Introduction to PnPVPN

IPSec VPN requires sophisticated operation skills and high maintenance cost. To relieve network administrators from the heavy work, an easy-to-use VPN technology - PnPVPN (Plug-and-Play VPN) is provided . PnPVPN consists of two parts: PnPVPN Server and PnPVPN Client.

• PnPVPN Server: Normally deployed in the headquarters and maintained by an IT engineer. The PnPVPN Server issues most of the configuration commands to clients. The Security Appliance usually works a a PnPVPN Server and one device can serve as multiple servers.
• PnPVPN Client: Normally deployed in the branch offices and controlled remotely by headquarters engineer. With simple configuration, such as client ID, password and server IP settings, the PnPVPN Client can obtain configuration commands (e.g. DNS, WINS, DHCP address pool, etc.) from PnPVPN Server.

Note: The Security Appliance can serve as both a PnPVPN Server and a PnPVPN Client. When working as a PnPVPN Server, the maximum number of VPN example and the supported client number of each device may vary from hardware platforms.

PnPVPN Workflow

The workflow for PnPVPN is as follows:

1. The client initiates a connection request and sends its own ID and password to the server.
2. The server verifies the ID and password when it receives the request. If the verification succeeds, the server issues configuration information, including DHCP address pool, DHCP mask, DHCP gateway, WINS, DNS and tunnel routes, etc,. to the client.
3. The client distributes the received information to corresponding functional modules.
4. The client PC automatically gains an IP address, IP mask, gateway address and other network parameters and connects itself to the VPN.