mdw@git.distorted.org.uk Git - tripe/blob - manual/intro.texi

   1 @c
   2 @c Introduction to TrIPE
   3 @c
   4 @c (c) 2009 Straylight/Edgeware
   5 @c
   6
   7 @c --------------------------------------------------------------------------
   8 @node Introduction, hack
   9 @unnumbered Introduction
  10
  11 This chapter explains very briefly what TrIPE is and what this manual
  12 aims to tell you about it.
  13
  14 @menu
  15 * About TrIPE::                 What TrIPE is and what it does
  16 * About this manual::           What this manual tries to do, and who
  17                                   should read it
  18 @end menu
  19
  20 @node About TrIPE, About this manual, Introduction, Introduction
  21 @unnumberedsec About TrIPE
  22
  23 TrIPE is a TrIPE is a Virtual Private Network (VPN) implementation.  It uses
  24 cryptography to protect network packets from being read or tampered with
  25 as they travel over hostile networks (e.g., the Internet).  The effect
  26 of this is that you can connect together geographically-separated
  27 networks of machines and use network protocols which would be unsafe to
  28 use over public networks.
  29
  30 The name `TrIPE' stands for `Trivial IP Encryption'.  Unfortunately,
  31 while the TrIPE network protocol is still fairly simple (and this is one
  32 of TrIPE's conspicuous advantages over other VPN systems), the software
  33 suite which implements it is not.  Over time, the original single server
  34 has acquired strangely-shaped extensions and add-on-services in order to
  35 solve various problems, and even given fairly detailed descriptions of
  36 all of the individual pieces it can be difficult to see how to fit them
  37 together in order to actually do anything useful.
  38
  39 The TrIPE software runs entirely in user mode.  It does not require any
  40 kernel modifications.
  41
  42 @node About this manual,  , About TrIPE, Introduction
  43 @unnumberedsec About this manual
  44
  45 This manual provides an overview of the TrIPE software suite.  The
  46 individual components are described in their respective reference manual
  47 pages.  This page exists to provide a picture for how the various pieces
  48 fit together and how to use them effectively.  It presents a number of
  49 worked examples, but it's not intended to be used as a `cookbook'; TrIPE
  50 is a complicated system, and the author believes that you're less likely
  51 to become confused by it if you understand how its various bits fit
  52 together rather than following canned recipes which don't quite match
  53 your particular circumstances.
  54
  55 This manual is intended for network administrators who are comfortable
  56 with the fundamentals of IP networking and routing.  It assumes a
  57 reasonable level of knowledge of how to configure network interfaces and
  58 routing.  It doesn't assume a strong background in cryptography, though
  59 a good grounding won't hurt; the author recommends the @cite{Handbook of
  60 Applied Cryptography} by Alfred Menezes, Paul van Oorschott and Scott
  61 Vanstone, which is published by CRC Press, or available online at
  62 @url{http://FIXME}.
  63
  64 Unlike other Info manuals, this one isn't intended to be a complete
  65 reference to the system.  That information is provided in traditional
  66 Unix-style manual pages, which are easier to consult quickly.  Instead,
  67 it provides a conceptual overview of the system together with examples
  68 to help you get started.
  69
  70 @node hack,  , Introduction
  71 @chapter magic
  72
  73 @c ----- That's all, folks --------------------------------------------------
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