Configuring and Using the Windows 98 Dial-Up Server

With Dial-Up Networking, you can configure a computer running Windows 98 to be a remote access server for dial-up clients running Windows 98, Windows 95, Windows for Workgroups, or Windows 3.1, or any other client running PPP. The Windows 98 dial-up server can act as a server to the client, sharing its file and printer resources with one dial-up client at a time. Both the dial-up server and the dial-up client must be running the same protocol (IP, IPX, or NetBEUI). The Windows 98 dial-up server can also act as a gateway to an IPX/SPX or NetBEUI network, as long as both the client and the server are using the same protocol that is used on the network.

The Windows 98 dial-up server supports software compression. It also works with ISDN; however it can use only one B channel.

A Windows 98 dial-up server differs from the Windows NT 3.5 and later dial up servers in the following ways:

• Windows NT Server 4.0 and later can act as a VPN server; Windows 98 cannot.
• Windows NT Server 3.5 and later can act as an IP router; Windows 98 cannot. IP router capabilities permit access to a TCP/IP network, such as the global Internet. Windows 98 provides all the protocols you need to connect to the Internet but cannot act as an IP router.
• Windows NT Server 3.5 and later support 256 remote connections, whereas Windows 98 provides one remote connection.

A Windows 98 dial-up server with the appropriate network protocols installed can act as a NetBIOS gateway, as shown in Figure 19.4.

Figure 19.4 Dial-up server as NetBIOS gateway

Configuring a computer running Windows 98 to be a dial-up server consists of the following steps:

• Installing the Dial-Up Server, as described in "Installing a Windows 98 Dial-Up Server," later in this chapter.
• Optionally, enabling file and printer sharing services for either Microsoft or NetWare networks on the dial-up server. Perform this step only if you want the dial-up server to share files with the dial-up clients. For more information, see Chapter 18, "Logon, Browsing, and Resource Sharing."
• Enabling user-level or share-level security on the dial-up server. For information, see "Configuring Security Options for a Windows 98 Dial-Up Server" later in this chapter.
• Configuring the server type for the dial-up server, as described in the section "Configuring the Server Type for the Dial-Up Server" later in this chapter.

After you perform the steps previously listed, your Dial-Up Server will be ready to answer incoming calls.

To disconnect any users who are currently connected to this computer through Dial-Up Networking

• In the Dial-Up Server dialog box, click Disconnect User.

Note

The Dial-Up Server for Windows 98 can use only one modem at a time. You can enable caller access on multiple modems at any one time, but only one modem can be connected.

Installing a Windows 98 Dial-Up Server

In Windows 98, the Dial-Up Server is not automatically installed. To install it, follow this procedure.

To install the Dial-Up Server

1. In Control Panel, double-click Add/Remove Programs, and then click the Windows Setup tab.
2. In Add/Remove Programs Properties, double-click Communications.
3. Select the Dial-Up Server check box, and then click OK, and then click OK again.

Configuring Security Options for a Windows 98 Dial-Up Server

Dial-Up Networking gives you the option of requiring a password to connect to the remote access server, depending on whether the Windows 98 dial-up server is protected with share-level or user-level security.

• Share-level security assigns a password to the Windows 98 dial-up server. When users dial in, they must provide the password before they can gain access to the server. After the connection is established, users can browse the resources on the dial-up server, subject to whatever level of security has been applied to them. Users can also log on to the network after connecting to the dial-up server if logging on to the network is enabled on the dial-up client. Because users can distribute passwords, this method is less secure than user-level security.
• User-level security restricts access to a network resource until a security provider, such as a Windows NT domain controller or a NetWare server, authenticates the request. You can require that a user’s logon password to a remote access server be the same as the network and Windows 98 logon passwords.

  With user-level security, when the user accesses shared resources on the dial-up server, Windows 98 controls a user’s rights to the shared resources, such as whether the user has read-only access or full access to files. Access rights are specified in the sharing properties for each resource protected by user-level security. For more information, see Chapter 9, "Security," and Chapter 18, "Logon, Browsing, and Resource Sharing."

The following procedure assumes that you have completed the installation procedure described in the previous section, "Installing a Windows 98 Dial-Up Server."

To configure the dial-up server for user-level security

1. Make sure that your computer has file and printer sharing services installed and that user-level security is enabled. For more information, see Chapter 18, "Logon, Browsing, and Resource Sharing."
2. In Dial-Up Networking, click the Connections menu, and then click Dial-Up Server.
3. In the Dial-Up Server properties, click Allow caller access, and then click Add.
4. In the Add Users dialog box, specify the users who will have permission to access the dial-up server, and then click OK.
5. In the Dial-Up Server properties, click Server Type, and make sure Require encrypted password is checked if your Dial-Up client supports encrypted passwords.

   Clicking the Require encrypted password option requires the client to send an encrypted as opposed to a text password. Some clients support only text passwords; however, encrypted passwords are preferred. Clearing this option does not disable password protection.

To configure the dial-up server for share-level security

1. Make sure that your computer has File and Printer Sharing services installed and that share-level security is enabled. For more information, see Chapter 18, "Logon, Browsing, and Resource Sharing."

   Note

   Share-level security is not available on NetWare networks.

2. In Dial-Up Networking, click the Connections menu, and then click Dial-Up Server.
3. In the Dial-Up Server dialog box, click Allow caller access, and then click Change Password to provide password protection for the Dial-Up Server.
4. Optionally, to require password encryption, click Server Type. In the Server Type dialog box, make sure Require encrypted password is checked, and then click OK.

Configuring the Server Type for the Dial-Up Server

This section explains how to configure the server type for the dial-up server. It assumes that you have already followed the procedures in the sections "Installing a Windows 98 Dial-Up Server" and "Configuring Security Options for a Windows 98 Dial-Up Server," earlier in this chapter.

To configure a computer as a dial-up server

1. From the Connections menu in the Dial-Up Networking folder, click Dial-Up Server.
2. Click Server Type, and then select the server type.

   Make sure that the server type is the same for both the dial-up server and the dial-up client. If the dial-up client uses PPP, you can also select the Default server type. If you select the Default server type, the dial-up server will automatically start in PPP mode for incoming calls and switch to Windows for Workgroups and Windows NT 3.1 if the PPP negotiation fails.

3. Click OK, and the dial-up server is ready to answer incoming calls.

Notice that changes to the server type do not apply to a currently open connection. Changes will apply to any future connections made to this computer.

Disabling Dial-Up Server Support

You can disable dial-up server support in several different ways. You can disable it from within Dial-Up Networking, as the following procedure explains.

To disable the dial-up server on a single computer

1. From the Connections menu in the Dial-Up Networking window, click Dial-Up Server.
2. In the Dial-Up Server dialog box, click No caller access.

You can also completely remove Dial-Up Server capabilities from a user’s computer by using the Add/Remove Programs option in Control Panel.

Finally, you can disable dial-up support on each computer or on a system-wide basis by using System Policy Editor to change a single computer’s registry or to define policies that can be shared by multiple computers.

To disable dial-up support by using System Policy Editor, click Disable Dial-in. The Dial-Up Server menu option still appears on the Connections menu after dial-up support has been disabled, but no dialog box for setting up the dial-up server will appear. For more information, see Chapter 8, "System Policies."