Virtual Private Networking: A View From the Trenches

VPNs are rapidly becoming the networking technology of choice for companies that want to link their locations, customers, and/or suppliers cost-effectively. This hands-on, "in-the-trenches" guidebook cuts through the VPN hype, helping any network professional build, secure, and manage a VPN successfully. The book covers both business and technical aspects of VPN consideration, planning, design, implementation, and ongoing management. Discover what VPNs are and how they work; make the business case for building a VPN; and determine whether to build it yourself or outsource it to an Internet service provider. Compare VPN deployment models; understand the L2TP tunneling protocol; learn your options for providing consistent Quality of Service and service-level guarantees; and more. The book also contains six detailed case studies; a full chapter on service provider VPN offerings; and a preview of the future of VPNs.