Providing user documentation

  • Article

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

Providing user documentation

In addition to Providing custom Windows Help with your documentation, you can incorporate other types of user documentation in your service profile. You can also develop and incorporate your own user documentation. Start by reviewing the information provided:

  • Sample procedures, included later in this topic:

    • "Setting up Connection Manager," including instructions for installing Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) on Windows NT 4.0

    • "Establishing a connection"

    • "Removing Connection Manager"

To reduce your customer-support effort, make sure your setup and usage instructions clearly and completely guide users through both the setup of Connection Manager and connection to your service.

To include user documentation in your service profile, you can specify the files as additional files (in the Additional Files pane of the CMAK wizard). For more information, see Including additional files.

Note

  • Information included as additional documentation is not available to users until after the installation of your service profile. You may want to include some of the information (such as installation procedures) in a readme file to accompany your service profile, in a form that can be accessed by users before installation.

User procedures

You should provide user documentation to help your users install, run, and remove (if necessary) Connection Manager. You can customize the following procedures and put them in a readme file or other user documentation.

Throughout these user procedures, you should substitute the name of your service profile for each occurrence of ServiceProfileFileName, regardless of the context in which it is used. (The name you substitute should not be in italics.)

The following procedures contain glossary entries and links to a Web site. Depending on the format and support files you provide with your documentation, these may not work as implemented here. Change these as appropriate for your deliverables.

When you run the CMAK wizard to build the service profile, specify the file names of all user documentation that you want incorporated in the service profile (to be available after the service profile is installed) as additional files.

Setting up Connection Manager

Instruct your users to perform the following procedure for setting up Connection Manager.

To set up Connection Manager

  1. Use the appropriate method to find the ServiceProfileFileName file:

    • If you received the program for your service on a floppy disk or compact disc:

    1. Insert it in the appropriate drive.

    2. Use Windows Explorer to find the file.

    • If you downloaded Connection Manager from the Internet or a private network, browse to your download folder.

  2. Double-click ServiceProfileFileName.exe.

  3. After installation has finished, double-click the icon on your desktop to start the service. If prompted to install additional components, click OK.

Verifying and installing the latest Dial-up Networking software for Windows 95

If your service profile supports virtual private network (VPN) connections, your users who are running Windows 95 on their computers must have the latest version of Dial-up Networking installed on their computers. Provide the following instructions to your VPN users to ensure installation of the correct level:

To verify and install Dial-up Networking software for Windows 95
  • If you are running Windows 95 on your computer, you must obtain and install the current Dial-up Networking software by downloading it as a Windows Update from the Microsoft Web site.

Installing PPTP on Windows NT 4.0

Users must manually install PPTP on computers running Windows NT 4.0. Provide the following instructions for users who need to install PPTP.

To install PPTP on a computer running Windows NT 4.0

  1. Make sure your Windows NT 4.0 distribution disks are available during installation to provide access to system files. It is recommended that the latest Windows NT service pack be installed. Windows NT Service Pack 3 provides support for multiple modems or dial-up scripting. Windows NT Service Pack 4 provides additional support for virtual private network (VPN) connections. Users can obtain the current Dial-up Networking software by downloading it as a Windows Update from the Microsoft Web site.

  2. Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Network.

  3. On the Protocols tab, click Add.

  4. In Network Protocol, click Point To Point Tunneling Protocol, and click OK.

    If Setup needs to copy files, click Continue when prompted.

  5. When prompted, click OK to set the number of virtual private networks to one (1).

  6. In the Remote Access Setup dialog box, click Add, click VPN1 - RASPPTM, and then click OK.

  7. Click Configure, and make sure the Dial out only check box is selected.

  8. In the Remote Access Setup dialog box, click Network, make sure TCP/IP is selected, and then click Continue.

    You can now close the Network utility and restart your computer, and then reinstall any service packs required.

Establishing a connection

Have users follow these steps to connect to your service:

To establish a connection on a computer running Windows XP or a member of the Windows Server 2003 family

  1. On the desktop, double-click the ServiceProfileFileName icon.

  2. Type your user name and* *password.

    If you are using a VPN connection to connect to a private network, you might be prompted for a second user name and password. If so, type the user name and password that you use for the Internet service provider (ISP).

  3. If you are using Connection Manager to connect for the first time, click Properties, click Phone Book, and then select a phone number from the list of access numbers. (Or you can type the phone number that you want to use to access the service.)

  4. Click OK twice.

  5. Click Connect to establish a connection.

    When you connect, the service might update your phone book if new or changed phone book information is available.

Notes

  • You can also start Connection Manager using the program icon in the Network Connections folder.

  • Connection Manager supports user installation of multiple service profiles, running multiple instances of Connection Manager, and multiple user profiles for each service profile. If a user installs more than one service profile, each is installed in a separate folder. You can provide as many profiles to your users as necessary to support your service, but each must have a different service name and file name.

  • For help with establishing a connection or with troubleshooting, use Help:

    • For troubleshooting Help, click Help in the Connection Manager logon dialog box.

    • For more information about an item in the dialog boxes, click the question mark [?] button in the title bar, and then click the item.

      Or right-click the item, and then click What's This?.

Removing your service

Have users follow these steps if they want to remove your service.

Note

  • This procedure removes only the service profile. The Connection Manager software remains on the user's computer, as users may require it for other profiles on the computer.
To remove your service

  1. Right-click the desktop icon for your service.

  2. Click Delete.

  3. When prompted to continue with the deletion, click OK.

Note

  • Removing the software for your service does not remove the Connection Manager software required to run your service. You must remove the Connection Manager software separately.