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Re: [Openvpn-users] Why Openvpn is SSL-VPN?


  • Subject: Re: [Openvpn-users] Why Openvpn is SSL-VPN?
  • From: Ben Scott <dragonhawk@xxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2006 09:06:21 -0500

On 2/2/06, Monty Ree <chulmin2@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> I don't know the difference between IPSEC and SSL based vpn well.

  SSL (by itself) is really a family of protocols and standards for
cryptography and it's implementation.  OpenSSL is an implementation of
SSL.

  IPsec is a suite of protocols that extend the basic Internet
Protocol to include security features.  It all happens at the IP
level, and generally requires "hooking into" the IP stack at a low
level.  IPsec and it's implementations have a reputation for being
complicated and hard to maintain and/or incompatible.  It's a
reputation that is largely deserved, in my opinion.

  Most so-called "SSL VPNs" are simple tunnels created using SSL.  In
practice, they are often functionally identical to SSH port
forwarding.  They often make use of features already present in a web
browser to accomplish much of what they do.  As Michael Scheidell
rightly notes, they still require some kind of software.  They often
depend on Microsoft Internet Explorer and/or some kind of
install-on-demand package.

  OpenVPN functions as an IP transport, like IPsec.  However, it is
implemented outside of the operating system kernel as much as
possible, which makes things easier.  Since there is only one OpenVPN
implementation, there are no interoperability issues.  For the actual
cryptography, OpenVPN uses OpenSSL.

  Hope this helps,

-- Ben


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