This unique address is called an IP address (Internet Protocol address) that computers make use of to identify and converse with each other on an internet network.

IP Address explained: IP Address Format

IP addresses consist of 32-bit binary strings which are generally seen as four numbers separated by periods and look something like 127.0.0.1.

The decimal numbers are merely a convenient way of encoding the numbers so that administrators and others find it easier to recognize them.

Initially, IP addresses were divided into five classes, as shown below. Classes A, B, and C are the most important: the first bits determine which category an address belongs to, and the classes differ in how much of the address is taken up with the network address and how much with the host address.

IP addresses explained: IP Address classes

So, IP addresses are now classified as given below:

Class A: An IP addresses between 1.0.0.0 and 127.255.255.255. The first byte recognizes the networks, the next 3 bytes the host. For example, here we have 127 networks and 16.777.216 hosts.

Class B: IP addresses between 128.0.0.0 and 191.255.255.255. The first 2 bytes recognize the networks, the next 2 bytes the hosts. Here the first byte is restricted to 128 – 191, so we have 65536 hosts and 16384 networks.

Class C: IP addresses between 192.0.0.0 and 223.255.255.255. The first 3 bytes recognize the networks, the last byte the hosts.

Class D: it is used when just one host is propagating and all the others are receiving.

Class E: Only for the future utilization

Now, how are the IP addresses created?

IP addresses are supervised and created by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA). The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority generally assigns super-blocks to Regional Internet Registries, who in turn allocate smaller blocks to Internet service providers and the enterprises.

Differences Between IPv4 and IPv6

When the IPv4 protocol of assigning host addresses was introduced, nobody would have imagined that there would be 4 billion devices connected to a large-scale network. That was back in the 70s and before the age of the Internet.

More IPs are needed

In time, it became clear that more addresses would be required and in 1999 the IPv6 was proposed. The IPv6 was introduced to overcome the IP address space shortage in addition to providing other benefits.

IPv4 vs. IPv6

IPv4 is a 32-bit address protocol while IPv6 is a 128-bit protocol. A 32-bit address space implemented using IPv4 allows for 4, 294, 967, 296 possible addresses. That is slightly above 4 billion addresses. A 128-bit address space, on the other hand, implemented using IPv6 would have 3.4 x 1038 possible addresses. It is hard to conceive if all these P addresses will ever be consumed.  Well, consider this, with IPv6 there are 6.65 x 1023 addresses for every square meter on Earth.

Looking closely at the syntax of these two protocols, IPv4 is delineated in dotted-decimal formats separated along 8-bit boundaries. IPv6, however, is divided along 16-bit boundaries. IPv4 is represented in 4 blocks of 8-bit binary while IPv6 is in groups of 16-bit hex values separated by colons.

Bigger payload

Another notable difference is that IPv6 supports a bigger payload than IPv4. This difference can be seen in the header information contained in the IPv6 packets. The packet headers define the payload length, hop limit, source, and destination address, all of which affect the payload. While many of the fields found in IPv4 packet headers are still found in IPv6, there is a slight difference in the information or naming of the areas.

At the moment, IP tunneling is employed to allow IPv4 and IPv6 addresses interconnection and make it possible to run both address types. Also, most devices and networks that have IPv6 support also support for IPv4 addresses.

What is a Private IP Address?

An IP address shows two things: first the network to which the computer fits in and the host, which is the number of computers. IP addresses can be classified as private IP addresses (where computers are not connected directly to the Internet) and public IP addresses (where networks connected directly to the Internet).

An IP Address is a sequence of numbers used to identify your computer.  This works in much of the same way as your home address or phone number works.  You must provide the post office or phone network a specific place for it to forward the information. Learn about private IP address.

Private IP address

Because there is a limit of possible IP Addresses, a private address is used to identify a network of computers.  For instance, if I were to buy ten computers for my small business, I could use one “Private IP Address” to identify my network instead of using a separate address for each computer.

