PPTP and Win2K

Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) isn't new. However, its use is becoming more widespread as more companies use PPTP to connect remote users to their Windows NT systems over the Internet. Some NT administrators are even using PPTP to connect remote offices in which the cost of installing a leased line outweighs the benefits.

PPTP will be standard in Windows 2000 (Win2K--­ formerly NT 5.0). Perhaps because of PPTP's increasing popularity, Microsoft keeps changing Win2K's GUI for making network connections. Microsoft is attempting to simplify network interfaces' setup for desktop users. To find out whether Microsoft's attempts are working, I used the new network connection interfaces in NT 5.0 Beta 2 to implement a simple PPTP tunnel. Before I describe how to set up an interface, I discuss some of the changes Microsoft made to the GUI. (This article assumes you're knowledgeable about PPTP. If you aren't, check out the resources listed in the sidebar "Related Articles in Windows NT Magazine," page 115.)

What Has Changed
Beta 2 has several significant changes. One immediately noticeable change is that, under Control Panel, Microsoft replaced the Network applet with the Network Connections folder. As with the Network applet, you can access the Control Panel's Network Connections folder from My Computer on the desktop or from the Settings menu under Start. In addition, you can access individual connections within that folder directly from the top of the Start menu in the same location where Windows Update now appears in Windows 98.

Not all of the Network applet's contents went into the Network Connections folder. The Network applet's Identification, Services, Protocols, Adapters, and Bindings tabs ended up in several areas in Beta 2.

Identification tab. The Computer Name text box and Domain text box under the Identification tab are now in the new Network ID tab in the System folder. Although the location changed, the format is the same.

Services tab. The Services tab that you used to install NT networking services is now under the new Add/Remove Programs folder. To add a networking service, click Components under the Configure Windows heading of the Add/Remove Programs folder. This action opens a window showing the components that NT installed during setup. From this window, click Networking Options to display the subcomponents.

Protocols tab. The Protocols tab is now in the Network Connections folder. Although the location changed, the format is the same.

Adapters tab. The Adapters tab is now part of Win2K's Device Manager, a Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in. As a result of this new location, you can look at the properties and resources of any hardware component in your system. The Device Manager snap-in is part of the Computer Management MMC, which Win2K Server (formerly NT Server 5.0) and Win2K Professional (Pro--­formerly NT Workstation 5.0) install by default. The Device Manager is a welcome addition to Win2K because you can now easily examine your system's hardware, just as you've been able to do for years on Win95.

Bindings tab. The Bindings tab is now in the Network Connections folder. Although the location changed, the format is the same.

Besides the Bindings and Protocols tabs, the new Network Connections folder includes, by default, the Make New Connection icon. If you have a configured Ethernet card in your network, Network Connections will also contain the Local Area Connection icon. As Screen 1 shows, if you highlight the Local Area Connection icon, Win2K displays summary information on the left. If you don't have a network card or modem, Win2K still installs the folder to which you can later add connections. If you want to test a system that doesn't have a network card, use the loopback adapter as an installed device to test the Local Area Connection.

Screen 1 displays the Connections menu in Network Connections. This menu's items include Network Identification, Advanced Settings, and Remote Access. The Network Identification item opens the Network ID tab in the System folder. (Clicking Network Identification under the summary information for the Local Area Connection achieves the same end.) If you click Advanced Settings, you can review information on each adapter, turn bindings on and off using check boxes, and specify the order of the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) that the computer uses to accesses information on the Internet. If you click Remote Access, you get a Dial-up Preferences window. As Screen 2 shows, this window has three tabs: Connections, Autodial, and Callback. You can use these tabs to limit nonprivileged users' access to connections.

As Screen 2 shows, Win2K lets you easily enable and configure or disable network connections. This new setup means you might have several connections in the Network Connections folder, each with a unique set of properties. The folder might contain a Local Area Connection icon for your network adapter, a Dial-up Connection icon for your primary organization, a Dial-up Connection icon for your ISP, and a PPTP Connection icon for a remote organization.

Microsoft put a lot of thought into this new interface, and it has ultimately paid off by being easy to use. Now I'll explain how to set up a PPTP connection from a Win2K workstation to a Win2K domain controller.