Allowing Others to Connect to Your Computer

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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:

  1. Open Make New Connection in your Network And Dial-Up Connections folder.
  2. On the Network Connection Wizard's first page, click Next.
  3. Select Accept Incoming Connections, and then click Next.
  4. Select the check box next to each device where you want to permit incoming connections. (Windows lists your available modems and ports.) Click Next.
  5. If you want to allow VPN connections, select Allow Virtual Private Connections.
  6. 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.

  7. Select the check box next to the name of each user you want to allow to make an incoming connection.
  8. 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.

    click to view at full size.

    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.

    • Select Do Not Allow Callback if you want the remote user to make a connection with a single call to your computer.
    • Select Allow The Caller To Set The Callback Number if you want the caller to be able to specify a phone number for a return call.
    • Select Always Use The Following Callback Number and specify a phone number if you want your computer to call the user at a particular number. This reduces the likelihood that an intruder who has come upon a valid user name and password can access your system.

    When you're finished with the Allow Users page, click Next.

  9. Select the check box next to the name of each network component you want to use for an incoming connection.
  10. 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."

  11. Click Next and then click Finish.

When the Remote System Connects

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:

  • The Incoming Connections icon in the Network And Dial-Up Connections folder changes. The icon shows the type of connection (dial-up, VPN, or direct), and the caption shows the name of the connected user.
  • An icon appears in the status area of the taskbar, and if you hover the mouse pointer over the icon, a status summary appears as a ScreenTip.
  • If you double-click either icon (in the Network And Dial-Up Connections folder or in the taskbar status area), a status window appears. The Details tab shows the network components in use and other information.

click to view at full size.

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.



Running Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
Running Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
ISBN: 1572318384
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2000
Pages: 317

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