting to your network if they have viruses, worms, or spyware loaded on the computer from which they are trying to attain access. These features allow you to control the access to your office and help ensure the security of the remote client. This is a feature not found in most VPN software. If you require assistance with this feature, send us an e-mail, we'll be happy to help you out.

2.4 What port(s) does blueRoam™ use?
Communication between the Hub Site and the blueRoam™ servers uses SSL over port 6443. Communication from the remote user to the blueRoam™ site uses SSL's native port, 443.

2.5 How can I see blueRoam™ traffic on my network?
Yes. However, blueRoam™ uses SSL, it is impossible to "see" blueRoam™ traffic. But the fact that blueRoam™ is running can be seen because we made the blueRoam™ Hub beacon on UDP port 6443 to the local site, and to the blueRoam™ server. This is done to allow administrators to verify that blueRoam™ is up and running on their network.

3.0 Install and Configuration

3.1 What are the system requirements and Operating Systems that I can use with the blueRoam™ Hub site software?

The blueRoam™ VPN Hub can be installed on the following platforms
* Windows XP Professional
* Windows 2000 Professional
* Windows 2000 Server
* Windows 2003 Server

3.2 My OS isn't currently supported, how do I ask for it?
blueRoam™'s technical staff is highly interested in your particular needs. Feel free to e-mail us at blueRoam™ so that we may be able to provide assistance and accommodate these needs in future blueRoam™ versions currently under development.

3.3 How is blueRoam™ installed?
Both the Hub and client are installed from the blueRoam™ web site remote installer. For easy and detailed instructions about how to set up your office server and your remote associates,

click here.

On a side note, please, (and we mean please), take a good hard look at the computers on your network before deciding which one will get the honorable duty of running the Hub. If it's installed on the boss's laptop, nobody will have remote access when he takes his work home, because he'll be removing your only conduit to your network home with him for the evening.

3.4 The blueRoam™ Hub site software is hanging during install, why?
Large deployments of 10 or more concurrent connections may take more time to setup. This is because blueRoam™ needs to install some virtual network adapters on the Hub which can (and usually will) take more time to setup. Although it may not look like anything is happening, sit tight; it may take up to 30 minutes.

3.5 How do I add users?
Log in to the management console and click on the users icon. Once in the "Manage Users" icon, click on "Add User" in top right corner.

3.6 Someone doesn't need access anymore, how do I remove their rights?
From the management console click on "manage users" and then select the user. Once in the specific user screen select delete.

3.7 Can I make sure blueRoam™ remote users are running AV before letting them on the network?
Yes. From the management console click on Security Settings. In security settings enter the name of the Service associated with your particular AV vendor into the field named "Block user access if the following processes are NOT running on client PC(s)". This will not allow users to connect to your office unless the AV service is running.

3.8 Can I make sure blueRoam™ remote users AREN'T running certain processes before I let them connect?
Yes. From the management console click on Security Settings. In security settings enter the name of the Service associated with your particular application you would like to prevent into the field named "Block user access if the following processes are running on client PC(s)". This will block users from connecting to your office unless this service or application is not running.

4.0 Licensing

4.1 How is blueRoam™ licensed?
A Site License in blueRoam™ speak is any computer running the blueRoam™ Hub software. A Concurrent User is any blueRoam™ user accessing files remotely at any one time. blueRoam™ is licensed per Concurrent User, with a surcharge for each site you wish to access. If you purchase five users for your site, and six try to access your network, then the sixth user will be denied access. If you purchase ten users and 3 sites, the eleventh user to attach to any of the three sites will be denied access.

As an example, if you had 5 concurrent users and 2 remote offices you would need the following licensing configuration:

1. A 5 user concurrent user license
2. A 2 Site license

4.2 How many licenses do I need?
Well, figuring out concurrent users is more of an art than a science. The good news is that if you go over, we'll send the Administrator account an e-mail warning you of this fact.

4.3 How much does it cost?
Please refer to our Pricing page for further information.

4.4 How do I adjust the number of licenses?
Login to the management console and select the "Licensing and Billing" icon. Once in the "Licensing and Billing" page select the Concurrent User and Site licensing you need. Licensing can only be changed once per billing cycle.

4.5 How does billing work?
Billing works by entering your credit card information into "Licensing and Billing". you will be billed every 30 days.

5.0 Troubleshooting

5.1 I'm having trouble with blueRoam™ not mentioned here, what should I do?
Create a Service Ticket by going to your management console and clicking on the "Support" Icon.

6.0 Misc

6.1 I don't want blueRoam™ to run on my network, How can I stop it from being installed?
With most industrial strength firewalls, you can block access to traffic destined to blueroam.com. The other option would be to take away user's local administrative/power user rights.

6.2 Someone has installed blueRoam™ on my network, How do I remove it?
Go to add/remove programs and remove the blueRoam™ Hub Service.

6.3 How do I remove my blueRoam™ account?
Go to the management console and select "Licensing and Billing" select "Click Here to disable your service"

6.4 What's your privacy policy?
The following principles govern our information practices and other privacy aspects of our blueRoam™ Service:

  * We provide you notice of our information practices.
  * We tell you how and why we use Web technologies.
  * We give you choices about how the personally identifiable information that you provide to us may be used.
  * We provide the opportunity for you to update or correct the personally identifiable information.
  * We work to protect your personally identifiable information from loss, misuse and unauthorized alteration.
  * We provide various ways for you to contact us about our information practices and other aspects of privacy.
  * We do not share any of your information with outside third parties.

6.5 I want to talk to someone with a pulse, Is that possible?
Please refer to our Contact Us page for relevant telephone numbers for your particular needs. We look forward to speaking with you, personally.