Introduction
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This chapter explains very briefly what TrIPE is and what this manual aims to tell you about it.

About TrIPE
===========

TrIPE is a TrIPE is a Virtual Private Network (VPN) implementation.  It uses cryptography to protect network packets from being read or tampered with as they travel over hostile networks (e.g., the Internet).  The effect of this is that you can connect together geographically-separated networks of machines and use network protocols which would be unsafe to use over public networks.

The name `TrIPE' stands for `Trivial IP Encryption'.  Unfortunately, while the TrIPE network protocol is still fairly simple (and this is one of TrIPE's conspicuous advantages over other VPN systems), the software suite which implements it is not.  Over time, the original single server has acquired strangely-shaped extensions and add-on-services in order to solve various problems, and even given fairly detailed descriptions of all of the individual pieces it can be difficult to see how to fit them together in order to actually do anything useful.

The TrIPE software runs entirely in user mode.  It does not require any kernel modifications.

About this manual
=================

This manual provides an overview of the TrIPE software suite.  The individual components are described in their respective reference manual pages.  This page exists to provide a picture for how the various pieces fit together and how to use them effectively.  It presents a number of worked examples, but it's not intended to be used as a `cookbook'; TrIPE is a complicated system, and the author believes that you're less likely to become confused by it if you understand how its various bits fit together rather than following canned recipes which don't quite match your particular circumstances.

This manual is intended for network administrators who are comfortable with the fundamentals of IP networking and routing.  It assumes a reasonable level of knowledge of how to configure network interfaces and routing.  It doesn't assume a strong background in cryptography, though a good grounding won't hurt; the author recommends the Handbook of Applied Cryptography by Alfred Menezes, Paul van Oorschott and Scott Vanstone, which is published by CRC Press, or available online at http://FIXME.

Unlike other Info manuals, this one isn't intended to be a complete reference to the system.  That information is provided in traditional Unix-style manual pages, which are easier to consult quickly.  Instead, it provides a conceptual overview of the system together with examples to help you get started.

magic
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