Cloud based virtual private networks using IP tunneling for remote site interfaces

Most enterprise organizations need a robust IP technology that creates a safe and encrypted connection tunnel over the less secure internet. In order to allow remote users and branch offices to securely access corporate applications and other resources, joint location problem (JLP) and link connectivity problems (LCP) need to be assured. This guarantees safety as data travels through secure tunnels. Though IP based VPN has been developed, the full characterization of JLP and LCP for VPN customer edge devices as well as provider edge nodes have not fully explored. The aim of this paper is to apply advanced perspectives to IP-VPN design which could be applied in cloud computing IP multi-protocol label switching (MPLS-VPN) infrastructure. Mathematical formulations are introduced in the system architecture. Riverbed Modeler17.5 is used to simulate VPN-IP tunneling for a typical enterprise scenario (Non-MPLS aware). Sixteen (16) Ethernet4_Slip8_gatway, i.e., integrated service routers (ISR) which runs on Cisco IOS release 15.4 are employed at both the customer and provide edge. Also, six (6) customer nodes are introduced. Reachability metrics using the Ping command showed the various response times for each site. For IP tunneling, end to end delay, throughput and resource utilization behavior are observed to be moderate for low scale workloads. The challenges of the VPN-IP tunneling are discussed while highlighting the merits of an IP based MPLS-VPN infrastructure. In other to avoid complex problems in VPN-IP tunneling, this work recommends cloud based MPLS-VPN as a viable alternative for optimal performance.