Enabling and Configuring RRAS in Windows Server 2008



Although RRAS (Routing and Remote Access Service) is installed by default when you install Windows Server 2008, still you need to enable the service in order to configure and use it. To do so, click Start button from the Taskbar and then Control Panel and then Administrative Tools and then click on Routing and Remote Access to open the RRAS console. Right-click the server in the left pane and choose Configure and Enable Routing and Remote Access to start the RRAS Setup Wizard. You can use the wizard to automatically configure RRAS for specific applications or configure the service manually.

The wizard offers five basic options for configuring RRAS:

1) Remote access (dial-up or VPN): Sets up the server to accept incoming remote access connections, whether dial-up or VPN.

2) Network address translation (NAT): Sets up the server to provide NAT services to clients on the private network that need to access the Internet.

3) Virtual private network (VPN) access and NAT: Sets up the server to support incoming VPN connections from the Internet and NAT-protected client connections from the local network out to the Internet.

4) Secure connection between two private networks: Sets up a demand-dial or persistent connection between networks, with the server acting as a router.

5) Custom configuration: Permits you to choose individual services which you want RRAS to offer, such as NAT, LAN routing, and VPN access.

If the Windows Firewall service is running, you cannot enable and configure RRAS. Open the Services console, stop the Windows Firewall service, and configure it to Disabled startup. Then, try running the RRAS wizard again.