Windows NT 3.5 Remote Access Service (RAS) connects remote or mobile workers to corporate networks. Optimized for client-server computing, RAS is implemented primarily as a software solution, and is available on all of Microsoft's operating systems.
To understand the RAS architecture, it is important to make the distinction between RAS and remote control solutions, such as Cubix and pcANYWHERE®. RAS is a software-based multi-protocol router; remote control solutions work by sharing screen, keyboard and mouse control over a WAN connection. In a remote control solution, users share a CPU or multiple CPU's on the server. In contrast, a Windows NT RAS server's CPU is dedicated to communications, not to running applications.