Connecting to a Domain from Another Location

Virtual private network (VPN) connections are becoming increasingly common in the corporate world. With a VPN connection, a domain user can access a private (corporate or institutional) network via the Internet, thus extending the private network so that she or he is virtually, if not physically, part of it.

If your organization has set up a remote access server, you can create a VPN connection to your domain over the Internet. Using this connection, you have full access to network resources while you are away from the office, which is extremely useful when you are traveling or working from home.

The speed of your VPN connection is limited by the speed of your Internet connection. If you are connecting to a VPN through a dial-up connection, you might run out of patience while waiting for your computer to access common network resources. However, if you are connecting through a broadband connection, access speeds can be nearly as good as being physically there.

In this exercise, you will create a VPN connection over the Internet. There are no practice files for this exercise.

1.	Display Control Panel, and then click Network and Internet. The Network And Internet window opens.
2.	Under Network and Sharing Center, click the Connect to a network task, and then at the bottom of the Connect to a network window, click the Set up a connection or network task. The Connect To A Network wizard starts. [View full size image]
3.	Scroll to the end of the Choose a connection option list, click Connect to a workplace, and then click Next. [View full size image]
4.	On the How do you want to connect page, click Use my Internet connection (VPN). The Type The Internet Address To Connect To page opens.
5.	In the Internet address box, type the remote access server's host name or IP address, and in the Destination name box, type a name for the connection (for example, the company name). [View full size image]
6.	Specify whether you want to make the connection available to other users of your computer or keep it to yourself, and then click Next.
7.	On the Type your user name and password page, enter your network credentials. [View full size image] Notice that you can display the characters of your password to confirm it before proceeding. If you select this option, your password will be visible only on this page, not during the actual logon process.
8.	Click Connect. You connect to the network. The network verifies your user account name and password, and then logs you on. While your computer is connected to the network, a network icon appears in the notification area, and you can connect to the same network resources as you could if you were sitting at your desk at work. [View full size image]
9.	In the Connect to a workplace wizard, click Close. The first time you connect to the network, Windows Vista might prompt you to specify whether it is a private or public network. [View full size image]
10.	If the Set Network Location window appears, click Work. Then in the User Account Control dialog box, if you're logged on as an administrator, click Continue. Otherwise, enter an administrator password, and click OK.

Creating an Ad Hoc Wireless Network If you want to share information stored on your computer with other people nearby and everyone's computer has a wireless network adapter, a simple method of sharing is to set up an ad hoc wireless network. In spite of the fact that members must be within 30 feet of each other, this type of network presents a lot of possibilities. For example, you might consider establishing an ad hoc network at a meeting of mobile computer users so that you can share information with other attendees on their own screens rather than an overhead projector. (After establishing the network, you can do this is by using Windows Meeting, a really cool new feature of Windows Vista.) See Also For information about Windows Meeting, see "Using the Programs That Come with Windows Vista" in Chapter 7, "Working with Programs." Ad hoc networks are by definition temporary; they cease to exist when members disconnect from them, or when the computer from which the network was established moves beyond the 30-foot effective range of the others. You can share an Internet connection through an ad hoc network, but keep in mind that the Internet connection is then available to anyone logging on to a computer that is connected to the network, and thus is likely not very secure. To set up an ad hoc network: On the Start menu, click Connect To. In the Connect to a network window, click the Set up a connection or network task. On the Choose a connection option page, click Set up a wireless ad hoc (computer-to-computer) network, and then click Next. Troubleshooting The Set Up An Ad Hoc Network option appears only on computers that have wireless adapters. Read the ad hoc network information, and then click Next. Provide a network name, select whether the network is open or requires authentication, provide a security phrase if necessary, and then click Next. After Windows Vista sets up the ad hoc network, you have the option of sharing your Internet connection. To disconnect from an ad hoc network, display the Connect To A Network window, click the ad hoc network, and then click Disconnect.