How to set up VPN Connections in Microsoft Windows XP and join or access an internal domain from an external client using VPN

2.    Open up the Network Connections item in Control Panel. A list of existing dial-up and LAN connections appears

3.    Select 'Create a new connection' item from the left-hand side of the window. The Windows XP New Connection Wizard will appear on the screen

4.    Click Next to begin the wizard, then choose the 'Connect to the network at my workplace' item from the list and click Next

5.    On the Network Connection page of the wizard, choose the 'Virtual Private Network connection' option and then click Next

6.    Enter a name for the new VPN connection in the 'Company Name' field and click Next. Choose something descriptive, not necessarily company’s name

7.    Select an option on the 'Public Network' screen and click Next

8.    Choose the 'Do not dial the initial connection' option. This option requires that Internet connection be established first, before this new VPN connection will be initiated. Otherwise 'Automatically dial this initial connection'  option can be used if the VPN connection will always be initiated when the computer is not already connected to the Internet. Otherwise,

9.    Enter the name or IP address of the VPN remote access server to connect to, and click Next. Note: Make sure to use correct IP address for the remote server as Windows XP wizard doesn’t validate this information

10.  Choose an option on the "Connection Availability" screen and click Next. The default option, 'My Use Only,' ensures that Windows will make this new connection available only to the currently logged on user. Otherwise, choose the 'Anyone's use' option

11.  Click Finish to complete the wizard. The new VPN connection information has been saved

12.  Once you’re done setting up VPN connection the next step is to join and access internal domain remotely

13.  Establish the VPN and make sure you enter a valid account which has dial-in permissions

14.  Join the domain (for example, support.ms.com) from the remote client or server

15.  Forward a request to the DNS server that is a member of the domain to resolve DNS names. This traffic is now routed over the VPN connection

16.  The local DNS server responds to the remote client, as all traffic (LDAP, SMB, NetBIOS, DNS, and so on) is routed over the VPN connection and the remote client or server can access the domain as if it is on the intranet relative to the domain.