VPN???

[DirtylilTechBoy]

I understand what virtual, private, and network mean, and I can setup a lan no problimo. What is a VPN and how is it different than a LAN with a router and nodes?

 

[ScottMac]

A VPN is basically an encrypted tunnel between two points.

There are a variety of protocols and methods.

Google is your friend.


Good Luck

Scott

 

[DirtylilTechBoy]

So, if I setup a network, and used ssh to communicate between the points, would that classify as a VPN?

 

[ScottMac]

Well, sorta, I guess.

VPNs (in my mind anyway) are more of an endpoint-to-endpoint tunnel, such that you are a client/host on the network segment. With SSH (even though it has tunneling) is more of a single client, connecting to a single resource. Once you get to the resource, certainly you could connect out from there ... and that would be similar to (what I think of as) a VPN terminating at a firewall for further authentication.

Another way to look at it: a VPN is more like a Remote Access Server, which answers the dial-in, and routes you to the entire LAN, versus dialing up directly to your desktop modem/PC (which may or may not give you additional LAN access).

It's a little fuzzy, depending on how much marketing you've been exposed to.

Sorry if that's vague. It's kinda like when we asked our (German) precision mechanic about "Perfect Vacuum," he said " Vell, you know, I have it in my head but I can't really describe it."

FWIW

Scott

 

[Saltin]

A VPN allows a remote computer (the VPN client) to act as a node on a remote network/LAN.
Once connected, the client will function as if it was directly connected to the remote LAN.
All traffic between the client and the server (gateway) is encrypted and secure.

Sometimes, VPN's are used between two remote points to secure traffic. Imagine I had a Windows 2000 domain controller in Seattle, and one in Toronto. I could set up a VPN between them, and they could replicate Active Directory securely, via the internet.

Once in a while, a VPN is used to secure internal traffic too..... like when paycheck/salary information is moving between the accounting server and the print server....

Think of it as a private tunnle through public space.

 

[Labdog]

VPN: short for Virtual Private Network

a network that is constructed by using public wires to connect network nodes. a VPN may also be refered to as an "extranet". VPNs use dedicated, secure tunnels to ease the transmission of data between the local POP & the coporate network. typically, the networks involved are IP networks, the Internet being the most common example. the tunnels are set up between a network access point & a tunnel terminating device on the destination network. these systems use encryption & other security mechanisms to ensure that only authorized users can access the network & that the data cannot be intercepted.

 

[L3Guy]

Just to be clear, a "tunnel" is a delivery mechanism that allows an encrypted packet that is encapsulated in IP to be delivered across a network. In the case we are talking about, we take an IP packet, encrypt it, and wrap it in IP to deliver it.
Why? If we encrypt the packet, we have very high security across the Internet.
Other reasons to tunnel are to deliver IPX across the internet for games (or business ),
Allow non-routable traffic, multicast traffic, etc.

This is not a particularly bulletproof definition, but I hope it helps.

Doug