SEE ALSO
For information about installing a network client, see "Configuring a Network Connection." For information about enabling sharing and sharing folders, see "Sharing Folders with Other Users." For information about user accounts, see "Working with Local User Accounts and Groups."
You can make your computer a remote-access server so that others can connect to it via modem, VPN, or direct connection, and then access shared files on your local drives. You must have a network client installed, with file sharing enabled, and you'll need to share the folders to which you want to give remote users access. Of course, you'll need to have the physical connection established, be it a modem (for dial-up connections); an Internet connection (for VPN connections); or a serial, parallel, or infrared port (for direct connections).
Users at the other end—the ones who want to connect to your computer—don't need to run Windows 2000; they can connect with Windows 95 or Windows 98. But they must have a local user account on your computer, or Windows 2000 security will rebuff their logon attempts.
A computer running Windows 2000 Professional can accommodate up to three simultaneous incoming connections: one dial-up, one VPN, and one direct. All three connection types are handled by the same Incoming Connections icon in the Network And Dial-Up Connections folder; if you rerun the wizard, the changes you make affect all three.
NOTE
To create or modify incoming connections, you must be logged on as a member of the Administrators group.
To enable others to connect to your computer:
To receive VPN connections over the Internet, your com-puter's IP address (more precisely, the IP address of your connection to the Internet, if your computer has multiple network adapters) must be known on the Internet. This IP address should be assigned to you by your Internet service provider.
Click Next to continue.
Windows lists all of the local user accounts on your computer. As shown below, you can add (or delete) user accounts from this page, which can save a visit to the Computer Management console.
Callback options can be used as an additional security measure for dial-up connections as well as to determine who pays for the phone call. To set callback options for a particular user, select the user name, click Properties, and then click the Callback tab. If you select an option other than Do Not Allow Callback, when your computer receives a call, it authenticates the user, disconnects the call, and then dials the user's modem.
When you're finished with the Allow Users page, click Next.
For an incoming connection to work, the calling computer and your computer have to "speak" the same network protocol. Click Install to add a new networking component. For more information about installing network components, see "Configuring a Network Connection."
If everything is set up correctly (and your modem is ready to answer the phone, if you allow incoming dial-up connections), a remote user can connect by simply dialing in, opening a VPN connection, or opening a direct connection. While someone is connected, Windows offers several indicators, as shown in Figure 16-7:
Figure 16-7. When a remote system connects, Windows provides several visual indicators.
You can use the Disconnect button in the status window or the Disconnect command on the icon's shortcut menu to unceremoniously boot the remote user off your computer.