INTRODUCTION
Virtual. Virtual means not real. In a VPN, private communication between
two or more devices is achieved through a public network the Internet.
Therefore, the communication is virtually but not physically there.
Private. Private means to keep something a secret from the general public.
Although those two devices are communicating with each other in a public
environment, there is no third party who can interrupt this communication
or receive any data that is exchanged between them.
Network. A network consists of two or more devices that can freely and
electronically communicate with each other via cables and wire.
WHAT IS A VPN ?
Virtual Private Network, is defined as a network that uses public
network paths but maintains the security and protection of private
networks.
For example, Delta Company has two locations, one in Noida, New
Delhi (A) and Pune, Mumbai (B). In order for both locations to
communicate efficiently, Delta Company has the choice to set up
private lines between the two locations. Although private lines would
restrict public access and extend the use of their bandwidth, it will
cost Delta Company a great deal of money since they would have to
purchase the communication lines per mile. The more viable option
is to implement a VPN. Delta Company can hook their
communication lines with a local ISP in both cities. The ISP would
act as a middleman, connecting the two locations. This would create
an affordable small area network for Delta Company.
A remote-access VPN connection allows an individual user to connect to a private
business network from a remote location using a laptop or desktop computer connected
to the internet.
Types of VPNs
❖ Remote access
VPN
❖ Intranet VPN
❖ Extranet VPN
Remote access – Enable remote connectivity using any
Internet access technology. The remote user launches the VPN client
VPNs
to create a VPN tunnel to the gateway.
TYPES OF VPNS
Intranet VPNs - If a company has one or more remote locations that
they wish to join in a single private network, they can create an intranet
VPN to connect LAN to LAN.
Extranet VPNs – When a company has a close relationship with
another company (for example, a partner, supplier or customer), they can
build an extranet VPN that connects LAN to LAN, and that allows all of
the various companies to work in a shared environment.
TYPES OF VPNS
TYPES OF VPN PROTOCOLS
❑ PPTP--Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol
❑ L2TP -- Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol
❑ IPsec-- Internet Protocol Security
❑ SSL -- Secure Socket Layer
[Link]-TO-POINT TUNNELING
PROTOCOL(PPTP)
PPTP (Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol) it’s the most widely
supported VPN method among Windows users and it was created by
Microsoft in association with other technology companies. The
disadvantage of PPTP is that it does not provide encryption and it
relies on the PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol) protocol to implement
security measures. But compared to other methods, PPTP is faster
and it is also available for Linux and Mac users.
[Link] 2 TUNNELING PROTOCOL(L2TP)
L2TP (Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol) it’s another tunneling protocol that
supports VPNs. Like PPTP, L2TP does not provide encryption and it
relies on PPP protocol to do this. The difference between PPTP and
L2TP is that the second one provides not only data confidentiality but
also data integrity. L2TP was developed by Microsoft and Cisco as a
combination between PPTP and L2F(Layer 2 Forwarding).
[Link] PROTOCOL SECURITY(IPSEC)
IPsec protocol can be used for encryption in correlation with L2TP
tunneling protocol. It is used as a “protocol suite for securing Internet
Protocol (IP) communications by authenticating and encrypting each IP
packet of a data stream”. IPSec requires expensive, time consuming
client installations and this can be considered an important disadvantage.
[Link] SOCKET LAYER(SSL)
SSL (Secure Socket Layer) is a VPN accessible via https over
web browser. The advantage of this SSL VPN is that it
doesn’t need any software installed because it uses the web
browser as the client application. Through SSL VPNs the
user’s access can be restrict to specific applications instead of
allowing access to the whole network.
VPNS - ADVANTAGES
❑ Eliminate the need for expensive private or leased lines
❑ Reduce the long-distance telephone charges
❑ Reduced equipment costs (modem banks, CSU/DSUs)
❑ Reduced technical support
❑ Scalability – easy adding of new locations to the VPN
❑ Security
❑ Simple Management
❑ Lower Cost
VPNS - DISADVANTAGES
❑ Require an in-depth understanding of public network security
issues and taking proper precautions in VPN deployment.
❑ The availability and performance of a corporate VPN (over
the Internet) depends on uncontrollable external factors.
❑ Shortage of standardization. The products from different vendors
may not work well together.
❑ VPNs need to accommodate complicated protocols other than IP.