What is Internet Connection Services for RAS?

With the rapid growth of Internet communications, many people today are faced with different aspects of the same challenge: how to take advantage of Internet technology. Computer users want to know how they can quickly get connected to the Internet to access information. Internet service providers want to know how they can provide value-added features that differentiate their service. Corporations want to know how they can take advantage of Internet technology to reduce the cost of remote access and provide secure, inexpensive dial-up services, and a full, rich telecommuting solution to their corporate network.

Internet Connection Services for RAS is designed to help corporations build a comprehensive remote authentication and telecommuting solution over the Internet.

The Microsoft Windows platform provides a rich set of networking capabilities. Personal Computers equipped with Microsoft Windows can create dial-up connections to either an Internet service provider (ISP) or to a corporate network. Windows NT Remote Access Service (RAS) can receive dial-up sessions and provide secure dial-up connectivity to a corporate LAN. Through a technology called tunneling, Windows NT offers secure, virtual private networking to corporate LANs over the Internet.

Internet Connection Services for RAS is an additional set of services that builds on the features of Microsoft Windows and Windows NT Server to allow you to enhance your connectivity to a corporate network or to an Internet service provider. Internet Connection Services for RAS is comprised of three major applications:

Connection Manager Administration Kit (CMAK). Connection Manager, which is available for Windows 95 and Windows NT provides an integrated and customizable dialer by which users can access the Internet or Virtual Private Networks (VPNs). Using the Connection Manager Administration Kit (CMAK), ISPs or corporations can customize the Connection Manager to their needs.
Connection Point Services. Runs on Microsoft Windows NT Server and allows administrators to centrally manage the distribution of phone books containing information on network access phone numbers.
Internet Authentication Services (IAS). Runs on Microsoft Windows NT Server and allows users to authenticate against the Windows NT SAM database using the Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS) protocol. The current version of IAS supports the Password Authentication Protocol (PAP) and Microsoft Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol (MS-CHAP) authentication methods.