Learn how to build secure VPNs using this powerful Open Source application


In Detail

OpenVPN is a powerful, open source SSL VPN application. It can secure site-to-site connections, WiFi, and enterprise-scale remote connections. While being a full-featured VPN solution, OpenVPN is easy to use and does not suffer from the complexity that characterizes other IPsec VPN implementations. It uses the secure and stable TLS/SSL mechanisms for authentication and encryption. This book is an easy introduction to this popular VPN application. After introducing the basics of security and VPN, it moves on to cover using OpenVPN, from installing it on various platforms, through configuring basic tunnels, to more advanced features, such as using the application with firewalls, routers, proxy servers, and OpenVPN scripting.

This is a practical guide to using OpenVPN for building both basic and complex Virtual Private Networks. It will save you a lot of time and help you build better VPNs that suit your requirements. While providing only necessary theoretical background, the book takes a practical approach, presenting plenty of examples. It starts with an introduction into the theory of VPNs and OpenVPN, followed by a simple installation example on almost every available platform. After a concise and ordered list of OpenVPN's parameters, we dive into connecting several machines in a safe way. The last third of the book deals with professional and high-end scenarios, and also mobile integration. After having read the whole book and followed and understood all the examples, you will be an expert in VPN, Security, and especially in OpenVPN Technology.


What you will learn from this book

* Install OpenVPN on Windows Server, Vista, and Mac OS X and also on different Linux versions and FreeBSD
* Learn basic security concepts necessary to understand VPNs and OpenVPN in particular
* Take a look at encryption matters, symmetric and asymmetric keying, and certificates
* Connect Windows and Linux systems and safely transfer the necessary encryption keys using WinSCP
* Learn about OpenVPN, its development, features, resources, advantages, and disadvantages compared to other VPN solutions, especially IPsec
* Discuss non-standard and advanced methods of installing OpenVPN by compiling the source code provided by the OpenVPN project
* Create an encryption key for OpenVPN and use it to set up an OpenVPN tunnel between two Windows systems in the same network
* Create X.509 server and client certificates for use with OpenVPN and learn how to use tools to debug and monitor VPN tunnels
* Create and administer certificates that have to be transferred to the machines that are supposed to take part in the VPN
* Configure two different firewall networks that connect to each other through the secure OpenVPN tunnel
* Install and use XCA and TinyCA2 to generate certificate revocation lists that are used to block unwanted connections by formerly authorized clients
* Install OpenVPN on Windows Mobile and Smartphones running embedded Linux, like Nokia's Maemo platform
* Analyze the flow of datagrams between the VPN servers and the connected networks with tools like ifconfig, ping, traceroute, and mtr

Approach

This book is an easy introduction to OpenVPN. While providing only necessary theoretical background, it takes a practical approach, presenting plenty of examples. It is written in a friendly style making this complex topic easy and a joy to read. It first covers basic VPN concepts, then moves to introduce basic OpenVPN configurations, before covering advanced uses of OpenVPN.

Who this book is written for

This book is for both experienced and new OpenVPN users. If you are interested in security and privacy in the internet, or want to have your notebook or mobile phone connected safely to the internet, the server in your company, or at home, you will find this book useful. It presumes basic knowledge of Linux, but no knowledge of VPNs is required.