Description of the Microsoft L2TP/IPSec Virtual Private Networking Client for Earlier Clients

You can use the Microsoft L2TP/IPSec VPN client to make connections to a Microsoft Windows 2000 or Windows 2000-compatible VPN server from a computer that runs any of the following operating systems:

• Windows 98 (all versions) with Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.01 or later and the Dial-up Networking version 1.4 upgrade.
• Windows Millennium Edition with the virtual private networking (VPN) communications component and Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 or later.
• Windows NT Workstation 4.0 Service Pack 6 (SP6) with Remote Access Service (RAS), the Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol, and Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.01 or later.

The L2TP/IPSec VPN client does not provide a server feature for any of these operating systems. It does not install on Microsoft Windows NT Server or on any version of Windows 2000 or Microsoft Windows XP.

NOTE: L2TP/IPSec support is already built into Windows 2000 and Windows XP.

Installation and Removal

To install the L2TP/IPSec VPN client, copy the installer program (Msl2tp.exe) to your computer, and then run it. The installer checks your computer and installs the L2TP/IPSec client. It also installs a configuration utility and a help file. To access the utility and the help file, click Start, point to Programs, and then click Microsoft IPSec VPN.

To remove the L2TP/IPSec VPN client and its associated configuration utility and help file, use the Add/Remove Programs utility in Control Panel.

Upgrading to Windows 2000 or Windows XP

The L2TP/IPSec client is built into Windows 2000 and Windows XP. Before you upgrade to Windows 2000 or Windows XP, remove the Microsoft L2TP/IPSec VPN client from Windows 98, Windows Millennium Edition or Windows NT 4.0 Workstation so that it does not interfere with the built-in VPN client.

For additional information, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: