Knowledge Base

Configuring the RAS server in windows XP

This uses the New Connection Wizard as follows.

1. Open the Control Panel, then open its Network Connections dialog. In the left hand pane, click on Create a New Connection.
2. In the New Connection Wizard, click on Next. Select the option Set Up an Advanced Connection then click on Next.
   
3. In the Advanced Connection Options dialog, select Accept Incoming Connections, then click on Next.
4. In the dialog Devices for Incoming Connections, select the modem then click on Next.
5. In the dialog Incoming VPN Connection, select the default option Do Not Allow Virtual Private Connections.
   
6. In the User Permissions dialog, select a user allowed to connect to the computer.
7. Click on Properties to open the Owner Properties dialog. There you can configure user callback as follows. Click on Next.

• Not allowed.
• Allowed with a user-selected number.
• Allowed with a fixed number.

IP adresses

1. In the Incoming TCP/IP Properties dialog, check the options Specify TCP/IP Addresses and  Allow Calling Computer to Specify Its Own IP Address.
2. Enter a lower and upper limit for the range of IP addresses to be used (see below).

The Incoming TCP/IP Properties dialog easily lets you know the server IP address in advance, as the first in the specified gap (192.168.0.2 in the example), plus the client IP address that might be chosen for further security out of the DHCP gap. (In the example, 192.168.0.4 would be a suitable choice.)

Configuring the client

1. Open Control Panel / Network Connections, click on Create a New Connection and click on Next.
2. In the dialog Network Connection Type, select the option Connect to the Network at my Workplace, then click on Next.
   
3. In the Network Connection dialog, choose Dial-up Connection, then click on Next.
4. In the Connection Name dialog, enter a name for this connection, then click on Next.
5. In the dialog Phone Number to Dial, enter the telephone number preceded by a digit that is required for calling, if any.
6. In the dialog Completing the New Connection, click on OK to create the connection

Connection networking properties

1. In Control Panel / Network Connections, right-click on the new connection to open its Properties dialog
   
2. In the Networking tab’s lower list, select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and click on Settings to open its Properties dialog.
   
   
3. Click on the Advanced button to open the Advanced TCP/IP Settings dialog’s General tab.
4. Check the option Use Default Gateway on Remote Network. (This is necessary where the computer is connected to the server through the RAS connection and a local network.)
   
5. In the WINS tab, check the option Enable NetBIOS over TCP/I

Configuring the firewall

Windows XP includes a software firewall that has to be correctly configured to allow data exchanges between the client and server.

Quick method

In outline:

1. In Control Panel / Windows Firewall on each computer, deactivate the firewall software.
2. Configure the firewall on each system so that the required connections are authorized.

Firewall configuration on the server

1. Use Control Panel / Windows Firewall to open the Windows Firewall dialog.
2. Open the Exceptions tab and check the option File and Printer Sharing.

• Click on the Edit button to open the dialog Edit a Service. The following ports at least should be checked there.

Firewall configuration on the client

In this case, you can configure the firewall for each connection separately

Where the RAS connection is dedicated to connection with the server, the firewall can be deactivated. In other cases (e.g. Internet via modem), use the same configuration as for the server, above.