Choosing a One-Way or Two-Way Initiated Connection

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

You can set up a site-to-site connection so that it can be initiated from only one location, or you can configure a connection that can be initiated from either side of the dial-up or VPN connection. Table 10.4 describes and compares these options.

Table 10.4   Comparing One-Way and Two-Way Initiated Connections

Connection Type Description Use

One-way initiated connection

A one-way initiated connection is one in which one site contains only an answering router and the other site contains only a calling router.

Use an on-demand or persistent one-way initiated connection when users at a branch office need to connect to a headquarters office but not vice versa.

Use a persistent one-way initiated connection when you have 10 or more branch offices and users at each site need to access the other sites. When you use a two-way initiated connection for 10 or more connections, performance is too slow.

Two-way initiated connection

A two-way initiated connection is one in which a router at each site can function as both the answering router and as the calling router.

Use a two-way initiated connection when users at both locations need to access resources or people in the other location and you have 10 or fewer connections (if you have 10 or more connections, use a one-way initiated persistent connection).

For both a one-way and a two-way initiated connection, use the properties of the router in the Routing and Remote Access snap-in to configure both the calling and the answering router as a local area network (LAN) router and as a demand-dial router.