VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a means to establish secure encrypted communication tunnel between two network endpoints. Thus it can be quite useful if security is the primary goal. It is easy to set up a VPN in both Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. Here are the instructions.
The VPN is set up. In case you're behind a firewall, perhaps you should forward port 1723 (standard PPtP port) to allow VPN connections. There are several third-party pieces of software to establish a VPN, but the above steps are the simplest way to start with.
- open Control Panel
- proceed to 'Network Connections'
- click on 'Create New Connection', click 'Next', select 'Setup an advanced connection' and 'Next' again
- select 'Accept incoming connections', click 'Next' twice, click 'Allow virtual private connections', click 'Next' again
- check the users you allow to connect via VPN, click 'Next', 'Next' and 'Finish'
The VPN is set up. In case you're behind a firewall, perhaps you should forward port 1723 (standard PPtP port) to allow VPN connections. There are several third-party pieces of software to establish a VPN, but the above steps are the simplest way to start with.
