Microsoft Windows XP Networking Inside Out

Part 2: Internet Networking

On the General tab, shown in Figure 4-12, you can click the Configure button to access the Modem Configuration dialog box. This takes you to the same properties options you find when accessing modem properties through Phone And Modem Options in Control Panel. Under Phone Number on the General tab, you see the number you entered when you created the connection. If you want to use alternate numbers, click the Alternates button and enter the desired numbers. Note that by default the numbers you entered in the dialog box will be dialed as-is, including the area code (if it is included). In other words, dialing rules are not used, and the computer dials the numbers exactly as you have entered them. If you want to configure dialing rules for the connection, select Use Dialing Rules on the General tab, and then click the Dialing Rules button. The Dialing Rules tab of the Phone And Modem Options dialog box appears. You can then create area code rules as needed from a specific location, and you can create multiple locations. Dialing rules are very effective when you’re using a portable computer and dialing up from different locations. See “Configuring Dialing Rules” on page 111 to learn more.

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Figure 4-12. You can access the modem configuration, phone number, and dialing rules from the General tab.

On the Options tab, shown in Figure 4-13, you can configure several dialing and redialing options. These settings are mostly self-explanatory, but notice that the Idle Time Before Hanging Up value is 20 minutes by default. Even if you have the modem configured to not hang up after a set amount of idle time, the connection settings will still be invoked. Therefore, if you want to make certain that you are never automatically disconnected, select Never from the Idle Time Before Hanging Up list. Then, open

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Phone And Modem Options in Control Panel. Select the Modems tab, select the modem, and click the Properties button. On the Advanced tab, click the Change Default Preferences button and clear the Disconnect A Call If Idle For More Than option.

Figure 4-13. Configure dialing and redialing options on the Options tab.

The options on the Security and Networking tabs typically apply to dial-up connections to a corporate network, such as a VPN connection, although some ISPs are now requiring secure authentication methods. You can learn more about the configuration options on the Security tab in Chapter 20, “Using Security,” and the configuration options on the Networking tab in “Configuring IP Settings in Windows XP,” page 35, as well as in “Other Networking Protocols,” page 42.

caution The default security settings for Internet connections use the Typical (Recommended Setting) on the Security tab, which uses unsecured passwords. Do not change the settings on the Security tab unless the instructions from your ISP specifically tell you to do so. Incorrect edits to the Security tab will prevent you from being authenticated by the ISP’s servers.

On the Advanced tab, you can turn on Internet Connection Firewall, which you can learn more about in Chapter 5, “Using Internet Connection Firewall,” and you can use ICS, which you can learn more about in “Using Internet Connection Sharing,” page 301.

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You need to solve common dial-up connection problems.

Users who rely on dial-up connections can suffer from a number of different problems because they have to connect to the ISP each time they wish to use the Internet, and because of possible connection problems over phone lines. The following are some common problems and solutions:

●My dial-up connection keeps disconnecting when I am not using it. If the connection is automatically being terminated, take a look at the Idle Time Before Hanging Up setting on the Options tab of the Dial-up Connection Properties dialog box. Also, be aware that many ISPs automatically disconnect idle users after a certain time period to conserve their resources.

●My connection is slow. If the Internet connection is slow over the modem, it is normally a problem with the ISP’s connection to the Internet or a limitation of your phone lines. Verify the speeds you’re getting over your dialup connection by examining the connection’s properties after you dial

up. If they’re slow, you might have noisy phone lines in your house (or between your house and the nearest fiber-optic connection). Also, contact your ISP to determine the amount of load being placed on its Internet connection.

●My connection always tries to dial a 1 in front of the number. Right-click the dial-up connection, choose Properties, and on the General tab, change the phone number settings. Or, if you are using dialing rules, change the dialing rule configuration so that it recognizes the phone number or area code as local. See the next section for a discussion on dialing rules.

