Table of Contents
This chapter will explore the use of configuring various Virtual Private Network (VPN) connection types with NST. A VPN allows two private networks to be connected over a publicly-accessible network (Ex: Public Internet). Typically the VPN is built using a secure tunnel so that the privacy of the data is preserved. It is important to also discuss effective throughput rates and overhead associated with the VPN tunnel. These topics will also be reviewed in this chapter.
The first VPN network configuration type we will cover consists of setting up a VPN by tunneling the Point-To-Point (PPP) layered protocol over a Secured Shell (SSH) session. The second VPN type uses IPSEC (Internet Protocol SECurity) and IKE (Internet Key Exchange) for building secure IP transports over the Internet. As of Linux 2.5.47, there is a native IPSEC implementation in the kernel and a collection of user space tools IPsec-Tools for monitoring and administration. Note: The section using IPSEC VPNs has not been written as of this date.