Using a Virtual Private Network | Running Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional

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A virtual private network (VPN) is a means of connecting to a private network (such as your office network) via a public network, such as the Internet. This combines the virtues of a dial-up connection to a dial-up server (the ability to use all your network resources and protocols just as if you were connected directly to the network) with the ease and flexibility of an Internet connection. By using an Internet connection, you can travel worldwide and still, in most places, connect to your office with a local call to the nearest Internet access phone number. And if you have a high-speed Internet connection (such as cable or DSL) at your computer (and at your office), you can communicate with your office at full Internet speed, which is much faster than any dial-up connection using an analog modem.

VPNs use authenticated links to ensure that only authorized users can connect to your VPN, and they use encryption to ensure that data that travels over the Internet can't be intercepted and used by anyone else. Windows achieves this security using Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) or Layer Two Tunneling Protocol (L2TP).

To set up a connection to a VPN:

Open Make New Connection in your Network And Dial-Up Connections folder.

On the Network Connection Wizard's first page, click Next.

Select Connect To A Private Network Through The Internet, and then click Next.

If you need to dial to connect to the Internet, select Automatically Dial This Initial Connection and select your dial-up Internet connection from the list. If you have a full-time connection, select Do Not Dial The Initial Connection. Then click Next.

Type the host name (for example, mycompany.com) or the IP address (for example, 123.45.67.89) of the computer you want to connect to. (Your system administrator should give you this information.) Click Next.

Select For All Users if you want this connection to be available to anyone who logs on to your computer, or select Only For Myself to make it available only when you log on using the same account you're currently using. Click Next.

NOTE
This option is available only if you are logged on as a member of the Administrators group.

Type a descriptive name for your new connection, and then click Finish.

To connect to a VPN, open the VPN connection in your Network And Dial-Up Connections folder. If you don't already have a connection to the Internet open, Windows offers to connect to the Internet. Once that connection is made, the VPN server asks for your user name and password. Enter them correctly, click Connect, and your network resources should be available to you in the same way they are when you connect directly to the network.

TIP
You can share a VPN connection in the same way that you share an Internet connection. For more information, see "Sharing an Internet Connection."