Symptoms
On a computer that is running Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2, the Routing and Remote Access service (RRAS) does not start when there is no network connectivity. For example, RRAS does not start when all wired network connectivity is un-plugged or when wireless connectivity is shut off.
Additionally, you cannot create new incoming connections when there is no network connectivity. This is because incoming connections require that RRAS is started.
Cause
When RRAS starts, it tries to initialize certain functions in Internet Authentication Service (IAS) for authentication. The IAS initialization fails when there is no network connectivity. Therefore, RRAS does not start. On Windows 7 and on Windows Server 2008 R2, IAS initialization failure is by design when there is no network connectivity. Then, you see the behavior that is mentioned in the "Symptoms" section.
Workaround
To start RRAS in order to create a new incoming connection, your computer needs to be connected to a network. After RRAS starts, you will still be able to create a new incoming connection after you disconnect from the network.
To check the status of RRAS, check the state of the RemoteAccess service (Routing and Remote Access) under the Services tab in Windows Task Manager.
Status
This behavior is by design.
