Netgear FVS318v1 – Prosafe Wireless N VPN Firewall Reference Manual

Virtual Private Networking

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Even though IPSec is standards-based, each vendor has its own set of terms and procedures for 
implementing the standard. Because of these differences, it may be a good idea to review some of 
the terms and the generic processes for connecting two gateways before diving into to the 
specifics.

The VPN gateway is aptly named because it functions as a “gatekeeper” for each of the computers 
connected on the Local Area Network behind it.

In most cases, each Gateway will have a “public” facing address (WAN side) and a “private” 
facing address (LAN side). These addresses are referred to as the “network interface” in 
documentation regarding the construction of VPN communication. Please note that the addresses 
used in the example.

This TechNote uses example addresses provided the VPN Consortium. It is important to 
understand that you will be using addresses specific to the devices that you are attempting to 
connect via IPSec VPN.