Dilbert and IPsec
I can’t help thinking about IPsec VPNs as I read this Dilbert:
For those of you who have ever tried to set up a VPN for the first time, you’ll know what I mean. I don’t mean one of those wimpy VPNs that your network administrator sets up, but a real IPsec VPN with all the settings and proposals.
It’s often hundreds of settings that have to match identically other VPNs in order for the VPN to work. If a single one of these settings is off, the negotiation fails and the VPN does not come up. True, it’s not hard after you’ve done a few. However, that’s if you survive the pure frustration of setting up the first one. You could easily end up stabbing yourself.
Is the IETF IPsec working group just a shim for a secret government military plot designed to drive it’s enemies insane? You decide. 