Troubleshooting HP-UX IPSec

IPSec OperationIPSec Operation

To troubleshoot HP-UX IPSec, it is useful to understand a few key points about its operation. This section contains high-level descriptions of how IPSec establishes Security Associations (SAs) and how IPSec processes packets.

Establishing Security Associations (SAs)

Figure 5-1

Security Associations

 

 

 

Authenticate Each Peer’s Identity

 

1

 

 

 

 

System A

System B

2Establish ISAKMP/MM SA

3Establish IPSec/QM SAs

Before IPSec can authenticate or encrypt an IP packet using an IPSec transformation—an Authentication Header (AH) or Encapsulating Security Payload (ESP)—IPSec must establish SAs with the remote system. You can think of the SAs as security sessions, where the two systems agree on the type of authentication and encryption, the encryption keys and other parameters. The procedure for establishing SAs is described below:

1.Authenticate Identities

Each system authenticates the other system's identity, using preshared keys or security certificates (RSA signatures). Each system also verifies ID types and ID values (HP-UX IPSec uses IP

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