Windows 2000 Administration in a Nutshell

Name

connection

Synopsis

In Windows 2000, a mechanism for connecting your computer to another computer, a remote-access server, a dedicated network access device, or the Internet.

Description

Connections in Windows 2000 are classified in different ways. For example, you can create:

LAN connections

These are connections to the local network through a network adapter installed in the computer. Unlike other kinds of connections in Windows 2000, LAN connections are created automatically during setup. LAN connections enable a computer to communicate with other computers on the network.

WAN connections

These include both dial-up and dedicated connections to other networks through hardware devices such as modems, ISDN terminal adapters, X.25 pads, and access routers. Windows 2000 supports a broad range of different WAN connectivity options. Another name for these connections are remote-access connections, as they allow a remote client to access resources on a private corporate network.

Direct computer connections

This is a special form of connection between two computers using a serial (RS-232C) or parallel (ECP) file-transfer cable, or an infrared port. It is used only for establishing a connection to transfer files between machines.

In addition, you can classify connections according to whether they are inbound or outbound:

Outbound connections

These connections enable your computer to initiate or establish a connection with a computer on a remote network or the Internet. In an outbound connection ...