Dial-up Internet Access

Many organizations provide access to the Internet through their local area networks (LANs).

The LAN is connected to the Internet through a gateway (router) and typically includes additional protection such as a firewall or proxy server.

This additional safeguard protects the LAN from unauthorized access from the Internet and controls LAN user access to Internet resources.

Modem configuration

The first step is to configure a modem. Windows 2000 will typically detect and set up your modem automatically.

Connection configuration

Dial-up connections are configured through the Network and Dial-up Connections folder (see figure).

The Network and Dial-up Connections folder can be opened from the Windows 2000 Control Panel or by running Start | Settings | Network and Dial-up Connections.

The Network Connection Wizard will prompt you for the network connection type ((see figure). The default is to create a dial-up connection to a private network.

You will be prompted with three Internet setup options:

• Sign up for a New Internet Account
• Transfer an Existing Account
• Configure an Account Manually

You must identify whether you are connecting through a phone line or your LAN (see figure).

The Advanced Connection properties pages allow you to configure the server type and logon procedure (see figure). The addresses properties give you the chance to manually enter an IP address and DNS server addresses, if necessary.

You will be prompted for a user name and password for automatic logon to your ISP.

After you have entered all your Internet connection information, you are prompted to click Finish to close the Wizard.

The Security properties page lets you set security options for the connection. You may need to configure Network properties to set up your system to meet your ISP's specifications.

A connection dialog box displays when you open your Internet connection.

Domain Names

The term domain is often used as a network security model.
We are using that term here in a different context, referring to the domain name system (DNS) used to manage host names in a TCP/IP network environment.

DNS hierarchy

DNS is a hierarchical naming structure. At the top of the Internet name structure is the root domain, which is represented by a period (.), commonly called a "dot." When a user enters URLs to navigate to Internet locations, the root domain is assumed and typically not included.

Contained in the root domain are top-level domains. These are used to organize domains by category or geographic region.

The second-level domain name usually identifies an organization.

For your Web site to be accessible through the Internet, your second-level domain name must be registered.

A domain name can:

• have up to 63 characters (including periods)
• include uppercase and lowercase letters
• include numbers and the hyphen (-) character
  (No other non-alphanumeric characters are allowed.)

End of Module 5 Home...