Virtual Private Network (VPN)

Specifically a VPN can be described as the ability to 'tunnel' through the Internet, or any other public network, using encryption technology in a way that provides the same security formerly only available on expensive private networks. It allows a user working at home, or elsewhere, to simply connect to their local Internet service provider and securely link to their remote corporate network as if the user was in the building. Corporations with multiple remote sites each having Internet access can establish private connections between the remote networks to allow clients in each site to share resources in a completely secure environment.

The Tri-Net server provides comprehensive e-mail facilities to handle both internal and Internet e-mail requirements. Among the e-mail facilities supported is a complete POP3/SMTP based internal e-mail system. In addition, users have the ability to access their mail remotely via the Internet. The server can also handle all of the Internet mail for a registered domain with no requirement for e-mail accounts at an Internet Service Provider. DNS services can be provided by Tri-Lan. Facilities are provided to allow the system administrator to create and manage an unlimited number of e-mail accounts.

This provides the capability to develop an Intranet and to develop and host web pages. It also provides the capability for the system administrator to control web sites that users can access. This is accomplished by providing the system with a list of web sites that are to be blocked. For blocked sites, complete or partial URL addresses will be accepted.

This feature provides the ability for the system administrator to view the complete history of web sites accessed and e-mail transactions that have been handled by the proxy server. This information can be accessed by date and time of day or by specific computer.

In addition to its standard features, the Tri-Net system can be tailored to meet custom requirements. Some that can be readily implemented include:

• Inter-Office VPN: By this we mean the computers in multiple offices of an organization can be configured to appear as a single network. This can be done with encryption and full security. This feature is implemented using the Tri-Net Inter-Office feature and a Tri-Net server at each location.
• File Sharing: The Tri-Net server can also be used as a file server. It is able to share files both on networks of PCs and on networks of Macs.
• Multiple Networks: The Tri-Net server can be configured to recognize multiple internal networks, as may be present in offices with a large number of client machines, or with separate network addresses in separate locations within an office.

Custom configuration is not limited to these ideas. Since the Tri-Net system is built upon Linux other features can be developed to meet specialized customer requirements.