The VPN setup for an office with a number of workstations requires that the workstations form a network and connect to the central server through a firewal/VPN.

To set up a connection to a VPN :

1. On the client computer, confirm that the connection to the Internet is correctly configured.
2. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Network And Dial-Up Connections.
3. Double-click Make New Connection.
4. Click Next, and then click Connect To A Private Network Through The Internet, and then click Next.
5. Do one of the following:
   • If you use a dial-up connection to connect to the Internet, click Automatically Dial This Initial Connection and then select your dial-up Internet connection from the list.
   • If you use a full-time connection (such as a cable modem), click Do Not Dial The Initial Connection.
6. Click Next.
7. Type the FQDN (Full Qualified Domain Name) host name (for example, Microsoft.com) or the IP address (for example, 123.123.123.123) of the computer to which you want to connect, and then click Next.
8. Click to select For All Users if you want the connection to be available to anyone who logs on to the computer, or click to select Only For Myself to make it available only when you log onto the computer, and then click Next.
9. Type a descriptive name for the connection, and then click Finish. NOTE: This option is available only if you are logged on as a member of the Administrators group.
10. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Network And Dial-Up Connections.
11. Double-click the new connection.
12. Click Properties to further configure options for the connection:
    • If you are connecting to a domain, click the Options tab, and then click to select the Include Windows logon domain check box to specify whether to request Windows logon domain information before attempting to connect.
    • If you want the connection to be redialed if the line is dropped, click the Options tab, and then click to select the Redial if line is dropped check box.
    • Click the Advanced tab. In the Windows Firewall box click Settings and turn the firewall off (XP only)
13. The router that connects the client to the Internet needs to be set up for VPN support.

1. Select Tools and click on Internet Options
2. On Connections tab
   1. Tick Never dial a connection
   2. Set VPN connection as the default
   3. Click Settings
      1. Tick Automatically detect settings
      2. Use proxy server of http://server_name and port 8080

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Network And Dial-Up Connections.
2. Double-click the new connection.
3. If you do not currently have a connection to the Internet, Windows offers to connect to the Internet.
4. Once the connection to the Internet is made, the VPN server prompts you for your user name and password. Enter your user name and password, click Connect, and your network resources should be available to you in the same way they are when you connect directly to the network.

It is important to understand that, having set up a VPN client, client access to email (Outlook) performance implications may be an issue. Consequently, updating the HOSTS file is probably worthwhile.