Network and Dial-up Connections was a utility in Microsoft Windows 2000 that allowed a client machine to connect to a remote access server or the Internet over a phone line or some other WAN link. (This utility was named Dial-Up Networking in Windows NT, Windows 95, and Windows 98.)

In Windows 2000, you could use Network and Dial-up Connections to create:

• A dial-up connection to a Remote Access Service (RAS) server on a private network
• A Virtual Private Network (VPN) connection over the Internet
• A direct connection to a second computer using a serial, parallel, or infrared port

Network and Dial-up Connections was also used to configure a stand-alone computer running Windows 2000 (one that is not part of a domain) to accept incoming connections from other computers.

If the computer is part of a domain

If your Windows 2000–based computer was part of a domain, you should use the Routing and Remote Access console to configure instead of Network and Dial-up Connections to accept incoming connections.

Note: This article is about obsolete technology.