Creating a Windows VPN connection object

At your Windows PC, do the following:

1. Open the Windows Control Panel (click StartControl Panel).

   Among the control panel objects is one for Network Connections.

2. Double-click Network Connections.

   Your network connection objects appear, including a link for a New Connection Wizard.

3. Double-click the New Connection Wizard.

   The “New Connection Wizard” welcome dialog appears. Click Next to continue.

4. In the “Network Connection Type” step, there are several available choices.

   Select “Connect to the network at my workplace”, and click Next to continue.

5. In the “Network Connection” step, there are two choices (Dial-up or Virtual Private Network).

   Select “Virtual Private Network Connection”, and click Next to continue.

6. In the “Connection Name” step, enter a name that is meaningful to you (name does not affect operation, and you can change this later if desired). For example, type in Wyless VPN

   Click Next to continue.

7. In the “Public Network” step, select “Do not dial the initial connection”, and click Next to continue.

8. In the “VPN Server Selection” step, enter the VPN server name or address furnished by your Service Provider. For example for Wyless, you enter: vpn.wyless.net

   Click Next to continue.

9. If a “Smart Card” step appears, choose No (“Do not use my smart card”), and click Next to continue.

10. In “Connection Availability” step, you typically select “Anyone’s use”. Click Next to continue to the “Completing the New Connection Wizard” dialog.

11. In the “Completing the New Connection Wizard” dialog, choose whether a desktop shortcut should be added for this connection, and click Finish.

    The “Connect ConnectionName” popup dialog appears (e.g. “Connect Wyless VPN”), with fields for credentials (User name and Password), as well as save options for these credentials. See Figure A..2.

    Figure A..2. Connect ConnectionName dialog

    
    
    
    
    

12. In the “Connect ConnectionName” dialog, enter the VPN access user name and password as furnished by your Service Provider.

    Typically, you also check (enable) the “Save the user name and password for the following users”, selecting either “Me only” or “Anyone who uses this computer”.

    Do not Connect yet! An important setting must be configured in the Properties of this object first! See the next procedure, Setting the proper gateway operation for the VPN client.

Setting the proper gateway operation for the VPN client

With the “Connect ConnectionName” dialog open for the newly-created VPN client connection object (as shown in the previous Figure A..2):

1. Click the Properties button.

   A multi-tabbed dialog appears. Select the Networking tab.

2. In the Networking tab, click to highlight the listed “Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)” item, and then click the Properties button.

   An “Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties” dialog appears with a single “General” tab, including an Advanced... button.

3. Click the Advanced... button.

   The “Advanced TCP/IP Settings” dialog appears, with a “General” tab.

4. In the “General” tab of the “Advanced TCP/IP Settings dialog, make sure the checkbox is cleared for:

   Use default gateway on remote network (see Figure A..3).

   Figure A..3. Clear option to “Use default gateway on remote network” in Advanced TCP/IP Settings dialog

   
   
   
   
   

   This is necessary to prevent forwarding of all TCP/IP traffic from your PC to the remote VPN network, which can overload the Service Provider and cause various connection issues.

5. Click OK in each opened dialog to close and save.

   The “Connect ConnectionName” dialog (Figure A..2) remains. Click the Connect button to connect. While connected, you see a “connected” state by the network connection object in your Network Connections folder.