Remote Access Service

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Installing and Configuring RAS

RAS is a network service and, like other network services, is installed and removed via the Services tab of the Control Panel’s Network application. In order for a Windows NT machine to act as either a RAS server or a RAS client, the RAS service must be installed.

 

Installing the RAS Service

  1. Open the  Network dialog box and click the Services tab, and then click Add. The Select Network Service dialog box appears. Choose Remote Access Service from the Network Service list, and then click OK

  2. Windows NT prompts you for the path to the Windows NT installation CD-ROM. Supply that information.

  3. Next, Windows NT prompts you for the name of a RAS capable device and an associated  communications port. A modem installed on your system typically appears as a default value. If you do not have a modem installed on your system, you will be prompted to install a modem at this time. Click OK to accept the modem, or click the down arrow to choose another RAS capable device on your system.

  4. The Remote Access Setup dialog box appears . Click the Configure button to specify whether to use the port for dial-out connections, dial-in connections, or both. The Port Usage options apply only to the port. In other words, you could configure COM1 for Dial Out Only and COM2 for Receive Calls Only. In the Remote Access Setup dialog box, you also can add or remove a port entry from the list. The Clone button lets you copy a port configuration.

  5. Click the Network button in the Remote Access Setup dialog box to specify the network protocols for your Remote Access Service to support.

  6. The RAS Server TCP/IP Configuration dialog box lets you define how the RAS server assigns IP addresses to dial-up clients. You can use DHCP to assign client addresses, or you can configure RAS to assign IP addresses from a static address pool. If you choose to use a static address pool, enter the beginning and ending addresses in the range. This range must include at least two addresses because one is always given to the server while the other is given to the client dialing in. To exclude a range of addresses within the address pool, enter the beginning and ending addresses in the range you’re excluding in the From and To boxes, and then click on the Add button. The excluded range appears in the Excluded Ranges box.

  7. After you define the RAS settings to your satisfaction, click OK. Windows NT asks whether you want to restart your computer. Choose Yes.

 

Configuring NT Users for RAS

Even when RAS has been configured on your NT Server, by default, users still are not allowed to use Dial-Up Networking. This is because, for security considerations, you must specifically enable Dial-Up Networking for each NT user who is to connect to your server. You set up the necessary configuration by using User Manager on the RAS server.

Enabling Dialin Functions for NT Users

  1. Start User Manger or User Manager for Domains.
  2. Double-click the user for whom you want to enable dialin capabilities (or select multiple users and choose the File, Properties command).
  3. Click the Dialin button to open the Dialin Information dialog box.
  4. Select the Grant Dialin Permission to User check box and configure the Call Back options if desired. If you select Set By Caller, the server will prompt a dialin user for a phone number the server will call back; this ensures that the majority of long distance charges are incurred by the server, not by the user. If you select Preset To, you enable security, which ensures that a user can use dialup networking only from a specific number (thus deterring hackers from dialing into your network). A lot of administrative overhead is incurred if the user moves from number to number because this setting will have to be reconfigured frequently.