VPNs: A Beginner's Guide [Paperback]

John Mairs (Conductor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0072191813 | ISBN-13: 978-0072191813 | Publication Date: December 14, 2001 | Edition: 1st

A comprehensive introduction to VPNs and networking basics, this book provides readers with a solid foundation of networking basics and the understanding necessary for learning the complexities of the VPN technology that follows. It takes the reader through the actual steps involved in provisioning the hardware, software and set-up with the provider of services for Internet access and communications carriers, thus leading to a comprehensive understanding of all VPN protocols. There is also detailed information about securing VPNs, including information on intrusion detection. Readers gain an understanding of security, encryption, encapsulation, key management and intrusion detection systems, all necessary for a secure network. Networking blueprints for 4 different types of VPNs, including IPSec and PPPT are also included.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Design and implement a virtual private network from start to finish

Take advantage of the most cost-effective and secure method for connecting branch offices and enabling remote access using VPNs: A Beginner's Guide. This instructive guide shows you how design and implement a virtual private network from start to finish. Learn everything you need to know about VPNs beginning with networking fundamentals and layering principles to VPN protocols and security methods. Get details on the latest in tunneling technologies, including point-to-point tunneling protocol (PPTP) and layer two tunneling protocol (L2TP), and find out how to prevent hacker attacks. Learn about the latest and most advanced VPNs, such as IP Overlay VPNs and MPLS. Eight pages of blueprints depicting various types of VPNs help illustrate the concepts you've just read about. If you want a solid introduction to the inner workings of virtual private networks, this is the ideal book for you.

Get an overview of networking basics--including the OSI model, LANs, WANS, and TCP

Learn all about security components--policies, concepts, and architectures

Discover ways to filter out malicious information, and prevent threats and intrusions

Understand how VPNs relate to both public and private networks

Know the different types of tunneling methods and where they are usually implemented

Get details on the various VPN protocols--GRE, PPTP, L2F, and L2TP, and IPSec

Identify the components that define QoS--delay, bandwidth, jitter, and reliability

Preview the future of VPNs and understand MPLS, IP over ATM, tag switching, and more

About the Author

John Mairs, CCNA, CCDA,MCSE MCP+I (San Francisco, CA) has been a network administrator and security systems consultant for more than 14 years. John is currently a systems Engineer for GE Capital Information Technology Services where he handles the global enterprise networks and networking security for a Fortune 500 Company. He is a published author and contributed six chapters to Cisco Router Handbook.

Product Details

• Paperback: 592 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill/OsborneMedia; 1st edition (December 14, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0072191813
• ISBN-13: 978-0072191813
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #367,094 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars It's okay, but very convoluted, May 14, 2002

By 

"tfssi" (Bozeman, MT United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: VPNs: A Beginner's Guide (Paperback)

This book does a good job covering the details of the various protocols and standards used in different types of VPN's. But the same information can be pulled in nearly the same format from RFC's.

After the first few chapters, the book get's confusing and is sometimes wrong when the author describes the process behind setup of a IPSEC VPN connection (there's a couple of places where AH is confused with ESP). Beyond that I found the book hard to follow because it lacks a broad comparison between different types of VPN's (why you would want to choose one type over another and so forth).

But even more irking was paying [item price] for a book that's full of typo's and repetitive sentences.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good introduction to the VPN world, May 14, 2008

By 

Alexander - See all my reviews

This review is from: VPNs: A Beginner's Guide (Paperback)

Covers a lot of the VPN spectrum and is easy to read.
It would be nice to have a more complete comparison table to understand how VPN solutions stand against each other.
It does not talk about the new breed of relayed VPNs such as WallCooler VPN [...] or Hamachi [...].
Definitely worth keeping as a reference.

4 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Comprehensive, February 22, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: VPNs: A Beginner's Guide (Paperback)

Whatever your experience, wherever you stand in your deployment process, VPNs: A Beginner's Guide will get you where you need to be.

John Mairs starts by making sure you have a solid background in contemporary networking -- and especially, network security. From the outset, he makes sure you know how to establish a sound security architecture.

Then, it's on to the VPNs themselves. Mairs presents realistic VPN architectures for remote access, intranet, and extranet environments; covers all of the latest VPN protocols; and returns again to security with in-depth coverage of VPN cryptography and data integrity issues. In particular, there's detailed coverage of IPSec -- both concepts and implementation.

Mairs concludes by showing how MPLS makes possible more powerful, flexible, manageable VPNs -- and how you can use it to begin controlling service quality, even as your bits are being transported over the chaotic public Internet. This is the one VPN book you need to understand everything VPN.