Autodial

Autodial maps and maintains network addresses to connection destinations, which allows the destinations to be automatically dialed when referenced, whether from an application or from the command prompt. A network address can be an Internet host name, an IP address, or a NetBIOS server name. When a more specific mapping is not available in the database, autodial dials the default Internet connection.

The following example describes how autodial works:

1. You are not connected to your ISP, and you click an Internet address that is embedded in a word processing document.
2. If you have a connection that is set as the default Internet connection, autodial dials this connection, and then you can access the Internet address that you are trying to reach.
3. If you do not have a connection that is set as the default Internet connection, you are prompted to select a connection to use to reach your ISP. Autodial dials with this connection, and then you can access the Internet address that you are trying to reach.
4. The next time that you are not connected to your ISP and click the Internet address in a word processing document, a similar process occurs. If you selected a specific connection, that connection is automatically dialed. Otherwise, the default connection is dialed.

Autodial maps the resources that are required to initially make a connection but does not map resources once the connection is made.

There are two possibilities when autodial attempts to make a connection:

• If you are not connected to a network, autodial attempts to create a connection whenever an application references a remote address.
• If you are connected to a network, autodial attempts to create a connection only for those addresses that it has previously learned. Incorrectly typed server or Internet host names do not cause an autodial attempt.

For more information, see To configure autodial.

Note

• Autodial is disabled by default in all members of the Windows Server 2003 family. To enable autodial, the Remote Access Auto Connection Manager service needs to be started. For more information, see To start Remote Access Auto Connection Manager.