RAS: A Ramp to the Internet

Perhaps the most exciting development in networking during the 1990's has been the explosive growth in Internet use. The latest figures indicate that over 20 million people have access to this world-wide network. The Internet's diverse services appeal to a broad spectrum of business people, academics, government users, and others. The Internet is the best model in existence today for the information superhighway of tomorrow.

Traditionally, connecting to the Internet has been a difficult process that is daunting for a beginner. Early tools, such as FTP and Telnet, featured character-based commands suited for the technical elite who knew how to connect and maneuver through the intertwined network with 32-bit IP addresses. Today's tools, such as Gopher and World Wide Web (WWW), provide front-end viewers that allow users to scan through and search for information without much knowledge of where information resides and without having to logon to the source computer.

With Windows NT and RAS, Microsoft provides an operating system that fully supports the Internet. There are several different scenarios for connecting to the Internet using Windows NT and RAS:

• Using Windows NT and RAS, a user can make an IP over Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) connection to any Internet host. Speeds of 2400 bits per second (bps) up to 128 Kbps are supported. Once the RAS connection is established, the user can choose from a variety of tools, from the traditional, non-graphical to those that fully exploit the Windows interface.
• A corporation can establish a RAS server with direct connections (through a router) to the Internet. The server can be isolated from the rest of the corporate network to provide for security. Users can dial one number for access to the Internet, and then dial one number for access to the corporate LAN.

Figure 22.1 Microsoft's RAS Server with Direct Connections to the Internet

• An Internet service provider can set up an information service network where they provide a shared Internet connection, plus value-added services, such as mail and fax gateways, custom databases, software distribution, and other custom applications. RAS is an excellent solution for this scenario because it offers up to 256 connections at very high speeds, with a variety of protocols and client software supported.

Figure 22.2 Acquiring a Shared Internet Connection and Value-Added Services

• Using Windows NT, RAS and a PPP connection, a small network can be added to the Internet, allowing a small company or workgroup to create multiple servers on the Internet and also provide Internet gateway for the computers on the small network or workgroup.

Figure 22.3 Using Windows NT Simple Internet Router Using PPP