In this chapter:
If you have a modem and a phone line, Windows NT lets you log on to your office network or the Internet from anywhere, as though you were just down the hall...
Most of the time, when you think of networking, you think of the cables that snake through your office walls, physically connecting all the computers and file servers in your organization. But you can be part of a network even if you're miles from the nearest computer, without a network cable in sight. No, it's not magic--as long as you have a modem and a phone line, you can use the Windows NT feature called Dial-Up Networking to log on to a distant network as if it were just down the hall. Once you've successfully established a Dial-Up Networking connection, you can browse files on a server, print documents, send e-mail--even connect to the Internet.
There are at least three situations in which Dial-Up Networking comes in handy:
Before you can even think of getting started with Dial-Up Networking, you'll need to run through a preflight checklist:
Telecommuters get to stay off the freeways, but that doesn't mean they can avoid traffic jams on the Information Superhighway.
The data files you work with at the office can be surprisingly big. And the most useful part of the Internet, the World Wide Web, is stuffed with enormous graphics files that practically crawl across your screen if you try to use a modem that's too slow. If you plan to use Dial-Up Networking regularly, get the fastest modem you can.
Do you have an older modem that transmits and receives at 14,400 bps or less? Then you're driving the digital equivalent of a Yugo--old, slow, and definitely not capable of coping with life in the fast lane.
Today's standard modems can send and receive 28,800 bits per second (and a few specialized designs can run even faster, at least in theory). The numbers indicate transmission speeds; the higher the number, the faster those bits will move across the phone wire and into your computer and down your screen. Of course, make sure the modem at the other end is running at the same speed!
If that's not fast enough for you, talk to your local phone company and your system
administrator about installing an ISDN connection. ISDN stands for Integrated Services
Digital Network, a super-fast phone line that can pump data in and out of your PC
at four times the speed of a standard phone line. ISDN lines are expensive, and they
require special hardware. But if your job depends on getting information as fast
as possible, it might be worth the extra cost.
Fig. 23.1
The Dial-Up Networking dialog box is Mission Control for all your remote connections--to the company network or the Internet.
Dial-Up Networking stores all your connection information in a phonebook, with each entry consisting of a phone number and other options that help your computer and the remote server successfully connect. If you're a networking wizard, you can set up a connection by checking boxes and typing numbers in a complicated set of dialog boxes.
If you're not a wizard (and who is?), don't worry--Windows includes its own Wizard, consisting of a series of simple dialog boxes that you fill out. Use the Wizard to create each new entry in your Dial-Up Networking phonebook. If you're dialing in to a Windows NT server, using the Wizard is a simple, three-step process.
To begin creating a new phonebook entry, double-click the Dial-Up Networking icon (you'll find it in the My Computer window, or you can click the Start button, then follow the cascading menus from Programs to Accessories to Dial-Up Networking). Click the New button. The New Phonebook Entry Wizard, shown in Figure 23.2, takes over here. The default name, MyDialUp- Server, isn't that useful, is it? Instead, give your connection a name that describes it more accurately, such as Office Server.
Fig. 23.2
Use the Wizard to create a new Dial-Up Networking connection. Depending on which boxes you check, you can connect to another computer or to the Internet.
After you've given the connection a name, the Wizard needs to know what kind of server you plan to call (see Fig. 23.3). If you're dialing into an Internet service provider, you'll need to ask their technical support staff which boxes are relevant here. But you can safely click the Next button to connect to a Windows NT server.
Of course, your modem won't be able to make the call until it knows what number to dial, and this is the place to enter that crucial bit of data. If you'll always call from the same computer, you can enter the exact phone number, complete with prefixes and area or country codes. On a notebook computer, where the dialing options need to change depending on where you call from, check the Telephony dialing properties box (see Fig. 23.4).
Fig. 23.3
Pick a server, any server. If you're dialing a Windows NT Remote Access Server, leave all three boxes unchecked.
Fig. 23.4
Use the Telephony dialing properties if you expect to dial in from different locations. Otherwise, uncheck the box and enter the number exactly as you want it dialed.
Some dial-up servers allow access through several phone numbers. If that's the case at your server location, click the Alternates button and enter the additional numbers here. Windows NT will use the main number as your preferred dial-up connection, calling the alternates only if you get a busy signal.
TIP: To learn more about Telephony dialing properties, see Appendix B.
That's as complicated as it gets--as long as you're dialing into a Windows NT server. (There's a long list of additional options if you're dialing into an Internet service provider, but we'll get to that in a minute.)
What happens if you need to change a phonebook entry after you've created it? Well, you can click the More button to reveal the unusual drop-down menu shown in Figure 23.5. The first choice on the menu, Edit entry and modem properties, pops up a large, complicated, multi-tabbed dialog box with all the connection properties available for your inspection. If all you need to do is change the name of the connection or its phone number, go ahead and choose this option. But if your changes are substantial, I recommend that you delete the entry (using the same menu) and rerun the Wizard.
Fig. 23.5
You can edit any dial-up connection by choosing this option from the More menu... but it's easier to just use the Wizard again.
