I need to setup two sites with VPN connection so that both side clients will be able to access their resources.. Can anyone tell me where to find this information ?? Thanks

Setting up a Virtual Private Network in Windows XP Here’s a step by step example of connecting two Windows XP computers to each other. First I will explain how to make a connection to another Computer through a Virtual Private Network. To Begin, go to Control Panel > Network Connections Use the Create a New Connection Wizard. Choose Connect to the network at my workplace and then choose Virtual Private Network. When prompted, choose a Company Name (any name can go here, I will use Example), then choose whether you want Windows to dial the initial connection. This is useful if you use Dial-up to access the Internet. Finally enter the IP address of the destination computer. Note: It may display an option asking for permissions on this connection, depending on your requirements; choose either only me or anyone. Now there should be a new connection visible under the heading Virtual Private Network in the network connections screen. Right click on this connection, and go to properties. I will give a basic rundown on the options provided. The General Tab shows the IP Address of the Destination Computer, and allows you to initiate an Internet Connection before connecting the VPN. This is useful if you are not already connected to the Internet or don’t have a permanent connection. There is also an option for displaying an icon in the system tray when connected. The Options tab provides standard dial-up options such as Redial Attempts, Time before Redial, Idle Timeouts and visual display of progress. The logon domain is useful if your computer is part of the domain to which you are connecting. The Security Tab provides you with options to configure what encryption to use, whether to use encryption at all or whether to use smart card based settings, like Extensible Authentication protocol (EAP). The Typical Settings of Require Secure Password and Require Data Encryption are generally ok to use. The Networking tab allows you to choose between the different Tunnelling Protocols, Note that most people will only have three options, Automatic, PPTP, L2TP. Automatic should work if either protocols are used, but if you know what protocol you would like to use for your VPN, then it is preferable to select it from the options provided. The other options are for the protocols that you are tunnelling over the Internet. These will depend on your specific Network Settings. The Advanced Tab allows you to enable the Internet Connection Firewall, and if you would like, to set up Internet Connection Sharing. The Firewall should reconfigure itself for your VPN automatically. Ok, now that you can set up a connection, how do you setup a Windows XP computer to receive a connection? To do this, we need to go to our Destination Computer. Go to Control Panel > Network Connections. Use the New Connection Wizard. Choose Set up an Advanced Connection, then Choose Accept Incoming Connections, You don’t need to select any devices, just hit Next. Now select Allow Virtual Private Connections, choose the users allowed to connect, and finally the Internet Protocols Required. You should now have another connection called Incoming Connections, under the Heading Incoming. There aren’t a great deal of options for an incoming VPN connection, the Networking Tab is probably of most interest, such things as automatically assigning IP address’s, etc could make a connection unusable. As these differ from network to network, I can’t go into advanced configuration, however, if you have no advanced network at either end, and both computers are connected to the internet, the default settings should allow for a working connection. Also note there are no options at the receiving end for Protocol Types or Encryption Types, Windows XP supports PPTP and L2TP, and should accept what ever Protocol/Encryption the connecting computer is attempting to connect with. This means that all those settings should be adjusted at the connecting computer.

Great step by step guide, Brian. Thanks! Will this work between remote computers that are on a network behind DSL routers? Location A is on an office network. Internet access is provided on a DSL router attached to the network. Location B is the same. If I'm correct, the routers each have a static IP#, and all workstations have NAT IP's assigned by the router. Can VPN work in this kind of environment? Thanks again for your insight! Joe

No it will only work within each seperate network. The pc's behind the routers are private networks unreachable from the outside.

Thanks for the guide! I have one quick question. My host computer is behind a router that can accept IPsec. Do I need to configure this option if I set up the XP VPN server? Also, what IP address should the client attempt to connect to? Thanks for your help! Take care, Justin