The Remote Access Server (RAS) provides dial-up
connectivity to your server from a remote location. Some people might
think that dial-up connectivity and the other services that RAS provides
belong to a bygone age, but most large organizations actually rely on a
mixed environment in which dial-up is still an essential part of the
picture. For example, the ComputerWorld article at http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/story/0,10801,106776,00.html
points out some amazing mixed environment statistics. Microsoft also
takes this need seriously by providing a special area on their Web site
for general networking and RAS needs at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/community/en-us/networking/default.mspx.
The following sections
describe the RAS-specific tools included with Windows. However, these
utilities aren't the end of the story. To manage RAS functionality you
must become familiar with the NetSH utility.
1. Dialing Out with the RASDial Utility
Use the RASDial
utility to determine the current RAS status, as well as dial out to a
RAS server. Use the RASDial utility by itself to determine the current
RAS status. The output displays any connections you've made. This
utility uses the following syntax:
RASDial entryname [username [password|*]] [/DOMAIN:domain]
[/PHONE:phonenumber] [/CALLBACK:callbacknumber]
[/PHONEBOOK:phonebookfile] [/PREFIXSUFFIX]
RASDial [entryname] /DISCONNECT
RASDial
The following list describes each of the command line arguments.
entryname
Specifies an entry from the RAS phonebook (PBK file) entry. The utility uses the default PBK file located in the \Windows\System32\RAS directory unless you specify a different PBK file using the /PHONEBOOK
command line switch. Always place entry names that contain spaces in
quotes. You may also elect to use a telephone number that doesn't appear
in the phone-book by using the /PHONE command line switch.
username[{ password
| *}]
Specifies the
username used to connect to the remote system. In many cases, you'll
also need to supply a password to create the connection. If you supply
an asterisk (*) for the password, RAS prompts you for the password.
Using this technique reduces the possibility of someone compromising
your password. Instead of seeing the password in plaintext at the
command prompt, anyone viewing your display simply sees a series of
asterisks in the prompt dialog box.
/Domain:
domain
Specifies the user's
domain on the remote machine. If you don't specify a domain, the system
uses the last value of the Domain field in the Connect To dialog box.
/Phone:
phonenumber
Substitutes the
specified telephone number for the one in the RAS phonebook entry. You
can use this feature to dial one-time telephone numbers for support or
other reasons.
/Callback:
callbacknumber
Substitutes
the specified callback telephone number for the one in the RAS
phonebook. The callback number is the one that the server calls to
re-create a connection after it verifies your user information. Many
remote systems use callbacks as a security measure to ensure they reach a
valid user. Your user account must allow you to specify a different
callback number in order for this feature to work.
/Phonebook:
phonebookfile
Specifies
an alternative RAS phonebook (PBK) file. You can use this alternative
phonebook to hold personal or specialized numbers. The default phonebook
appears in the \Windows\System32\RAS directory under your username.
/PrefixSuffix
Applies the
current TAPI location dialing settings to the telephone number. You set
up these options using the Phone and Modem Options applet found in the
Control Panel. The system doesn't use these options by default; you must
specifically turn them on for dialing outside of your current location.
/Disconnect
Disconnects
an existing RAS connection. You may optionally specify a particular
entry name when you have multiple RAS connections in use.
2. Accessing Dial-Up Networking with the RASPhone Utility
Use the RASPhone utility
to create entries in your RAS phonebook. Each entry specifies a kind of
connection. The four major connection types include dial-up to a
private network, connecting to a private network through the Internet
using a Virtual Private Network (VPN), connecting directly to another
computer using a serial, parallel, or infrared port, and connecting to a
network using broadband. The discussion in this section doesn't tell
you how to use the graphical utilities to create such a connection; it
concentrates on the command line interface. Using RASPhone by itself
displays the graphical interface. This utility uses the following
syntax:
RASPhone [-f file] [[{-e | -d | -h | -r}] entry]
RASPhone [-f file] -a [entry]
RASPhone [-f file] -l{a | d | e | h | r} [link]
The following list describes each of the command line arguments.
-f
file Defines the full path to the RAS phonebook (PBK) file. The path can include a drive, relative or absolute path, and a filename.
-e
Displays the dialog box required to edit the specified entry. The dialog box varies by entry type.
-d
Displays the dial-up dialog box for creating a connection to the remote resource.
-h
Disconnects the specified remote connection without displaying a dialog box.
-r
Deletes the
specified entry from the RAS phonebook without displaying a dialog box.
Note that this task is permanent; you can't undelete a RAS phonebook
entry and must create it from the beginning if you accidentally delete
it.
entry
Specifies an entry from the RAS phonebook (PBK file) entry. The utility uses the default PBK file located in the \Windows\System32\RAS directory unless you specify a different PBK file using the /PHONEBOOK
command line switch. Always place entry names that contain spaces in
quotes. You may also elect to use a telephone number that doesn't appear
in the phonebook by using the /PHONE command line switch.
-a
Displays the New
Connection Wizard that you use to create a new entry. This wizard
relies on a graphical interface; you can't create entries at the command
line.
-l{a | d | e | h | r}
Performs any of the specified command line tasks to a dial-up shortcut file instead of the RAS phonebook.
link
Specifies the
full path to the dial-up link shortcut file. The path can include a
drive, relative or absolute path, and a filename.