The network uses a type of configuration known as NAT (Network Address Translation), which can identify each computer as belonging to my network.  It then can take any information that’s generated and connect it to the internet, sending it to any number of other IP Addresses.

Using a private IP address will not make your computer invisible. Even though your computer IP address is something like 10.0.0.x inside the network, outside your network, your computer has the IP of the network.

Dynamic vs. Static IP Addresses

An IP address can be static or dynamic. The system administrator allocates static IP addresses to every computer, and dynamic IP addresses are allocated by another device connected to the network.

When the computer is linked to a local area network (LAN), for instance in the corporate network or at home, the IP address is decided while organizing the network and is generally static. Such IP addresses can be, for example, 192.168.0.1, also known as private IP addresses.

On the other hand, when connecting to the internet network, the Internet Service Provider (ISP) decides the IP address which will recognize your PC when it is connected via modem to the internet, known as a public IP address. IP addresses for linking to the internet considered a wide area network (WAN) and can be dynamic or static, depending on the Internet Service Provider.

Because IP addresses are limited, there is not always enough to go around.  To make sure everyone can connect to the Internet, the system is separated into static IP addresses and dynamic IP addresses.

Static IP address

A Static IP address is designed to provide the user with a more stable identification.  Think of this as a phone number.  You have a standard phone number in which people can locate your phone and contact you.  It remains the same unless you explicitly decide to change it.  A static IP Address works in much the same way, in that it is used as a permanent ID.

Dynamic IP address

A dynamic IP address is for the opposite.  Think of it as a pay phone.  It is a temporary identification to allow you to connect to the Internet.  Just like a pay phone, though, you can only make “outgoing” connections.  It means that you cannot accept incoming calls because the “number” changes when you disconnect.  Even if you were to reconnect immediately, the chances of you receiving the same IP address is very small.

So, if your ISP (Internet Service Provider) delivers dynamic IP addresses(most of them do), your IP address is different every time you connect to the internet. It does not mean that your IP is hidden or that you are untraceable. Every ISP has a predefined range of IPs; so your IP address can be identified as belonging to your ISP. Plus, all ISP do log their traffic; thus they do know they have allocated you a specific IP at a particular moment in time.

Even if you have dynamic IP addresses, you need to hide your IP id you what to browse anonymously. The good news is that you have been banned from a forum or specific sites based on your IP you can create a new account with no problems.

IP Address management

What is involved in IP address management? In simple terms, this consists of the maintenance of all the network information about network IP addresses.

A network administrator will need to do this to find out the amount of free address space he has, what subnets are in use, how large the subnets are, where they are located and who is using them. While network management has remained virtually unchanged since the early beginnings of the TCP/ IP protocol, the scope and sophistication of the tools in network management have entirely changed. What are some of the tools used in network management?

Domain Name System

One of these is the DNS. Domain Name System defines the namespace of hierarchical domains by breaking domains into zones and centralized lines for administrative purposes. In short, DNS is a distributed database that has locally maintained network info that is also available globally.

Programs called name servers are used to implement DNS by contacting other name servers and storing the collected information organized into zones. For the quickly growing internet, DNS removed bottlenecks in networks but at the same time created zone database file complexity, decentralized information and lacked the ability to quickly store additional host information.

Commercial IP address management

Commercial IP address management software became available in the mid-1990s and offered such features as centralized management, a graphical user interface, consistency, dynamic DNS, and was both extensible and customizable. It also allowed the reporting of network information and activities.

Tools like Plesk and IP Address Manager (IPAM) help network engineers not only manage networks but also locate and resolve IP network problems. Some of the features of these 4^th generation tools include periodic checking and scanning of IP addresses to determine what IP addresses are available, scanning of the Active Directory, hierarchical representation of the network in a graphical user interface, end-to-end IP details like the Port Numbers, contact details and history of IP allocations. Alerts can also be configured where emails can be sent when an IP becomes available or used.

Tracking the location of an IP Address

Sometimes you may need to find out the exact location of an IP address. For example, if you pick up a proxy from a proxy list, you get only the country where the proxy is located.

What is location lookup?

