Using the Remote Access Wizard

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Remote access allows authorized remote users to connect to your Windows® Small Business Server network and use resources as if connected locally. To configure your server for remote access, use the Remote Access Wizard.

The wizard also creates the Connection Manager configuration package, which can be used to configure the necessary remote access settings for both mobile client computers and remote client computers. For more information, see "Steps for configuring remote access" later in this topic.

Using the Remote Access Wizard, you can enable virtual private network (VPN) access, dial-in access, or both:

  • VPN access enables remote client computers to connect securely to your local network over the Internet. Users will first connect to their local Internet service provider (ISP), and then securely connect to your server using special TCP/IP-based protocols, called tunneling protocols, as shown in Figure 1. Figure 1 - Virtual private network For more information about VPNs, see "Introduction to virtual private networks" at the Microsoft Web site (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=53422).
  • Dial-in access allows remote client computers to connect to your local network using a dial-in connection over a phone line to a modem on your server, as shown in Figure 2. Figure 2 - Dial-in networking For more information about dial-in access, see "The remote access server as a dial-up networking server" at the Microsoft Web site (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=53423).

Requirements for the wizard

To use the Remote Access Wizard requires the following:

Steps for configuring remote access

Use the Remote Access Wizard to configure your server for either VPN or dial-up connections to your local network. Once you have configured your server for remote access, you must also assign users the necessary permissions. To do so, assign the Mobile User template, Administrator template, or Power User template to the user account when you add a new user. Or, use the Change User Permissions Wizard to modify an existing account. You can also deploy the Connection Manager configuration package, which configures the settings necessary for connecting mobile and remote client computers to the local network. For detailed information about completing each of these steps, see Configure remote access.

Notes

  • If you use a router device to connect to the Internet or you have a firewall device on your network, check the manufacturer's documentation to see if additional configuration steps are required for these devices to allow remote access.
  • The log file for the Remote Access Wizard is located in \Program Files\Microsoft Windows Small Business Server\Support\Rraslog.txt.