How Dial-Up Remote Access Works

Dial-up remote access, also called Dial-Up Networking, allows an off-site computer to tap into an office computer's resources using a modem. Figure 32-1 shows the usual dial-up connections made to a network.

Figure 32-1. Dial-up connections to a network.

Remote or mobile users using a dial-up communications link can access network resources as if they were directly connected. Windows 2000 remote access servers can connect to clients running Microsoft Windows XP Professional, Windows 2000, Windows NT, Windows 95/98, Windows for Workgroups, MS-DOS, or Apple Macintosh. Typically the client connects over a standard telephone line or over an ISDN line to a modem, modem pool, or ISDN "modem."