Trilight Zone

[thedark]

IP tunnels offer an intersting, cost-effective alternative to WAN's (Wide Area Networks). WAN's are typically created when there is a need to share network data between several geographical locations. WAN's are usually very expensive to implement: they require long-distance, high-speed data connections.

Although the internet now provides access to virtually anywhere on the planet, there are issues surrounding security and/or protocols. IP tunnelling can provide a solution for these issues. Some protocols, such as Novell IPX, are not native to the internet. Tunnels of IPX over IP can provide a means of linking separate IPX sites over the internet.

Another issue arises when one site wishes to share private data, such s NFS mounts, CVS repository servers, private web servers, or network backup with another site. Normally, each site is behind a firewall that prevents external access to the private data, thus preventing sharing. Tunnels that send encrypted IP over IP provide a means of connecting two local LANS, allowing them to share data, but keeping them behind the firewalls.