ConnectionsConcepts

ConnectionsConcepts

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In WS2003, a connection is a mechanism for connecting your computer to another computer, a remote access server, a dedicated network access device, or the Internet. Connections in WS2003 are classified in different ways. For example, you can create:

LAN connections

These connections use a network interface card (NIC) to enable the computer to communicate with other computers on the local area network (LAN). Unlike other kinds of connections in WS2003, LAN connections are created automatically during Setup or when an additional NIC is installed.

WAN connections

These include both dial-up and dedicated connections through wide area network (WAN) devices such as modems, ISDN terminal adapters, X.25 pads, or routers. They are also called remote access connections as they allow remote clients to access resources on the local network.

Direct computer connections

These are special types of connections established between two computers using a serial (RS-232C) or parallel (ECP) file-transfer cable, or an infrared port. They are used only to establish a connection to transfer files between machines.

In addition, you can classify connections as incoming or outgoing:

Incoming connections

These connections enable your computer to listen for and respond to connection attempts by remote clients. In an inbound connection your computer assumes the role of a server and can grant clients access to resources on the local computer or act as a secure gateway to allow them to access resources on the local network. WS2003 supports dial-in inbound connections using a modem, modem pool, ISDN adapter, serial or parallel cable, infrared port, or other hardware.

Outgoing connections

These connections enable your computer to initiate or establish a connection with another computer, a remote network, or the Internet. WS2003 supports several different types of outbound connections:

• Dial-up connections to the Internet using a modem or ISDN adapter

• On-demand broadband connections to the Internet using a DSL or cable modem, sometimes called a PPPoE connections

• Always-on broadband connections to the Internet using a DSL router or direct LAN connection

• Dial-up connections to a remote private network using a modem or ISDN adapter

• Virtual private network (VPN) connections that securely tunnel over the Internet to a remote private network

• Direct connections to another computer using a null-modem cable, infrared transceiver, or other device

Implementing Connections

On WS2003, outgoing connections are created using the New Connection Wizard, while inbound connections can be implemented two ways:

• If you need to allow incoming connections from only a few clients, you can use the Network Connection Wizard to create them. Use this approach if your network is small and clients need to connect only occasionally to access resources on your network.

• If you have a large, distributed network and want to support large numbers of remote clients, you're better off using the Routing and Remote Access Service (RRAS) to create a remote access server to manage your incoming connections. For more information on how to do this, see Routing and Remote Access later in this chapter.