To use Dial-Up Networking, open the My Computer window, then double-click Dial-Up Networking. Choose the connection you want to dial from the drop-down list, then click the Dial button. Depending on how you've configured Dial-Up Networking, you'll see a succession of dialog boxes and messages as your computer attempts to connect with the remote computer. Once you've succeeded, you're ready to begin working with the network.
Whenever networks and modems get together, you can bet your bottom dollar that things will quickly get complicated. That's surely the case with Dial-Up Networking, where you have dozens of options designed to make your remote connections faster and easier to use:
Most of the options you can configure are found on a four-tab User Preferences dialog box. Open Dial-Up Networking, click the More button, and choose User preferences from the drop-down menu.
The Dialing tab (see Fig. 23.6) helps you control how and when Windows dials the phone. Two settings, auto-dial and redial, can be particularly helpful.
Fig. 23.6
When Dial-Up Networking encounters a busy signal, it surrenders. If you want Windows to keep dialing, tell it to try, try again.
There are two reasons to use the account callback option, which tells a dial-up server to call you back whenever you dial in. One is financial--the computer equivalent of placing a collect call to yourself from overseas; your spouse refuses the charges and calls you back at an agreed-upon number, saving a ton of money in the process. When you allow the server to call you back, you shift the financial burden to that phone line.
The other motivation for using the callback option is tied to security. If the server is configured to always call you back at a predetermined telephone number--the line in your home office, for example--it's much harder for a would-be hacker to gain access to your company's network.
If your network administrator tells you to enable this option, go ahead. Otherwise, skip this tab.
The seven checkboxes on the tabbed dialog page labeled Appearance (see Fig. 23.7) give you pinpoint control over all the dialog boxes and messages that pop up when you use Dial-Up Networking.
Fig. 23.7
Most of these options are self-explanatory. If your only phone line handles voice and computer calls, be sure to check the last box!
The first two options control what you see each time you make a dial-up connection. If you have only one entry in your phonebook and you always call from the same location, leave both boxes unchecked.
The next two boxes help you keep track of what's happening with your connection as you dial. With these boxes checked, you'll see a string of messages ("Dialing," "Verifying username and password," "Authenticating," and so on) as you dial.
The Close on dial option automatically closes Dial-Up Networking after you click the Dial button. I prefer to leave this option unchecked, so that I can have easy access to the matching Hang Up button!
Unless you're a communications genius, leave a checkmark next to the option labeled Use wizard to create new phonebook entries.
The last entry controls auto-dial. On my home system, where I have a separate phone line devoted to my modem, I leave this option unchecked so that Dial-Up Networking can do its thing without requiring my active intervention. If your voice and data calls share a single line, you'll want to leave this box checked so that Windows doesn't unexpectedly interrupt you when you're on the phone.
Your system administrator has the option to create a systemwide phonebook filled with connections all users of a given system can choose from. You also have the option, each time you create a phonebook entry, to store it in a personal phonebook. This tab lets you control whether you use the system phonebook, your personal phonebook, or a completely different phonebook.
Your last set of options is buried elsewhere, but that doesn't mean it's any less important. The Dial-Up Networking Monitor is a simple dialog box that tells you in precise detail what's going on with your remote networking connection. To make it appear, double-click the Dial-Up Networking icon, then click the More button and choose Monitor status. You'll see a dialog box like the one in Figure 23.8.
Fig. 23.8
Those first two tabs are strictly for propeller-heads, but the last tab lets you install this useful monitor as a Taskbar icon.
I recommend that you configure the monitor to appear as a Taskbar icon. When you do, you see a set of flashing lights that let you know the connection is working. You can double-click on the icon to pop up the status monitor at any time, or right-click on the icon to pop up a menu that lets you hang up or dial anytime.
Most people who use Windows NT do so in the office, where Internet access comes along with the network. But what do you do if that's not the case in your office? If you have a modem (or an ISDN adapter) connected to a phone line, you can use Dial-Up Networking to connect to the Internet.
Before you can use Dial-Up Networking for Internet access, you'll need to make sure you have the TCP/IP protocol and Remote Access Service installed, and of course you'll need a modem and phone line. (If not, you probably know who to call by now....) You'll also need a cheat sheet from your Internet service provider containing the information you need to make a proper TCP/IP connection. With those details out of the way, just open the Dial-Up Networking dialog box and click the New button to create a phonebook entry.
When you get to the Server portion of the Wizard, check all three boxes. Now, as you step through the Wizard's instructions, you'll encounter a slew of new dialog boxes asking you for TCP/IP addresses, logins, DNS server information, and more. Fill in all the details, then click OK. You now are one click away from connecting to the Internet.
Q&A: Where do I find an Internet service provider?
You can take your choice of service providers, from small companies in storefronts to huge organizations like CompuServe and Microsoft. You can find ads for service providers in the business section of most big-city news-papers. If you have a friend who's already connected to the Net, ask for a recommendation. In any case, it shouldn't cost more than about a dollar a day for all the access an average user needs.
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