Abstract

A virtual private network (VPN) can help resolve many of the issues associated with today's private networks. A VPN facilitates an agile IT infrastructure. Global VPNs enable connectivity to all locations anywhere in the world at a fraction of the cost of dedicated links. VPN services enable remote access to the intranet at significantly lower cost, thus enabling support for a mobile workforce. Additionally, the VPN architecture support a reliable authentication mechanism to provide easy access to the intranet from anywhere using any available access media including analog modems, ISDN, cable modems, DSL and wireless. There are primarily three types of VPN services: (1) local area network (LAN) interconnect VPN services, (2) dial-up VPN services, and (3) Ethernet VPN services.