Cisco Secure Virtual Private Networks

by Andrew Mason

With the recent availability of high-speed Internet connections to the home and the continued move of workers out of central office locations (whether for travel, telecommuting, or branch office expansion), Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) have become a critical part of corporate network architectures. VPNs use advanced encryption and tunneling to permit your organization to establish secure, end-to-end, private network connections over third-party networks, such as the Internet. This new networking paradigm not only adds to the efficiency of the corporate workforce, but it also saves money by leveraging third-party networks and allows you to scale your networks with greater ease. Based on the official instructor-led training course of the same name, Cisco Secure Virtual Private Networks is a comprehensive, results-oriented book designed to give you the knowledge you need to plan, deploy, and manage VPNs in your network environment. Beginning with an overview of VPNs and IPSec, the book introduces you to the Cisco VPN family of products. It then delves into the details of configuring and troubleshooting IPSec site-to-site VPNs on Cisco IOS(r) routers and Cisco PIX(r) Firewalls using preshared keys and digital certificates. You learn how to install the VPN 3000 Concentrator and how to configure it for remote access using preshared keys and digital certificates. Monitoring and administration techniques are also presented. The book concludes with a discussion on the scalability solutions available for IPSec VPNs. Each chapter includes an explicit set of learning objectives and concludes with a set of review questions to assess your understanding of the material. Numerous examples are provided throughout, and detailed diagrams help clarify concepts presented in the text. Whether you are preparing for the Cisco Security Specialist 1 certification or simply want to understand and make the most efficient use of VPNs, Cisco Secure Virtual Private Networks provides you with a complete solution for designing, implementing, and managing Cisco VPN networks. Andrew G. Mason , CCIE(r) #7144, CSS-1, CCNP(r): Security, and CCDP(r), is the CEO of three UK-based Mason Technologies, CCStudy.com, and Boxing Orange. Andrew has 11 years experience in the networking industry and is currently consulting for the largest ISP in the UK. He is involved daily in the design and implementation of complex secure hosted solutions utilizing products from the Cisco Secure family.

388 pages, Hardcover

First published December 18, 2001