Windows 8 In Depth

Incoming VPN and Dial-Up Access

Windows has a stripped-down Remote Access Server (RAS) built in, and you can use it to connect to your computer by modem, or through the Internet, from another location using any computer running Windows. After you’re connected, you can access your computer’s shared files and printers just as you can on your home or office network. To use this feature, your computer must have a modem and/or a dedicated, always-on Internet connection. At most, one remote user can connect at a time.

Setting up a modem to receive calls is straightforward: just connect your modem to a phone line, and you can dial in from anywhere. Setting up an incoming Internet (VPN) connection is substantially more difficult because you need an ...