TCP/IP

  • Article

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

TCP/IP

Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) is the most popular protocol, and the basis for the Internet. Its routing capabilities provide maximum flexibility in an enterprise-wide network.

On a TCP/IP network, you must provide IP addresses to clients. Clients may also require a naming service or a method for name resolution. This section explains IP addressing and name resolution for Network Connections on TCP/IP networks. It also describes the FTP and Telnet tools that are provided by the Microsoft® Windows Server 2003 family.

Assigning IP addresses to remote access connections

Each remote computer that connects to a remote access server on a Windows TCP/IP network is provided an IP address by the server. This IP address is either automatically provided through the server by DHCP on the target network or selected from the static range that is assigned to the remote access server. For more information see Incoming connections and IP addresses.

If you use a specific IP address, the remote access server must be configured to permit users to request a specific address.

Name resolution for network and dial-up connections

In addition to requiring an IP address, network and dial-up connections for a NetBT gateway on a TCP/IP network may require a mechanism to resolve computer names to IP addresses. You can use any one of the following mechanisms for name resolution: DNS, WINS, broadcast name resolution, and the Hosts and Lmhosts files.

Incoming connections clients are assigned the same WINS and DNS servers that are assigned to the incoming connections computer. The TCP/IP settings of a network or dial-up connection can override these automatic assignments.

Incoming connections that do not have a DNS or WINS server rely completely on broadcast name resolution, which occurs by using broadcasts to locate network resources that match a computer name.

Internet tools

The Windows Server 2003 family provides File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and Telnet. FTP is a character-based utility that permits you to connect to FTP servers and transfer files. Telnet is a command-line application that lets you log on to remote computers and issue commands as if you were at the keyboard of the remote computer. Multiple variations of FTP, Telnet, and other services based on earlier Internet standards are also available on the Internet or commercially.

For information about configuring a connection, see Configure a connection to a remote network. For information about configuring TCP/IP, see Configure TCP/IP settings.

Note

  • FTP and Telnet tools run on top of TCP/IP networks.