Chapter 3 Network Design and VPN Technologies

Chapter 3 Network Design and VPN Technologies
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INTRODUCTION ABOUT VIRTUAL PRIVATE NETWORK .1
A virtual private network (VPN) extends a private network across a public network
and enables users to send and obtain information across pooled or public networks
as if their computing man oeuvres were directly associated to the cloistered system.
Applications running across the VPN may therefore benefit from the functionality,
.security, and management of the private network
The virtual private network (VPN) is the excellent method for distributed services
provides on public network structure. VPN offers low cost, efficient use of
bandwidth, scalable and flexible functionality, secure and private connections. VPN
provides a virtual private line between two network sites that network traffic pass
through. VPN network is affected by several points such as operating system,
.hardware devices being used, interoperability and algorithm being implemented
VPN can be classified according to the tunneling security issue, location of endpoints,
connectivity types, security mechanisms robustness, and the types of tunneling
.protocols
Figure 1.1. VPN Tunneling Structure
VPN provide connectivity through a tunnel which is a virtual link between two nodes
may separate by a number of networks. Figure 1.1 above shows VPN tunneling
structure. The tunnel is established within the router and provided with the IP
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address of the router at the second end. Every packet is encapsulated inside the IP
datagram using IP address of the router at the far end of tunnel as a destination
.address
The two endpoints must use the same tunneling protocol. These logical tunnels that
carry the IP packet are independent of the payload, and have different headers due
.to the protocol implemented
VPN provides secure and encrypted virtual connections over IP network by encrypts
and encapsulates each packet before passing it through a tunnel. VPN uses
authentication to ensure data integrity and confidentiality. VPN uses dynamic tunnel
for efficient bandwidth usage and flexibility matter for creating and removing tunnels
.at any time
VPNs tunneling add an overhead to IP packets size, that effect bandwidth utilization
in network specifically if the packet size is short. This effect lays on the end router to
.decapsulate the packet, performs decryption for the packet
:History of VPN
The technology for implementing VPNs has been in existence for some
time. Their origins can be found in the Virtual Circuit. Virtual circuits are
easy to implement in highly connected networks as well as being cost
effective. We will see that these benefits also apply to VPNs. The virtual
circuit was originally produced in the late seventies and early eighties. The
basic structure of the virtual circuit is to create a logical path from the
source port to the destination port. This path may incorporate many hops
between routers for the formation of the circuit. The final, logical path or
virtual circuit acts in the same way as a direct connection between the two
ports. In this way, two applications could communicate over ashared
network. Virtual circuit technology progressed with the
addition of encryption equipment to router systems. This new
equipment enciphered information between the ports of the virtual circuit.
This meant that attackers would not be able to access information in
transit between the communicating entities. Later, other security
technologies were added such as token authentication. The
communication lines were, unfortunately, still open to attack and this lead
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to the development of secure communication over a public network, a
.VPN
?Why we use VPNs

The major benefit of VPNs, from the consumer's point of view, is that
they are considerably cost effective. The alternative to using VPN
technology is the high-speed leased line. These lines are expensive, difficult
to administrate, and difficult to maintain. Additionally, consider what
happens when a leased line fails. The communication between the
two parties also fails until the appropriate authorities can repair the line.
With Virtual Private technology however, if a node in the path or line
between routers goes down, the logical path between the parties is
simply changed transparently to the user. Using the Internet as the
backbone for communication guarantees reliability of service. The Internet
provides further benefit for VPN users. Even extremely remote locations
have access to the Internet via dial-up modems. VPNs guarantee secure
communication for dial-in users. Mobile users cannot possibly use leased
lines for their communication with the corporate site and so VPN technology
is the only real solution to this problem. Additionally, with user-based
authentication, discussed later, companies can keep a closer watch on
the information their employees are accessing and thus limit internal fraud.
VPNs use the Internet for communication. The Internet does not
provide the highest performance solution, but they allow users to use
the Internet as their own private networks. This gives users access to the
wealth of information available, while allowing reliable, secure
communication channels between parties at low cost. Companies have
several strong motivations for building VPNs; they provide § a uniform
corporate computing environment that is transparent to users, secure
communications, & the cost efficiencies of using a common
public infrastructure versus building and operating a private WAN. While
many networking technologies have not lived up to their initial hype, this is
not the case for VPNs, which are being widely deployed and appear to
be earning the nickname ―very profitable networks.‖ A VPN not only
drastically decreases cost but also increases flexibility because corporations
can establish or release global Internet connections on demand. They
can also initially pay for low bandwidth and increase bandwidth as
demand grows. Internet connectivity is also a VPN’s major disadvantage:
Guaranteeing quality of service (QoS) over the Internet is difficult because
aggregate traffic flows can be unpredictable. Service-level agreements
(SLAs) between Internet service providers (ISPs) and corporations are an
evolving contractual solution designed to guarantee QoS based on
throughput, availability, and/or response time thresholds
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?Who Uses VPN’s

VPN’s can be found in homes, workplaces or anywhere else as long as an ISP
.(Internet service provider) is available
:Virtual Private Network (VPN) is basically of 2 types

:Remote Access VPN.1
Remote Access VPN permits a user to connect to a private network and access all its
services and resources remotely. The connection between the user and the private
network occurs through the Internet and the connection is secure and private.
Remote Access VPN is useful for home users and business users both. An employee
of a company, while he/she is out of station, uses a VPN to connect to his/her
company’s private network and remotely access files and resources on the private
network. Private users or home users of VPN, primarily use VPN services to bypass
regional restrictions on the Internet and access blocked websites. Users aware of
Internet security also use VPN services to enhance their Internet security and
.privacy
Figure 1.1: VPN Remote Access
:Site to Site VPN.3 .2

