Secure and Manageable Virtual Private Networks for End-users

This paper presents personal networks, which integrate a VPN and the per-VPN execution environments of the hosts included in the VPN. The key point is that each execution environment called a portspace is bound to only one VPN, i.e., single-homed. Using this feature of portspaces, personal networks address several problems at multi-homed hosts that use multiple VPNs. Information flow is separated by personal networks so that it is not mixed at multihomed hosts. IP addressing in a personal network is independent of the other personal networks, even the base network, and therefore does not conflict with those of other networks at multi-homed hosts. In addition, personal networks provide facilities for easy bootstrapping so that the endusers can construct such isolated networks easily. Inheritance of portspaces supports the creation of new portspaces based on existing portspaces. Self-construction of personal networks enables end-users to construct personal networks without help from the base network.