ZyXEL Communications wireless n gigbit router zyxel manual 15.6.6 VPN, NAT, and NAT Traversal, 223

Chapter 15 IPSec VPN

Step 3: The NBG-460N authenticates the remote IPSec router and confirms that the IKE SA is established.

Aggressive mode does not provide as much security as main mode because the identity of the NBG-460N and the identity of the remote IPSec router are not encrypted. It is usually used when the address of the initiator is not known by the responder and both parties want to use pre-shared keys for authentication (for example, telecommuters).

15.6.6 VPN, NAT, and NAT Traversal

In the following example, there is another router (A) between router X and router Y.

Figure 140 VPN/NAT Example

If router A does NAT, it might change the IP addresses, port numbers, or both. If router X and router Y try to establish a VPN tunnel, the authentication fails because it depends on this information. The routers cannot establish a VPN tunnel.

Most routers like router A now have an IPSec pass-through feature. This feature helps router A recognize VPN packets and route them appropriately. If router A has this feature, router X and router Y can establish a VPN tunnel as long as the IPSec protocol is ESP. (See IPSec Protocol on page 224 for more information about active protocols.)

If router A does not have an IPSec pass-through or if the IPSec protocol is AH, you can solve this problem by enabling NAT traversal. In NAT traversal, router X and router Y add an extra header to the IKE SA and IPSec SA packets. If you configure router A to forward these packets unchanged, router X and router Y can establish a VPN tunnel.

You have to do the following things to set up NAT traversal.

•Enable NAT traversal on the NBG-460N and remote IPSec router.

•Configure the NAT router to forward packets with the extra header unchanged.

The extra header may be UDP port 500 or UDP port 4500, depending on the standard(s) the NBG-460N and remote IPSec router support.

NBG-460N User’s Guide

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