SoftEther VPN Laboratory Activity

Overview

This repository contains a comprehensive laboratory activity that demonstrates the implementation and comparative analysis of Virtual Private Network (VPN) technologies using SoftEther VPN's multi-protocol capabilities. The project simulates realistic network scenarios where geographically separated private networks communicate securely across the Internet through encrypted VPN tunnels.

Project Description

This laboratory activity explores two major VPN implementations within a unified SoftEther VPN platform:

• IPSec VPN: Network-layer security using strongSwan client with ISAKMP/ESP protocols
• TLS/SSL VPN: Session-layer security using OpenVPN client with certificate-based authentication

The project demonstrates how different VPN protocols achieve the same security objectives through different technical approaches, providing hands-on experience with both kernel-space (IPSec) and user-space (TLS) VPN implementations.

Key Accomplishments

Network Infrastructure Design

• Implemented realistic Internet topology using GNS3 with Cisco routers
• Configured NAT traversal and port forwarding for VPN services
• Simulated ISP infrastructure with public IP addressing and routing

Multi-Protocol VPN Implementation

• Deployed SoftEther VPN server supporting simultaneous IPSec and TLS connections
• Configured strongSwan IPSec client with pre-shared key authentication
• Set up OpenVPN TLS client with X.509 certificate validation
• Implemented SecureNAT for automatic client IP assignment and routing

Security Analysis

• Performed detailed packet analysis using Wireshark
• Compared encryption mechanisms between IPSec ESP and TLS protocols
• Analyzed VPN tunnel establishment phases and traffic encapsulation
• Evaluated NAT traversal capabilities and firewall compatibility

Educational Framework

• Created comprehensive documentation with step-by-step configurations
• Developed comparative analysis of VPN protocol characteristics
• Provided troubleshooting guidance and verification procedures

Technologies Used

Networking & Simulation

• GNS3: Network topology simulation and management
• Cisco IOS: Router configuration and enterprise networking
• Docker: Containerized VPN endpoints and service isolation

VPN Technologies

• SoftEther VPN: Multi-protocol VPN server platform
• strongSwan: IPSec implementation for Linux systems
• OpenVPN: SSL/TLS VPN client software

Security Protocols

• IPSec: Internet Protocol Security with ESP encapsulation
• TLS/SSL: Transport Layer Security for encrypted tunnels
• X.509 PKI: Public Key Infrastructure for certificate management

Analysis Tools

• Wireshark: Network protocol analysis and packet inspection
• Linux networking: Advanced routing, NAT, and interface configuration

Network Architecture

The laboratory implements a realistic three-tier network topology:

[Server Network] ↔ [Edge Router] ↔ [ISP Router] ↔ [Edge Router] ↔ [Client Network]
   10.0.1.0/24        203.0.113.1    Internet    198.51.100.1      10.0.2.0/24

This design demonstrates:

• Site-to-site VPN connectivity across public Internet infrastructure
• NAT traversal for VPN protocols behind network address translation
• Port forwarding configuration for VPN service accessibility
• Realistic routing and addressing schemes using RFC-compliant networks

Documentation Structure

├── main/                    # LaTeX source files for comprehensive lab report
│   ├── SoftEther_VPN_Lab.tex
│   └── sections/            # Individual report sections
├── Utilities/               # Reference materials and examples
│   ├── Examples/            # Sample configurations and lab exercises
│   └── Project_Structure/   # Network topology documentation
├── Makefile                 # Automated PDF compilation
└── README.md               # This file

Related Resources

SoftEther VPN

• Official Repository: SoftEtherVPN/SoftEtherVPN
• Official Documentation: SoftEther VPN Project
• Installation Guide: SoftEther VPN Manual

IPSec & strongSwan

• strongSwan Project: strongSwan VPN
• IPSec Documentation: RFC 4301 - Security Architecture for IP
• strongSwan Configuration: strongSwan Documentation

OpenVPN & TLS

• OpenVPN Project: OpenVPN Community
• TLS Protocol: RFC 8446 - The Transport Layer Security (TLS) Protocol Version 1.3
• OpenVPN HOWTO: OpenVPN 2.4 Manual

Network Simulation

• GNS3 Project: GNS3 Network Simulator
• GNS3 Documentation: GNS3 Docs

Academic Context

This laboratory activity was developed as part of the Network and Cloud Security course at Politecnico di Torino, Master's degree in Cybersecurity Engineering. The project provides practical experience with enterprise VPN technologies and demonstrates real-world applications of network security protocols.

Key Learning Outcomes

• Understanding of VPN protocol differences and use cases
• Hands-on experience with enterprise network simulation
• Practical knowledge of IPSec and TLS security mechanisms
• Network security analysis and troubleshooting skills
• Comparative evaluation of different VPN implementation approaches

License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Contact

Renato Mignone

• LinkedIn
• MSc in Cybersecurity Engineering, Politecnico di Torino

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