VPN Step-by-Step

If your enterprise has a Microsoft tunnel server in place to support broadband users, chances are that users who have Windows Mobile 2003 PDAs can immediately reap the VPN connectivity benefits I describe in "Using Windows Mobile 2003 to Access Exchange." To start using a VPN connection, you need only implement a few simple configuration settings on the PDA.

Windows Mobile splits network connection settings into My ISP and My Work Network categories. You configure VPN settings in the My Work Network section. The steps that follow assume that you already have connectivity to an ISP or to a wireless network configured on the PDA. To create the VPN settings, tap Start, Settings. Tap the Connections tab and select the Connections object. On the Tasks tab, select Add a new VPN server connection to display the Make New Connection window, which Figure A shows.

Enter a descriptive name for the tunnel in the Name field. Enter the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) or IP address of the tunnel server in the Host name/IP field. By default, Windows Mobile selects the more secure IP Security (IPSec) protocol. If you use a PPTP VPN server, select PPTP, then tap Next. On the subsequent screen, enter your username, domain, and password to authenticate the tunnel connection. If you don't use DHCP to assign an IP address and name servers, tap Advanced and specify values as appropriate, then tap OK to return to the VPN screen and tap Finish. . . .