Remote access connections in Windows 2000 Professional are configured using the Make New Connection Wizard in the Network and Dial-Up Connections program window. The wizard provides 5 choices.
The first two choices involve creating dial-up connections. You should note that if you choose Dial-up to the Internet, the Internet Connection Wizard would start. The third option allows you to create a VPN connection over the Internet, by providing the fully qualified domain name or IP address of the server you wish to connect to. If your system is not directly connected to the Internet and uses a dial-up connection, you can specify the existing dial-up connection to be connected prior to establishing the VPN connection. This avoids having to initiate the two connections individually.
The fourth option in the wizard allows a Windows 2000 Professional machine to accept incoming dial-in, VPN, and direct cable connections. The last option creates a connection to another machine using a direct connection. This function works off the Guest/Host principal.
After the wizard defines the connection, a corresponding connection object will appear in Network and Dial-up Connections. Note that the wizard itself only handles the input of the most basic properties of the connection. However, you can get at the advanced settings of the connection by accessing its properties.
The security option of the connection can also be configured via the security tab. This includes settings such as which authentication mechanism is used, whether encryption is required, and so forth.
Finally, note the options tab. This allows you to control a number of elements including dialing options and associated parameters.
Note that the Make New Connection wizard only allows you to create and configure remote access connections. Local area connections are set up automatically based on the number of network adapters installed.