●I am prompted to approve the phone number every time the connection dials. Right-click the dial-up connection, choose Properties, and select the Options tab. Clear the Prompt For Phone Number check box.

●I have a number of connection problems on a regular basis. If you have a number of connection problems, including dropped connections, you might need to use some additional initialization commands for the modem. See your modem’s documentation for details. Also, try opening Phone And Modem Options in Control Panel, select the Advanced tab, click the Advanced Port Settings button, and adjust the FIFO buffer settings. If none of these suggestions work for you, it’s possible there might be a fundamental incompatibility between your modem and the ones being used by your ISP. Contact your ISP for recommended modem brands as well as tips on how

to make your modem connect properly to the ISP’s modem.

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Configuring Dialing Rules

Dialing rules can be very helpful when you need to dial from different locations. They can also be an annoyance if you do not have them configured correctly because they typically cause users a number of problems. If you are dialing from a laptop that is used in several different places or if you help support users who do so, it is wise to have a firm understanding of how dialing rules work.

Dialing rules work by location. This means that you configure specific locations and define how dialing should work from each location. You specify which numbers should be used for accessing the Internet from each location (a local number is preferable so you don’t pay long distance or toll charges). You also specify which area codes are local to each location and which calling cards should be used for each location.

Suppose you work in a corporate office and use a laptop. From that office and your home, you use certain dialing rules to access an ISP. Several area codes are considered local, and you have several access numbers. Perhaps you frequently travel to a customer’s site in another city. You use the same laptop, but you need to dial a long distance number using a corporate credit card to access your company’s LAN. You simply create a new location and select that location on the Dialing Rules tab of the Phone And Modem Options dialog box whenever you are in that city. When you return to your hometown, you choose the dialing rules for that location. You might have one dialing connection that is called Local and another called Remote. By telling Windows XP where you are, it will use the dialing rules for that location to determine how to dial your ISP.

You can easily create new dialing locations and edit existing locations using the Dialing Rules tab of the Phone And Modem Options dialog box shown in Figure 4-14.

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Figure 4-14. Dialing rules are based on different locations, which you can create from the Dialing Rules tab.

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To create a new location, follow these steps:

1Open Phone And Modem Options in Control Panel, and select the Dialing Rules tab. Click the New button.

2The New Location dialog box appears. On the General tab, shown in Figure 4-15, you can configure the following important settings:

■Location Name. Give the location a recognizable name.

■Country/Region and Area Code. Select your country or region, and enter the area code for the location.

■Dialing Rules. Enter values to access outside lines for local calls or long distance calls. You can also enter carrier codes. You have several options that you can use if necessary.

■Call Waiting. Choose a code to disable call waiting so that your connection is not interrupted. Call waiting often disrupts dial-up connections. Select the To Disable Call Waiting option, and enter the code in the text box to the right. A typical code in the United States is *70.

However, different carriers use different disable codes, so you’ll have to enter the code needed for your carrier.

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Figure 4-15. Configure basic calling options for a location on the

General tab of the New Location dialog box.

3On the Area Code Rules tab, you can create a list of area code rules that tells Windows XP how to handle certain area codes. To create a rule, click the New button.

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4In the New Area Code Rule dialog box, shown in Figure 4-16, enter the area code and include any specific prefixes that should be used. Under Rules, select whether to dial 1 before the area code and whether to dial the area code. Click OK to save the rule. If an area code must be dialed for certain prefixes but not for others, define two area code rules for the area code, one rule for each group of prefixes. You can then create additional rules for other area codes by clicking the New button on the Area Code Rules tab, or you can edit an existing rule using the Edit button.

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Figure 4-16. Create the area code rule by applying rules according to prefixes or entire area codes.

caution The Dial option and the Include The Area Code option at the bottom of the New Area Code Rule dialog box often cause problems. Keep in mind that a 1 will always be dialed if the Dial option is selected as will the area code if that option is selected. If you are having problems with a dialing rule concerning 1 and/or the area code, the area code rule is always the culprit.

