What is Tunneling

Tunneling is a protocol that allows for the secure movement of data from one network to another.

• Tunneling involves allowing private network communications to be sent across a public network, such as the Internet, through a process called encapsulation.
• The encapsulation process allows for data packets to appear as though they are of a public of public network when they are actually private data packets, allowing them to pass through unnoticed.
• Tunneling is also known as port forwarding.
• In tunneling, the data are broken into smaller pieces called packets as they move along the tunnel for transport.
• As the packets move through the tunnel, they are encrypted and another process called encapsulation occurs.
• The private network data and the protocol information that goes with it are encapsulated in public network transmissionunits for sending.
• The units look like public data, allowing them to be transmitted across the Internet. Encapsulation allows the packets to arrive at their proper destination.
• At the final destination, de-capsulation and decryption occur.
• There are various protocols that allow tunneling to occur, including:
• Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP): This protocol is developed by Microsoft. PPTP keeps proprietary data secure even when it is being communicated over public networks. Authorized users can access a private network called a virtual private network, which is provided by an Internet service provider. This is a private network in the “virtual” sense because it is actually being created in a tunneled environment.
• Layer Two Tunneling Protocol (L2TP): This type of tunneling protocol involves a combination of using PPTP and Layer 2 Forwarding.