Virtual Private Networks, Second Edition

Configuring PPTP for Dial-up Networking on a Windows 95 or 98 Client

As we’ve said, Windows 95 doesn’t come with PPTP already installed. To use it, you’ll have to obtain Dial-Up Networking Update 1.3 from Microsoft’s web site. Since updates and service packs change from time to time, you should check the Microsoft web site to see what level of software you might need. The installation of the Dial-Up Networking (DUN) update is very simple. There aren’t any parameters to enter, and Microsoft includes a useful help document. Because of this, we’re not going to go over the step-by-step setup instructions for installation. As we’ve also said, Windows 98 comes with VPN access as a standard part of the OS.

To configure PPTP for Windows 95 or 98, you must configure two dial-up networking profiles: one to connect to the ISP and one to connect to the PPTP server. Because many people are familiar with configuring DUN to connect to their ISP, we’ll skip over that step. If you’ve never done it before, you can find information on how to set up a DUN entry in the document Microsoft included with the DUN update.

In order to set up your VPN DUN profile, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Start menu, and select Programs → Accessories → Dial-Up Networking.

2. When the Dial-Up Networking window appears, click Make New Connection.

3. The Make New Connection wizard will appear. Type in what you want to call the connection profile in the “Name of the computer you are dialing” entry field. We’ll call ours “Central ...