Section 27.3. Virtual Private Networking: All Versions


27.3. Virtual Private Networking: All Versions

If you're a frequent traveler who regularly connects to a distant home or office by dialing direct, you must be the toast of your long-distance phone company.

Fortunately, there's a more economical solution. Virtual private networking (VPN) is a fancy way of saying, "Your remote computer can become part of your host network by using the Internet instead of a long-distance phone connection."

It's a lot like the direct-dialing feature described aboveexcept this time, you don't pay any long-distance bills, your host PC doesn't require its own phone line, and (if the computers on both ends have fast connections) you're not limited to the sluglike speeds of dial-up modems.

With a VPN connection, both the host and the remote computers connect to the Internet the usual way: WiFi, DSL, cable modem, or good old dial-up. If you travel with a laptop, that's a good argument for signing up with a cellular data plan (see "Cellular Wireless" in Chapter 9) or using a national or international dial-up ISP that has local access numbers wherever you plan to be.


Note: To make VPN work, both computers require Internet connections; that much is obvious.The one at home (or at the office) is probably all set. You should, however, put some thought into getting the laptop online. You'll have to find wireless hot spots, for example, or, if you do this a lot, you can sign up for a cellular modem plan (page 322) or even a dial-up account.

Not only can VPN save the frequent traveler quite a bit of money in phone calls, but it's also extremely secure. When you connect using VPN, the information traveling between the two connected computers is encoded (encrypted) using a technology called tunneling . Your connection is like a reinforced steel pipe wending its way through the Internet to connect the two computers.

To create a VPN connection, the host computer has two important requirements. If you're VPNing into a corporation or school, it's probably all set already. Otherwise:

  • It must be on the Internet at the moment you try to connect. Usually, that means it needs a full-time Internet connection, like cable modem or DSL. But in a pinchif it has only a dial-up modem, for exampleyou could phone a family member or co-worker just before you need to connect, and beg her to go online with your home PC.

  • It needs a fixed IP address . (See the note below.)

On the other hand, the remote computeryour laptopdoesn't have any such requirements. It just needs an Internet connection.


Note: Several of the remote-connection methods described in this chapter require that your home-base PC have a fixed, public IP address. (An IP address is a unique number that identifies a particular computer on the Internet. It's made up of four numbers separated by periods.)If you're not immediately nodding in understanding, murmuring, "Aaaaah, right," then download the bonus document available on this book's "Missing CD" at www.missingmanuals.com. The free PDF supplement you'll find there is called "Getting a Fixed, Public IP Address."

27.3.1. Setting Up the Host Machine

To set up the host PC for the VPN connection, do exactly as you would for direct-dial connections (page 754)but in step 5, choose "Through the Internet" instead of "Through a dial-up modem." When the wizard finishes its work, the host machine is ready for action. Instead of setting up the modem to answer incoming calls, Vista now listens for incoming VPN connection requests from the Internet.

27.3.2. Making the Connection

Now move to the laptop, or whatever machine you'll be using when you're away from the main office. These steps, too, should seem familiarthey start out just like those that began on page 755. But in step 4, instead of clicking "Dial directly," you should choose "Use my Internet connection (VPN)."

Now you arrive at screen that says, "Type the Internet address to connect to." Proceed like this:

  1. Type the host name or registered IP address of the VPN hostthat is, the computer you'll be tunneling into. Click "Don't connect now; just set it up so I can connect later," and then click Next .

    If you're connecting to a server at work or school, your system administrator can tell you what to type here. If you're connecting to a computer you set up yourself, specify its public IP address. (See the Note above.)

    This is not the private IP address on your home network, and definitely not its computer name (despite the fact that the New Incoming Connection Wizard told you that you would need to use that name); neither of these work when you're logged into another network.

  2. Type your user name, password, and, if required by the network administrator, the domain name. Then click Create .

    Windows tells you, "The connection is ready to use."

  3. Click Connect Now, or, if you plan to connect later, Close .

    The result is a new entry in the "Connect to a network" dialog box shown in Figure 27-3; choose Start Connect To to see it.

When you make the VPN connection, you've once again joined your home or office network. Exactly as with the direct-dial connection described earlier, you should feel free to transfer files, make printouts, and so on. Unless both computers are using high-speed Internet connections, avoid actually running programs on the distant PC.

When you want to disconnect, click the connection icon in your notification area, choose Connect or Disconnect from the box that pops up, and then click Disconnect in the dialog box that appears.

(You can also disconnect using the Network and Sharing Center.)




Windows Vista. The Missing Manual
Windows Vista: The Missing Manual
ISBN: 0596528272
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2006
Pages: 284
Authors: David Pogue

flylib.com © 2008-2017.
If you may any questions please contact us: flylib@qtcs.net