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What is IPsec?
IPsec (IP Security) is a protocol for securing VPN tunnels.
IPsec is described in RFC 3193: Securing L2TP using IPsec.
IPsec Transport Mode and Tunnel Mode
In Transport Mode, IPsec encrypts the payload of each IP packet, but not the packet headers.
In Tunnel Mode, IPsec encrypts the payload and the headers of each IP packet.
Many networks which are not able to support Tunnel Mode are able to successfully support Transport mode.
IPsec and ISAKMP
IPsec relies on ISAKMP (Internet Security Association and Key Management Protocol) for key exchange.
FreeS/WAN IPsec
FreeS/WAN is an implementation of IPsec and IKE for Linux.
The primary objective of the FreeS/WAN project is to help make IPsec widespread by providing source code which is freely available, runs on a range of machines including ubiquitous cheap PCs, and is not subject to US or other nations' export restrictions.
 IPSec: The New Security Standard for the Internet, Intranets, and Virtual Private Networks |
IPSec, the suite of protocols for securing any sort of traffic that moves over an Internet Protocol (IP) network, promises big things for online business. IPSec: The New Security Standard for the Internet, Intranets, and Virtual Private Networks catalogs the specifications that compose this suite and explain how they fit into intranets, virtual private networks (VPNs), and the Internet.
Authors Doraswamy and Harkins first treat IPSec as a system, explaining how its component parts work together to provide flexible security. Their approach to this task makes sense: They first explain why standard IP packets aren't secure; then they show how the IPSec improvements make secure transactions possible. Readers get full descriptions of how various network entities talk to one another. Where appropriate, concepts that aren't specific to IPSec are explained, including IPv4 and IPv6 packet structures and addressing schemes. There's some information on cryptography too. IPSec's parts are explained individually: the Authentication Header (AH), Encapsulating Security Payload (ESP), Internet Key Exchange (IKE), and ISAKMP/Oakley protocols are detailed with lots of prose, supplemented with a smattering of packet diagrams and conceptual sketches. Sections on implementing IPSec protocols on networks remain fairly abstract and don't mention actual products, but should prove useful to programmers designing their own network security products around the IPSec specifications |
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