A Site-to-Site VPN is also called as Router-to-Router VPN and is commonly used in
the large companies. Companies or organizations, with branch offices in different
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locations, use Site-to-site VPN to connect the network of one office location to the
.network at another office location
Intranet based VPN: When several offices of the same company are connected •
.using Site-to-Site VPN type, it is called as Intranet based VPN
Extranet based VPN: When companies use Site-to-site VPN type to connect to the •
.office of another company, it is called as Extranet based VPN
Basically, Site-to-site VPN create a imaginary bridge between the networks at

geographically distant offices and connect them through the Internet and sustain a
secure and private communication between the networks. In Site-to-site VPN one
router acts as a VPN Client and another router as a VPN Server as it is based on
Router-to-Router communication. When the authentication is validated between the
.two routers only then the communication starts
:Types of Virtual Private Network (VPN) Protocols
Internet Protocol Security (IPSec): Internet Protocol Security, known as IPSec, is .1

used to secure Internet communication across an IP network. IPSec secures Internet
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Protocol communication by verifying the session and encrypts each data packet
:during the connection. IPSec runs in 2 modes
Transport mode • (ii) Tunneling mode The work of transport mode is to )i( • .2
encrypt the message in the data packet and the tunneling mode encrypts the whole
data packet. IPSec can also be used with other security protocols to improve the
.security system
Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP): L2TP or Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol is a .3

tunneling protocol that is often combined with another VPN security protocol like
IPSec to establish a highly secure VPN connection. L2TP generates a tunnel between
two L2TP connection points and IPSec protocol encrypts the data and maintains
.secure communication between the tunnel
Point–to–Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP): PPTP or Point-to-Point Tunneling .4

Protocol generates a tunnel and confines the data packet. Point-to-Point Protocol
(PPP) is used to encrypt the data between the connection. PPTP is one of the most
widely used VPN protocol and has been in use since the early release of Windows.
.PPTP is also used on Mac and Linux apart from Windows
Protocol PPTP L2TP IPsec

OSI Layers Layer 2 Layer 2 Layer 3
Protocol PPTP L2TP IPsec

VPN Encryption 128-bit 256-bit 256-bit
VPN Security Basic encryption Highest Highest
encryption. This encryption. This
protocol protocol
encapsulates and encapsulates and
checks data checks data
integrity twice. integrity twice.
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VPN Speed Fast due to the Requires more Requires more
low encryption processing power processing power
rate because of the 2x because of the 2x
encapsulation encapsulation
Stability Very good and Stable on NAT- Stable on NAT-
stable on most supported devices supported devices
Wi-Fi networks
Compatibility Most computer, included in most included in most
tablet, and mobile device operating device operating
operating systems systems systems
come with PPTP
Table (2.2.4) Tunneling VPN [3]
Protocol Provides data Provides data Provides data

confidentiality integrity Authentication
PPTP Yes No No
L2TP Yes Yes Yes
IPsec Yes Yes Yes
SSL and TLS: SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) and TLS (Transport Layer Security) .5
generate a VPN connection where the web browser acts as the client and user access
is prohibited to specific applications instead of entire network. Online shopping
websites commonly uses SSL and TLS protocol. It is easy to switch to SSL by web
browsers and with almost no action required from the user as web browsers come
integrated with SSL and TLS. SSL connections have “https” in the initial of the URL
.”instead of “http
Features in VPN [6]
Provide extended connections across multiple geographic locations without using a •
.leased line
.Improving security mechanism of data using encryption techniques •
Provides flexibility for remote offices and employees to use the business intranet •
over an existing Internet connection as if they're directly connected to the network
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Saves time and expense for employees who commute from virtual workplaces •
VPN is preferred over leased line since leases are expensive, and as the distance •
. between offices increases, the cost of leased line increase
IPSec VPN and SSL VPN are two solutions of VPN which are widely used in WLAN •
Advantages of VPN [7]

.There are two main advantages of VPN’s, namely cost saving and scalability •
.VPN’s lower costs by eliminating the need for expensive long-distance leased lines •
A local leased lines or even broadband connection is all that’s needed to connect •
.the internet and utilize the public network to surely tunnel a private connection
Data transfers are encrypted •
.Cost is low to implement •
Disadvantages of VPN [7]
.VPN connection is slow •
Because the connection travels over public lines, a strong understanding of •
network security issues and proper precautions before VPN deployment are
.necessary
VPN connection stability is mainly in control of the internet scalability, factors •
.outside an organization control
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Chapter 3 Network Design and VPN Technologies

INTRODUCTION ABOUT VIRTUAL PRIVATE NETWORK .1

Figure 1.1. VPN Tunneling Structure

?Why we use VPNs

?Who Uses VPN’s

:Virtual Private Network (VPN) is basically of 2 types

Figure 1.1: VPN Remote Access

:Site to Site VPN.3 .2

Basically, Site-to-site VPN create a imaginary bridge between the networks at

:Types of Virtual Private Network (VPN) Protocols

Internet Protocol Security (IPSec): Internet Protocol Security, known as IPSec, is .1

Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP): L2TP or Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol is a .3

Point–to–Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP): PPTP or Point-to-Point Tunneling .4

Protocol PPTP L2TP IPsec

Protocol PPTP L2TP IPsec

Table (2.2.4) Tunneling VPN [3]

Protocol Provides data Provides data Provides data

.Improving security mechanism of data using encryption techniques •

Advantages of VPN [7]

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