Putting OpenVPN to Work

VPNs extend company networks beyond the LAN. Using a VPN, remote workers can securely connect to a private LAN from anywhere on the Internet. The VPN tunnel is authenticated and encrypted, and because it uses the Internet, it's much less expensive than costly point-to-point dedicated network links. You're probably familiar with Microsoft's RRAS VPN solutions, as well as commercial VPNs from vendors such as Cisco Systems and Nortel Networks, but you might not be aware of an open-source program called OpenVPN that provides VPN features—along with much flexibility. At a fraction of the cost of its commercial counterparts, OpenVPN gives you many of the same features those big-name competitors provide. (OpenVPN is free, aside from the time and effort that its configuration requires.)

If you're already running a commercial VPN, you won't want to replace it with OpenVPN. But if you need to deploy a new VPN for a branch office or lab, or if you're looking for an inexpensive, secure solution for connecting to remote networks, you should definitely check out OpenVPN. Because the program runs on many different OSs, it might even provide benefit to Windows shops as an alternative to the VPN capabilities in RRAS or Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server. In this article, I walk through the basic setup of an OpenVPN client-based VPN solution and give you a peek at the product's features. . . .