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Connection Manager user interface

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Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

Connection Manager user interface

The Connection Manager user interface consists of a logon dialog box and a set of property dialog boxes with which users can customize their connection settings. What users see depends largely on how you customize your service profile.

Logon dialog box

The logon dialog box is often the only Connection Manager screen your users see when they access your service. In this dialog box, users specify their credentials (such as user name and user password) so they can connect to your network servers. You can customize the service name, the graphic, support information, and many other elements of this dialog box. Users can customize this logon box if they configure favorite connection settings. If two or more favorites have been configured, the user can select between them from the logon dialog box.

Properties dialog box

The ServiceProfileServiceName Properties dialog box appears when a user clicks Properties in the logon dialog box.

Note

  • The title bar of this dialog box contains the service name of the service profile in front of the word Properties, but it is referred to as simply the Properties dialog box throughout this documentation.

Properties, General tab

On the General tab, users can specify the way their system connects to an Internet service provider to access your service:

  • If the service profile that you provide supports virtual private network (VPN) connections, users can choose to use a direct connection that has already been established through the Internet or use a dial-up connection, and they can specify phone numbers and other information needed to establish the dial-up connection.

  • If the service profile that you provide does not support VPN connections, users do not see the direct connections option, but they are still able to specify phone numbers and other information for their dial-up connections.

Using this tab, users specify the following information for dial-up connections:

  • The phone number to be dialed to establish a connection. Users can type a number or click the Phone Book button to select a phone number.

    When users click the Phone Book button, they can select a Point of Presence (POP) from the list in the Phone Book dialog box. Only those access numbers that are supported by the selected service type, country (or region), and state (or province) appear in the list.

    Additional numbers appear in the More access numbers box only if you configure the phone book to support this second set of numbers (such as the phone numbers you specify as surcharge numbers when you use Connection Point Services to create your phone book). If the phone book has not been set up with additional access numbers for the selected geographic location, the box will be empty. If you specify in the Connection Manager Administration Kit (CMAK) wizard that custom text is to be displayed next to the More access numbers box, the text appears only when numbers are available for the selected geographic location.

  • Dialing rules for the dialing location. If users click Dialing Rules on the General tab, they can specify information about the location from which they are currently dialing, such as calling card numbers and codes for accessing outside and long-distance lines, or information about other locations for future use.

  • The type of device to be used to connect to your service. Only installed and available device types appear in the Connect using list.

  • Whether to save the settings on the General tab as a favorite for later use. Users can name and save all the current settings on the General tab and then select one of these favorite sets of settings from the Connection Manager logon dialog box.

Properties, Internet Logon tab

On the Internet Logon tab, the user types a user name and password to connect to the Internet for a VPN connection. This tab appears only if, in the CMAK wizard, you:

  • Specify support for VPN connections, and

  • Do not select the Use the same user name and password for VPN and dial-up connections check box.

Properties, Options tab

On the Options tab, users can change the connection defaults for establishing and keeping active connections. Users can change both the number of redial attempts that occur and the amount of idle time that elapses before Connection Manager ends the connection. Users can also choose whether to enable logging for this connection. If a log file has been created, users can choose to view or clear it.

Properties, VPN tab

On the VPN tab, users can choose a VPN server for the connection. This tab appears only if, in the CMAK wizard, you do each of the following three things:

  • Specify support for VPN connections.

  • Select the Allow the user to choose a VPN server before connecting check box.

  • Include a VPN file with your service profile.

For more information, see Implementing VPN support and Incorporating VPN entries.

Properties, Advanced tab

On the Advanced tab, users can enable Internet Connection Sharing, Internet Connection Firewall, Windows Firewall, or any combination of these services for the connection. This tab only appears on computers running Windows XP or a member of the Windows Server 2003 family. Users who are not members of the Administrators group will not see this tab.

For more information, see Internet Connection Firewall and Connecting to the Internet in a home or small office network.

Notes   

  • Internet Connection Sharing and Network Bridge are not included in Windows Server 2003, Web Edition; Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition; and the Itanium-based versions of the original release of the Windows Server 2003 operating systems.

  • Internet Connection Firewall is included only in the original releases of Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition, and Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition.

  • Windows Firewall is not included in the original release of the Windows Server 2003 operating systems.

Additional screens

Depending on how you customize the service profile, other screens appear during the connection process. For example, you can specify whether a license agreement appears when users install Connection Manager. You can also incorporate Help screens and other messages into the service profile.