7
Chapter
113
IPsec VPN
Overview
This
section
takes
a
general
look
at
VPNs,
what
they
are,
what
they
can
provide,
and
the
typical
scenarios
where
they
are
used.
VPN usage
The
Internet
is
increasingly
used
as
a
means
to
connect
computers
together
since
it
offers
efficient
and
inexpensive
communication.
The
requirement
is
for
data
to
traverse
the
Internet
to
its
intended
recipient
without
another
party
being
able
to
read
(confidentiality)
or
alter
it
(integrity).
It
is
equally
important
that
the
recipient
can
verify
that
no
one
is
falsifying
data
or
pretending
to
be
someone
else.
Virtual
Private
Networks
(VPNs)
meet
this
need,
providing
a
highly
cost
effective
means
of
establishing
secure
links
between
two
co
‐
operating
computers
so
that
data
can
be
exchanged
in
a
secure
manner.
VPN
allows
the
setting
up
of
a
tunnel
between
two
devices
known
as
tunnel
endpoints
.
All
data
flowing
through
the
tunnel
is
secure.
The
mechanism
that
provides
tunnel
security
is
encryption
.