Analysis of current VPN technologies

Abstract

This paper deals with current virtual private network (VPN) technologies, such as Internet protocol security (IPSec), layer two tunneling protocol (L2TP), and point to point tunneling protocol (PPTP). Furthermore, the VPN solution of the Austrian company Phion Information Technologies is presented. After a short introduction to the basics of each protocol, the strengths and weaknesses of each technology are outlined, as far as interoperability, manageability, and practical problems is concerned. This is done by means of a practical analysis and comparison of the results. The analysis includes performance measurement, link quality and stability analysis, feature comparison, interaction with TCP/IP protocols, and some basic security attacks. In order to provide comparable results, all technologies were tested in the same manner. However, this paper does not provide explicit recommendations which technology is to be preferred.