5On the Calling Card tab, shown in Figure 4-17 on the next page, you can select a calling card if you are using one, and enter the account and PIN numbers as needed. If your card is not provided in the default list, click the New button to enter the card name and information.

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Figure 4-17. Configure a calling card for use with the dialing location if necessary.

6When you are done, click OK. The new location appears in the Phone And Modem Options dialog box.

Managing Broadband Connections

For the most part, once a broadband connection is configured and working, there is nothing else to do, especially if the broadband connection is an always-on DSL, cable, or satellite connection. Because you do not have to connect each time you want to use the Internet, it is unlikely that you will have the problems you might expect with a dialup connection.

Normally, broadband providers will send out a technician to install the hardware device and configure your system or allow you to use a kit to set it up yourself. The kit will provide step-by-step instructions for setting up and connecting the DSL, cable, or satellite modem, connecting it to your PC, and configuring the networking settings on your system.

Most broadband systems use either DHCP to allow your computer to automatically be configured to use the service or provide you with a PPPoE client that provides the same functionality. With PPPoE clients, however, you must manually connect each time you wish to use your broadband connection.

Other broadband ISPs will provide you with an IP address, subnet mask, default gateway, and DNS addresses, which must be manually configured, as described in “Configuring IP Settings in Windows XP” on page 35. The use of static configuration information is becoming less and less common among broadband ISPs, however.

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If you intend to use a router or residential gateway on your broadband connection, you’ll need to perform further configuration. Ordinarily, these devices use network address translation (NAT) to share the one IP address typically provided by the ISP with more than one computer. This functionality, combined with any firewall capabilities of the device, also helps protect your network from malicious hackers.

If you end up using a router or residential gateway, you’ll need to configure it to work with your ISP. Similar to configuring a standalone computer, you will need to configure the router or residential gateway either to receive its IP address via DHCP, to use PPPoE passthrough, or to use a static configuration.

When using routers or residential gateways, you’ll also need to configure your computers to request their configuration information from your router or residential gateway via DHCP (although your computers can be configured manually to private addresses if you want). See “Adding Routers and Residential Gateways,” page 51, and “Getting to Know NAT,” page 54, for more information on these devices as well as private IP networking. Also, consult the manual for your router or gateway device to determine how to use it with your particular ISP’s configuration.

Each broadband connection and broadband provider has different configuration options and instructions; therefore, always check your documentation if you are experiencing connectivity problems or if you need to make some kind of configuration change. Also, never hesitate to use the telephone technical support provided by your ISP if you are experiencing problems.

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Chapter 5

Introducing	117
Firewalls
Understanding
Internet
Connection	118
Firewall
Activating and	124
Configuring ICF

Using Internet

Connection Firewall

It seems as though hacker attacks and other malicious behavior over the Internet are quite common these days. The evening news often reports some new online threat that has appeared, and even large corporations with extensive security have fallen prey to hackers and security breaks. With security becoming more and more of an issue when accessing the Internet, attention has moved to the home and small office user as well. With always-on, always-connected broadband solutions growing in use, the potential for security problems is very real.

To help combat these problems and provide a safer way to access the Internet, Microsoft Windows XP introduces Internet Connection Firewall (ICF), a tool designed for the home user, home network, or small office network that helps protect a computer or network from security threats originating from the Internet. This chapter covers the basics of activating and configuring ICF to protect your Windows XP computer from external attack.

Introducing Firewalls

Firewalls are certainly nothing new in the computing world, but you hear more about them today than ever before. With security concerns at an all time high, numerous firewall products are available on the market, with a number of third-party software products targeted to the home user or small network. With ICF’s inclusion in Windows XP, you know that these security concerns are valid and should be considered by any Internet user or network user.

What Is a Firewall?

A firewall is a piece of hardware or software placed between two networks or computers to keep one safe from the other.

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