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PPTP - Secure and Inexpensive?

Virtual Private Networks (VPN) have become quite a fad in the Internet. It can be implemented through a Linux PPTP server, or even a Windows or Mac OS based server.

Either way, a VPN has become a very interesting choice for corporations and users around the world.

Fortunately, there are several manufacturers of PPTP; Checkpoint is one of them. However, buying a software package and forget the inner workings of a VPN isn't a wise decision, specially if you want to offer an adequate protection to your network, so let's find more about point-to-point tunneling protocol.

What Is PPTP?

In layman terms, PPTP is a network protocol as many others. There are several network protocols available, for example, TCP/IP, which is the one used for transmitting information through the Internet. So, if there is already a network protocol that works, why bother with a new one?

The difference is that PPTP creates another layer of security within TCP/IP. An excellent analogy is a car. A car is a secure device for transporting yourself, but, what if you wanted to transport millions of dollars inside? Is it safe? No, it isn't. And, if you consider that the Internet is a tool used through out the globe, then it can be very insecure for valuable information.

In order to transport your money securely, you have to contract the services of an armored car. That way, you will be assured that your money will arrive safely. PPTP is like that armored car. Of course, that doesn't mean that it is invulnerable. With the proper firepower, anyone can "assault" the protocol and access the information that is being transmitted.

A very unlikely scenario though. Corporations through out the world use this network protocol for transmitting information between their employees and their systems. They take all the necessary care to avoid this kind of problems. Especially if you consider the thousands of hackers that are lurking, day and night, in the World Wide Web.

What Is The Difference Between PPTP and L2TP?

Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP) is another kind of communication protocol for VPN. In the past, there were two protocols, PPTP (created by Microsoft) and Layer 2 Forwarding or L2F (created by Cisco Systems). The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) determined that it made no sense to have two technologies that were incompatible with one another. For that reason, they created L2TP, which combines the best of both worlds.

However, does it make it better than PPTP? Not necessarily. There are determined situations in which each one of them offers a greater advantage to the user; experience is the most important thing here, since it will help you determine if you need to use a Linux PPTP server or L2TP. In the case you have no experience to guide you, go for the easiest one. After all, you don't want to complicate with complex set-ups and long installations.

Continue to: Benefits of PPTP

IPSec or SSL? The Battle Begins
Setting up a VPN: Do it yourself
Remote Access VPN
Site to site VPN