Configuring a Windows 2000 VPN Client

Configuring Windows 2000 to establish a VPN tunnel (Point to Point Tunneling Protocol) connection to your office network is a straight forward process.

Initial Configuration

The following procedure for configuring Windows 2000 assumes that a dial up connection to an ISP has already been configured on the client computer or that you have another form of Internet access (like DSL, Cable, T-1, ISDN).

Follow the steps below to configure a PPTP connection:

1. Go to Start -> Settings ->Network and Dial-up Connections then select the Make New Connection icon. (This opens the Network Connection Wizard). Click Next.
2. The Network Connection type dialog box opens as shown below. Select Connect to a private network through the Internet. Click Next .

   

3. The Public Network Dialog box opens. Windows can automatically dial the initial connection to the Internet before establishing the virtual connection. Choose whether you would like this to occur by selecting one of the options, as shown below, then click Next.

   

4. The Destination Address Dialog Box opens. In this box, enter the ip address or host name of your PPTP Linux server. Examples: mail.boomboom.com or 176.12.14.53 are both valid options. Click Next.

   

5. The Connection Availability Dialog Box opens. Select either all users or single user as appropriate. Click Next.
6. If you have a home network and depending on how your network and Internet connections are set up, an Internet Connection Sharing Dialog box may appear. This is unrelated to the Secure Remote Access VPN but gives the option of sharing the connection with any other machines on a Network. If you wish to share the Internet connection, check Enable Connection Sharing for this connection. This may impact on your bandwidth across the secure VPN tunnel. Click Next.
7. The Completing the Network Connection Wizard Dialog box opens. This dialogue allows the user to provide a name for the connection, the default being Virtual Private Connection. To create a shortcut for the user’s desktop, check the box at the bottom left of the screen. Click Finish to complete the wizard.

Configuring the Network Connection

Initially, the settings for your connection to the Internet need to be checked to ensure the PPTP VPN connection to your network behaves as expected. Follow the steps below:

1. Click on Start -> Settings -> Network and Dial-up Connections then right click the recently configured PPTP connection and select Properties.
2. Click the Security tag then select Advanced (custom settings) and click on the Settings button to the right of the screen.

   

3. Be sure to select Maximum Strength Encryption
4. Click on the radio button next to Allow these protocols and ensure that MS-CHAP and MS-CHAP v2 are selected by ticking the box next to them. These are required to encrypt data over the secure VPN. When the above steps have been completed, click OK.
5. Next click on the Networking tag. Verify that Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) is present and that the checkbox is checked. Select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and click Properties.
6. Click Advanced under the DNS addresses on this page and then click the WINS tag. The WINS Server IP Address is for your NT server that runs WINS. Without this, you won't see the resources in Network Neighborhood

DNS is an acronym for Domain Name System. DNS converts IP host names to IP addresses. WINS (Windows Internet Name Service) converts Windows computer names (NetBIOS names) to IP addresses. WINS or manual NetBIOS name resolution (using LMHOSTS) is required for Windows network logon and browsing to function correctly.

Starting the PPTP Tunnel

To start your PPTP tunnel connection and connect to your office network, simply click the previously configured network connection (icon) under Settings -> Network and Dial-up Connections. Depending on the way in which the VPN was setup, you may need to connect to your ISP before starting the tunnel.