Outsourcing dial-up networks

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

Outsourcing dial-up networks

The communications hardware that is available for supporting dial-up needs can be complicated and not well-integrated. For a large organization, putting together a remote access server requires modems, serial controllers, and many cables. Furthermore, many solutions do not provide a single integrated way to efficiently support V.34 and ISDN dial-up lines.

Many corporations like to outsource dial-up access to their corporate backbone networks in a manner that is cost-effective, hassle-free, protocol-independent, secure, and that requires no changes to the existing network addressing. Virtual WAN support by using Virtual Private Network (VPN) Connections is one way an Internet service provider (ISP) can meet the needs of corporations. In this way, the outsourcing company maintains and manages remote access modems and lines, leaving a system administrator free to manage users and their authentication needs.

This type of solution takes advantage of proven PPP authentication, encryption, and compression technologies. For information about creating a VPN connection, see Make a virtual private network (VPN) connection.

The following illustration shows an example of outsourcing.

The connection does not need to have a PPTP driver; the client simply makes a PPP connection to the modem pool or communications server. The communication server or modem pool must implement PPTP for communication with the remote access server.