Cisco Secure Virtual Private Networks

An increasing number of businesses are cutting costs by eliminating their private data networks in favor of virtual private networks (VPNs), which are much more flexible as well as less costly. Cisco Secure Virtual Private Networks shows how to configure Cisco Systems equipment to provide the required security while remaining invisible to users. Though it's designed for use as the textbook for a Cisco-sanctioned class of the same name, this book is equally suited for use by an engineer studying alone. The author--a CCIE with ISP experience--explains the Cisco product line, examines the products' open and proprietary features, and shows how to plan and implement a VPN configuration on them. Thanks to the inclusion of troubleshooting advice (even though its applicability in a multiple-vendor environment is somewhat limited), this book should hold its value as your VPN evolves.

If you've read a Cisco Press class manual before, you'll find Andrew Mason's format familiar. He describes customer requirements first (using pre-shared keys for security between sites, for example), and then presents a list of tasks to be accomplished in order to satisfy the specifications (configuring Internet Key Exchange--IKE--among others). He subsequently breaks each task into individual steps, each of which is presented with detailed information on the commands to be issued and configuration files to be established. These steps include tables that document commands fully, so readers have reference material that's relevant when their situations differ from the problems Mason solves explicitly. --David Wall

Topics covered: Cisco Systems virtual private network (VPN) solutions, especially the VPN 3000 Concentrator and the PIX firewall family. IPSec gets plenty of coverage, as do public-key infrastructure solutions. This book covers the same ground as the Cisco Secure Virtual Private Networks exam (9EO-570).