MORE!! -- Sneaking Ridge

[ Show ]

Support VoyForums

[ Shrink ]

VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

[ Login ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 05:05:00 01/17/02 Thu
Author: VPN
Author Host/IP: 208.133.199.238
Subject: MORE!!
In reply to: VPN 's message, "Introduction to" on 05:02:25 01/17/02 Thu

VPNs do not offer any network services that aren't already offered through alternative mechanisms. However, a VPN does use a unique mix of technologies that promises to improve on the traditional approaches.

Traditional Leased Lines
Traditionally an organization that wanted to build a wide-area network needed to procure expensive, dedicated lines to connect their offices together. Only large companies could afford to purchase these lines outright, so most organizations "leased" their lines and paid a monthly charge -- sometimes thousands of dollars (USD) -- for the privilege of using cables that no one else could tap into.

An organization typically installs a leased-line WAN to support a long-distance intranet. Besides file sharing and email, these WANs provide access to intranet Web sites and videoconferencing systems. In addition, some organizations selectively open their WAN access to partners to provide extranet services.

VPNs for Remote Access
A VPN can support the same intranet/extranet services as a traditional WAN, but VPNs have also grown in popularity for their ability to support remote access service. In recent years, many organizations have increased the mobility of their workers by allowing more employees to telecommute. Employees also continue to travel and face an increasing need to stay "plugged in" to the company network.

Leased lines don't support mobile workers well because the lines fail to extend to people's homes or their travel destinations. Companies that don't use VPNs must resort to implementing specialized "secure dial-up" services in this case. To log in to a dial-up intranet, a remote worker must call into a company's remote access server using either a 1-800 number or a local number. The overhead of maintaining such a system internally, coupled with the possibility of high long distance charges incurred by travelers, make VPNs an appealing option here.

VPN Remote Access Architecture
The diagram above illustrates a VPN remote access solution. A remote node (client) wanting to log into the company VPN calls into a local server connected to the public network. The VPN client establishes a connection to the VPN server maintained at the company site. Once the connection has been established, the remote client can communicate with the company network just as securely over the public network as if it resided on the internal LAN itself.

VPNs for Internetworking
A simple extension of the VPN remote access architecture shown above allows an entire remote network (rather than just a single remote client) to join the local network. Rather than a client-server connection, a server-server VPN connection joins two networks to form an extended intranet or extranet.

VPNs Inside the Firewall
Intranets can also utilize VPN technology to implement controlled access to individual subnets on the private network. In this mode, VPN clients connect to a VPN server that acts as a gateway to computers behind it on the subnet. Note that this type of VPN use does not involve ISPs or public network cabling. However, it does take advantage of the security features and convenience of VPN technology.

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Replies:

And because I know we ALL want to know more! -- VPN, 05:06:16 01/17/02 Thu
- ???? -- >.<, 05:07:23 01/17/02 Thu