8. Lightweight VPNs
8.1 Introduction
In this chapter, we discuss some lightweight VPNs, so called because they require fewer resources than do full-blown IPsec installations and are easier to install and maintain. As we shall see, this simplicity comes at the cost of decreased security.
We study four typical lightweight VPNs: VTun, CIPE, tinc, and OpenVPN. Three of these VPNs have the advantage that they are implemented in user space and are thus portable to several different platforms. It also means that installation and maintenance are easier because we don’t have to deal with kernel updates or patches, and because problems with the VPN are much less likely to cause the operating system to crash.
As with all VPNs, these programs attempt ...
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