Implementation and Evaluation of IPSec in an NFV-Based Network

The telecommunications industry plays a critical role in supporting the success of enterprises and organizations by providing the necessary infrastructure for communication, collaboration, and data sharing. The past several years have seen a transition to next-generation networking paradigms, and academic and industrial research communities are attracting the attention of Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) and Software-Defined Networking (SDN) to provide an improved method of utilizing IT virtualization technologies and consolidate different types of network equipment onto standard storage, switches, routers, and servers. The network operators can design their networks without the need for proprietary hardware appliances by placing those storage, switches, routers, and servers in various locations, including cloud datacenters, network nodes, and even end-user premises. Instead, they can use software based on those standard hardware components to implement network functions like network address translation, firewall, domain name service, and caching on software built on those common server hardware components. The design and optimization of this network infrastructure with a strong emphasis on robust security measures are essential. Consequently, the emergence of complementing Internet Protocol Security (IPSec) technologies in Virtual Private Networks addresses the increasing security challenges by establishing secure communication channels and implementing encryption protocols. This article aims to investigate the implementation and utilization of these technologies, along with the integration of additional protocols to enhance WAN infrastructure. Furthermore, various practical implementations have been developed to effectively employ these protocols and ensure the secure transfer of data. The study utilizes simulation methodologies involving basic dynamic routing/switching protocols, NFV-based network infrastructure design, IPSec technology through GNS3, VMware, and server services operating on the Linux platform.