To find out the exact location of the IP, you should perform a location lookup. There are many sites/services that can do this. My favorites are XMyIP, GeoBytes IP Locator, and IP2Location.

GeoBytes shows a Google map of the city, along with a bunch of other information (country, city, latitude, longitude, distance to nearby cities, etc.) about the location itself.

IP2Location also offers the name of the ISP (Internet Service Provider).

More info about the IP address

If you want more information on an IP address, you can do a WHOIS search also. ARIN WHOIS Database gives you information on who hosts a certain IP address and their registration information.

Should you hide your public IP address?

If your IP address isn’t hidden, virtually anyone with Internet access can track you directly to your home. Everyone can see this information, including hackers! I would say that most of the time you don’t need to worry by exposing your public IP address, but you have to consider hiding your IP while using public Wifi, while traveling or while accessing sites that look suspicious.

How to hide your IP address?

There are many different ways available to hide and change your IP address so you can have better security while messing around on the Internet or conducting business. You should use special programs or proxy servers to help your network be more secure or keep your browsing habits out of the eyes of snoopers. It’s easy to find out your IP address and even the IP addresses of others. If you are concerned about security, definitely take steps to keep yours obscured.

Would you like to find out more the best services for hiding your IP address? Then check the following hide IP tools.

E.U. Regulator: IP addresses are personal data

Whether or not knowing an IP address of a user to some of this equipment could be personal data, Peter Shaar, Germany’s data-protection commissioner, says this kind of information should stay private. This kind of information could potentially identify a user of a computer.

However, many competitors of Shaar’s thoughts, especially that of the number one internet search engine, Google, say that a machines IP address is absolutely irrelevant to personal identity. An IP address tracks a computer’s location, not the person staring at the monitor. Imagine computers at internet cafes and coffee shops. With hundreds of people coming and going every day, you would never be able to track one person down with the computer’s IP address.

Google collects data

Google says it collects IP address data only to help improve their search rankings. Using the IP address as a locator, they can figure out what language and where the results of their search terms should be coming from. An example given would be the term football. A New York searcher would find terms about American football games, or maybe even New York football. Someone looking up football in London would find English football, or soccer, website results.

Shaar says there is still cause for concern. Privacy policy information is very hard to access and understand and thinks there are ways to improve upon this. MSN is already showing signs of this by not actually collecting IP data, but by allowing users to sign in using their “Passport” feature, enabling them to get more refined search results.

Conclusion

To conclude, an IP address is a unique identifier for a computer or device on a TCP/IP network which is required so that computer can be recognized and can communicate with other computers in an internet network.

As you probably know, Google is more than a search engine; it provides a lot of services like email, news, mapping, etc. One of these services is Google Translator, that, here is the good news :), can be used as a proxy. What a proxy does is to receive data from a requested site and forward it to you. This way the site sees the requests coming from the proxy, not from you.

How to use Google Translator proxy

What you have to do is to type in your browser the following URL: =en&sl=auto&tl=fr&u=www.how-to-hide-ip.net (www.how-to-hide-ip.net stands for the URL you need to go to…).

You will get the translated page from French (or any other language) to English (the page is already in English :)). The result is that your connection is redirected to google.com and the page it won’t be blocked.

Important! This trick lets you see restricted pages but doesn’t hide your IP address. Just go to =en&sl=auto&tl=fr&u=https://xmyip.com to see your IP is not hidden!

Happy Surfing!

Why limit yourself?

Let’s turn things the other way round. Let’s suppose that you have already invested (or are willing to invest) into a VPN subscription (ExpressVPN, ibVPN, HideMyAss, NordVPN or PureVPN are great options by the way). You may have bought the VPN so as to watch Hulu or watch BBC iPlayer while you are on the go.

But my question to you is: why should you limit yourself to those “usual” service when there’s a lot more to discover. You’ve already paid the subscription, haven’t you? So there’s no additional fee to pay for watching/doing something else (unless you want to access some premium services).

