Operation Manual

VPNs in NetWAYS/ISDN
NetWAYS/ISDN – 3 Remote Access with NetWAYS/ISDN 37
VPNs in NetWAYS/ISDN
The term VPN refers simply to a private link carried over a
public infrastructure. Which techniques are used to accom-
plish this is not specified.
NetWAYS/ISDN sets up its VPN links over existing Internet
connections, taking advantage of the Internet Service Provid-
er’s infrastructure. The Internet Service Provider has nothing
to do with the actual VPN connections, however, nor with the
network communication between the systems involved.
NetWAYS/ISDN contains the software needed to operate VPN
connections. The remote system must also be equipped with
appropriate software (such as the AVM Access Server) to es-
tablish VPN connections. Because the VPN connection is
independent of specific Internet Service Providers, practical-
ly any Internet access can be used for VPN communication.
The VPN link acts as a tunnel through the public Internet,
through which data can be transported. The VPN software in
the NetWAYS/ISDN and the remote system provides a trans-
parent connection to the network, authentication of the com-
municating parties, and encryption of all data transported
over the public network.
Once the VPN tunnel has been set up, neither the tunnel nor
the Internet as the underlying medium is visible at the appli-
cation level.
Security
Because the VPN connection is carried over the public Inter-
net, there is a certain risk of eavesdropping or manipulation
by unauthorized third parties. Appropriate security mecha-
nisms must therefore guarantee the following three kinds of
security:
Privacy
The data interchange must be encrypted to prevent
eavesdropping.
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