Despite the large (and rapidly expanding) number of VPN products, all fall into three broad categories: hardware-based systems, firewall-based VPNs and standalone VPN application packages. Most hardware-based VPN systems are encrypting routers. They are secure and easy to use, since they provide the nearest thing to “plug and play” encryption equipment available. They provide the highest network throughput of all VPN systems, since they don’t waste processor overhead in running an operating system or other applications. However, they may not be as flexible as software based systems. The best hardware VPN packages offer software-only clients for remote installation, and incorporate some of the access control features more traditionally managed by firewalls or other perimeter security devices. Firewall-based VPNs take advantage of the firewall’s security mechanisms, including restricting access to the internal network. They also perform address translation; satisfy requirements for strong authentication; and serve up real-time alarms and extensive logging. Most commercial firewalls also “harden” the host operating system kernel by stripping out dangerous or unnecessary services, providing additional security for the VPN server. OS protection is a major plus, since very few VPN application vendors supply guidance on OS security. Performance may be a concern, especially if the firewall is already loaded — however, some firewall vendors offer hardware-based encryption processors to minimize the impact of VPN management on the system. Software-based VPNs are ideal in situations where both endpoints of the VPN are not controlled by the same organization (typical for client support requirements or business partnerships), or when different firewalls and routers are implemented within the same organization. At the moment, standalone VPNs offer the most flexibility in how network traffic is managed. Many software-based products allow traffic to be tunneled based on address or protocol, unlike hardware-based products, which generally tunnel all traffic they handle, regardless of protocol. Tunneling specific traffic types is advantageous in situations where remote sites may see a mix of traffic –some that needs transport over a VPN (such as entries to a database at headquarters) and some that doesn’t (such as Web surfing). In situations where performance requirements are modest (such as users connecting over dial-up links), software-based VPNs may be the best choice. But software-based systems are generally harder to manage than encrypting routers. They require familiarity with the host operating system, the application itself, and appropriate security mechanisms. And some software VPN packages require changes to routing tables and network addressing schemes. Be aware that as the VPN market evolves, the distinctions between VPN architectures are becoming less clearly defined. Some hardware vendors have added software clients to their product offerings, and extended their server capabilities to include some of the security features more “traditionally” offered by software or firewall-based VPNs. A few stand-alone products have added support for hardware-based encryptors to improve their performance. And for all types of VPNs, further implementation of the proposed IPSec protocol is making it easier (tho’ not trivial) to mix and match VPN products. So bear in mind that these VPN categories are becoming less meaningful as time goes on.
Archive for March, 2011
Voice and video traffic prioritised with QoS Companies relying on video and conference calls may want to consider looking at taking out a virtual private network (VPN) with QoS (Quality of Service) A VPN within a company is generally faster than the wider internet and is obviously more secure. This is because it is free from outside intrusion so there is not a large virus or hacking threat. Just because a VPN has been installed within a company, that doesn’t mean it can only be accessed on the business premises. It is possible to incorporate remote access, which is particularly useful if your company employs people working from home or if travelling to important meetings is a large part of the job. A VPN means employees can have access to company documents and files anywhere. Furthermore, with the QoS offered, it is possible to use the high-quality connection for video and voice conferencing tasks.
Latest Apple gadgets to make use of VPN technology The latest generation of devices from Apple will be compatible with VPNs, it has been revealed. A VPN is a Virtual Private Network which gives businesses greater freedom when it comes to accessing their information. It means that their data is kept on a network away from the internet, enhancing security and making sure that their information is impenetrable to any malicious outside sources. Business customers looking for greater management control and flexibility in their work will be pleased to learn that a VPN also gives people the option of getting to grips with their information remotely from anywhere in the world. This means that folders and files can be retrieved quickly and more easily than ever before. Customers will be pleased to see that Apple have woken up to just how useful a VPN can be by offering compatibility with the latest version of the iPhone as well as the new iPad. With iPhone OS 4, VPN protocols can be leveraged so that users can seamlessly connect to a business network on-demand. Apple has tailored compatibility with forthcoming apps from Juniper and Cisco.
How to install Ubuntu Karmic Koala 9.10 as a perfect server with Apache, PHP, MySql and Phpmyadmin. Since Ubuntu have a great repositories and the magic application called apt-get then it shouldn’t be hard to make Ubuntu as a perfect server. Okay let’s begin, please make sure your Ubuntu conneted to the internet: 1. Open your terminal and login as root with this command su 2. Update your repositories list: apt-get update 3. Install Apache: apt-get install apache2 apache2.2-common apache2-doc apache2-mpm-prefork apache2-utils 4. Install PHP: apt-get install php5 libapache2-mod-php5 php5-common php5-gd php5-mysql php5-imap php5-cli php5-cgi php-pear php-auth 5. Install MySQL: apt-get install mysql-server mysql-client here you will be ask to input root password for the mysql 6. Install PhpMyAdmin: apt-get install phpmyadmin here you will be asked some question to configure the phpmyadmin, just go through the wizard after it finish installed. 7. Now your server is ready. Before you test please make sure to restart the server: /etc/init.d/mysql restart /etc/init.d/apache2 restart 8. Open document root in /var/www , make a file called it with info.php and fill this: <?php phpinfo(); ?> then save the file. 9. Test the server with the browser and type address http://[server-ip]/info.php If you have the same screenshot as follow than you have the web server on your machine:
In information technology, a protocol (from the Greek protocollon, which was a leaf of paper glued to a manuscript volume, describing its contents) is the special set of rules that end points in a telecommunication connection use when they communicate. Protocols exist at several levels in a telecommunication connection. For example, there are protocols for the data interchange at the hardware device level and protocols for data interchange at the application program level. In the standard model known as Open Systems Interconnection (OSI), there are one or more protocols at each layer in the telecommunication exchange that both ends of the exchange must recognize and observe. Protocols are often described in an industry or international standard. On the Internet, there are the TCP/IP protocols, consisting of: Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), which uses a set of rules to exchange messages with other Internet points at the information packet level Internet Protocol (IP), which uses a set of rules to send and receive messages at the Internet address level Additional protocols that include the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and File Transfer Protocol (FTP), each with defined sets of rules to use with corresponding programs elsewhere on the Internet There are many other Internet protocols, such as the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) and the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP).
