Rev Up Your Net Connection

Connection Inc.

Office workers have never been so footloose.

Corporate networks are becoming easier and safer to access via the public Internet, so we can be "at work" wherever we find an Internet link. Remote connections are rarely as convenient or as fast as being on an office LAN, but more and more companies are finding that virtual private networks are easy and quick enough to get the job done.

For most organizations, the bottom line on VPNs is the bottom line: VPNs are a fraction of the cost of the dedicated leased lines used for remote access in the past, in part because VPNs use employees' existing Internet service. Some cable-modem service providers claim that VPNs violate residential contracts; they require that people using a VPN as part of a low-cost residential agreement upgrade to a business account.

Even if they were free, VPNs would be shunned by businesses if they weren't secure. VPNs use "tunneling" to establish a secure connection between your PC and the corporate network gateway. See "How It Works: Virtual Private Networks" for a look under the VPN hood.

Remote Access From the Client Side

My dilemma: I love office work, but I hate offices. Processed air, prefab cubicles, urns of hours-old "special house blend" coffee, and enough fluorescent lighting to irradiate a ham--yeah, that's where I want to spend half my waking hours each week.

My salvation: VPN and DSL, my two favorite TLAs (three-letter acronyms). Virtual private networks running over digital subscriber lines give my home PC the same access to the PC World network that I get from the machine in my office pen--er, cubicle. My boss is happy because I'm more productive. The IT folks are happy because VPNs are inexpensive and easy to maintain. And I'm happy because I can get my work done quickly enough to leave plenty of time for chasing Frisbees and indulging in other outdoor activities.

Establishing and maintaining a remote link to an office network is not without its pitfalls. In three years of using VPN over DSL, I've weathered a storm of dropped connections, service outages, interminable response times, and system-configuration woes. Yet the most important lesson I've learned is that with perseverance, anything is possible.

Of course, a little self-sufficiency goes a long way. The IT staffers back in the office serve as your first and last resource when you install and troubleshoot your remote link, but there's plenty you can do to make their job--and yours--much easier. Here are steps to take before calling the help desk.

Start with the obvious: Is your modem turned on? Are all your plugs snug in their sockets? Is there a dialtone when you pick up the phone? If you use DSL, a phone outage will knock out your data link, too.

Check your e-mail or open your browser: If you can't send or receive e-mail, or if you're unable to visit a Web site (follow a link that you haven't followed before to ensure that you're not viewing a page from your browser's cache memory), the problem may be with your Internet connection rather than with your VPN link.

Verify your VPN settings: Make sure the VPN server's IP address, DNS, and WINS settings are correct. Your IT department supplied this information to you when you installed your VPN link.

In Windows XP, click Start, Connect To, right-click your VPN shortcut, and select Properties. The VPN server's IP address will be listed on the General tab in the box under 'Host name or IP address of destination'. To verify your TCP/IP settings, select the Networking tab, highlight Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) in the box under 'This connection uses the following items', and click Properties. The settings you need to check up on are your 'Preferred' and 'Alternate' DNS and your primary and secondary WINS addresses (click Advanced and then the WINS tab to view them). While you're on the Networking tab, click the Settings button under 'Type of VPN', and make sure Enable software compression is checked. Note that your IT department may have specified additional settings for your connection.

In Windows 9x and Me, select Start, Settings, Dial-Up Networking, right-click your VPN shortcut, and select Properties. You'll see the VPN server's IP address on the General tab in the box under 'Host name or IP Address'. Click the Networking tab and verify that Enable software compression is checked. Now select TCP/IP Settings to check your primary and secondary DNS and WINS numbers. If your PC is on a home network, uncheck Use default gateway on remote network. Now choose the Security tab and make sure that your network user name, password (if you select the Connect automatically option), and network domain server name are correct. Your IT department likely requires that you keep the three entries under 'Advanced security options' (Log on to network, Require encrypted password, and Require data encryption) checked.