So here are few things to do with VPN subscription:

Overcome internet censorship

Some regular sites like Facebook, Youtube or Twitter can’t be accessed from your computer due to some censorship? Why not try to overcome it with a VPN solution. If that doesn’t work, go for a proxy solution (that are now usually sold with your VPN subscription).

Watch movies

Here you can access services like Hulu or Netflix. In some countries, services like Youtube’s Vevo (or even the simple Youtube) can’t be accessed. A VPN solution is the right solution.

Watch TV

Watch TV (or catch-up with some missed episode of your favorite series): in the UK, the usual platform for watching TV online is BBC’s iPlayer. But you also have Channel4’s programs that you can watch on 4oD. Zattoo is also an online TV solution where you can watch actual TV shows from multiple TV stations by broadcasting it live.

Listen to online radio

Listen to online radio: Pandora is a great resource for that. But then you can also service like Spotify that delivers great music (from pop-stars to alternative music).

Use Chatroulette

Have fun, meet people and play games online: Have fun with Chatroulette.

Unblock VoIP applications

You probably have those VoIP applications already installed on your computer so as to ease the communications when traveling. However, in some countries, those VoIP applications work no more. This is where a VPN solution may come handy.

This list isn’t surely exhaustive, but you get the idea. With a simple VPN subscription or a PS3 proxy, you open new horizons and can access a lot of online services that were only meant for residents of specific countries. And in case you’re worried about the subscription scheme, you may be interested in knowing that you can only buy for a one month access so as to check if you want to renew it or not.

Anyway, you’ve now opened your eyes to what can be done with the VPN solution you’ve just bought. And in case you haven’t bought it yet, you now have a broader view of what can be done.

What are the things to do with VPN subscription? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Linux VPN providers

Interestingly though, most serious VPN providers have well-documented installation instructions for Linux distributions. As opposed to Windows or Apple versions, most of the times, there are no “installers”(Linux apps, VPN clients for Linux). The reason is that there are a lot of Linux flavors out there, each having their package management system.

It comes as no surprise that serious VPN providers like HideMyAss, ibVPN, NordVPN, PureVPN, ExpressVPN, or IPVanish fully support Linux implementation.

A standard OpenVPN client

What’s excellent about VPN implementation on Linux is that most distribution already come with an OpenVPN client that is fully compatible with every OpenVPN server out there. After all, we are in a standardized protocol where, as long as the protocol is set (PPTP, L2TP, OpenVPN, Softether, StealthVPN, …), it shouldn’t matter what client software we are using. Just in case your Linux distribution doesn’t come yet with an OpenVPN package, it’s just a matter of installing it from your distribution’s repository.

As an example, on an Ubuntu system, all you have to do would be launching something similar to

$ sudo apt-get install openvpn

If you are using SuSE, you’ll probably use Yast for the installation process, while an RPM-based Linux distribution would use either “rpm -i” or any package installation front-end.

Windows platform has “trained” us to have some “installation package” that will make the installation easier. The chances are that with a VPN on Linux installation, you’ll be given instructions as well as the credentials to set up your Linux VPN connection. It leads to one warning that we need to raise. As it is common with any Linux distribution, you have to be mindful of the distribution as well as the architecture where the OpenVPN client will be running.

Some troubleshooting tips

Running a VPN client from a Linux system isn’t any difficult as doing it from a Windows client or an Apple computer. However, few things need to be kept in mind so as not to blame the VPN service provider while it may be that your operating system may apply some restrictions.

As an example, I’ve come to some experiences where I received some strange error messages informing me that I couldn’t establish my VPN connection. It’s because my OpenVPN daemon isn’t running. It is a simple issue that can be easily solved by running the daemon through commands similar to

/etc/init.d/openvpn start

Another common reason for your VPN not running is that the Linux built-in firewall may limit some traffic to go through. Most of the time, a proper launching of the OpenVPN service will handle it. But, depending on the situation and the distribution, you may have to dig a bit further to find out what’s going on.

Those are only simple tips for Linux users who want to use a VPN connection.

