Virtual Private Networking - PPTP

=PPTP= The Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) is a method for implementing virtual private networks.

Another method for VPN is OpenVPN.

PPTP implementation

 * PPTP works by sending a regular PPP session to the peer with the Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE) protocol. A second session on TCP port 1723 is used to initiate and manage the GRE session.  PPTP is difficult to forward past a network firewall because it requires two network sessions.
 * PPTP connections are authenticated with Microsoft MSCHAP-v2 or EAP-TLS. VPN traffic is optionally protected by MPPE encryption, which is described by RFC 3078.
 * MSCHAP-v2 can be compromised if users choose weak passwords. The certificate-based EAP-TLS provides a superior security option for PPTP.
 * Cisco first implemented PPTP and later licensed the technology to Microsoft. Mac OS X is bundled with a PPTP client. Palm PDA devices with Wi-Fi are bundled with the Mergic PPTP client.
 * Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 and higher also support the PPTP protocol.

PoPToP
Poptop, is a PPTP Server for Linux, ports also exist for Solaris 2.6, OpenBSD, FreeBSD and others, it features:


 * Microsoft compatible authentication and encryption (MSCHAPv2, MPPE 40 - 128 bit RC4 encryption)
 * Support for multiple client connections
 * Seamless integration into a Microsoft network environment (LDAP, SAMBA) using RADIUS plugin
 * Works with Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP PPTP clients
 * Works with Linux PPTP client
 * Poptop is free software, licensed under the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL)

=Installation=

FreeLink
Requirements:
 * Upgrade to the 2.6-kernel (ppc only)
 * Webmin to remotely administer your LinkStation

Use apt-get to install Poptop: apt-get install pptpd webmin-pptp-server Then use the PPTP server configuration module for webmin to configure Poptop or you could configure it manually

=References=