How did I install BolehVPN on an Ubuntu Linux machine?

Since Ubuntu is one of the popular Linux distribution out there (and since this is the one I am using), I thought I could take you through the installation process. So for your reference purposes, I am using the 32bit version of Ubuntu 12.04 LTS (aka precise), on an Intel-based laptop.

For this article, I have uninstalled the OpenVPN package, but in your case, it may be that this package is already installed.

Pre-requisites – Install OpenVPN

So let’s first install the OpenVPN package

heryzo@xxxxx:~$ sudo apt-get install openvpn

Personally, I like configuring all network-related tasks via the network-manager. So, I like taking the following extra-step (which is not mandatory, but quite useful). For that purpose, we need to install the package “network-manager-openvpn.” You can do that via the following command:

heryzo@xxxx:~$ sudo apt-get install network-manager-openvpn

Download BolehVPN Ubuntu activation keys

Then let’s download the activation keys for BolehVPN. You can find it from your BolehVPN dashboard once you’ve purchased a package. This process will have you download a zip file containing different config files.

For this example, I’ve chosen to use the Canada landing point for my VPN connection, though I issued the following command

So let’s first copy all the files that have been downloaded to /etc/openvpn

heryzo@xxxx:/etc/openvpn$ sudo cp /home/heryzo/Downloads/bolehvpn/hidemyip/* .

heryzo@xxxx:/etc/openvpn$ sudo cp /home/heryzo/Downloads/bolehvpn/hidemyip/FullyRouted-Canada.ovpn hidemyip.conf

Be careful with this last step: the official documentation on BolehVPN says to rename the file to openvpn.conf. However, I’ve found some mismatch since the keys that I downloaded from the same BolehVPN named my certificate files into hidemyip.crt and hidemyip.key. It took me some minutes figuring out what was wrong with my settings. Until I found out that I had to rename the conf file similar to the key files, though the use of hidemyip.conf instead of openvpn.con

Start the OpenVPN service

Now let’s start the OpenVPN service by issuing the following command:

heryzo@xxxx:~$ sudo /etc/init.d/openvpn start

* Starting virtual private network daemon(s)… * Autostarting VPN ‘hidemyip’

Note that shell command mentions that it automatically started the “hidemyip” VPN tunnel.

Then we’re all set. Let’s check my public IP address to find out that I’m no more in Madagascar – and preferably, let’s hope it finds that I am somewhere in Canada.

It seems like we’re all set. Let’s try one of those favorite websites that don’t allow guys located in places like mine to surf on. Hulu, are you going to remind me again that your service is not available in my country? Let’s see.

So I could load one of the most popular movies on Hulu today – I chose “Master Chef” since I like cooking shows I’d better stop this streaming session with Master Chef. Otherwise, I’ll end up watching the whole episode- which is not the goal …

Conclusion

Anyway, I hope this little “how-to” would have helped Linux users have their BolehVPN connection all-setup. I’ve mentioned a little trick that, I’m pretty sure, some Linux users would have blocked them to get it going. Enjoy!

How many Linux users have we out there as readers? And what is your favorite Linux distribution? Feel free to share in the comment section.

Check your visible IP address

Firstly, check your real IP address. You will see how websites see your IP address and how do they determine your location.

Find a proxy

Then you have to find a proxy (a new IP address to be shown when you visit websites). To do this you may subscribe to proxy service or go, for example, to SamAir List (also check our list of proxy sites) and choose a proxy from any country you want:

After you have chosen the proxy, you can start configuring your Internet Explorer to change your IP address.

Here are the steps:

1. Open Internet Explorer
2. Go to Tools -> Internet Options:
   

   

3. Choose the Connections tab and press the LAN Settings button:

   

4. In the Local Area Network (LAN) Settings window, check to Use a proxy server for your LAN:
   

   

5. In the same window fill in the Address and the Port is taken from the above proxy list (e.g., 212.4.14.145: 80 where the IP address of the proxy is 212.4.14.145 and the port is 80):
   

   

6. Press Ok and then Ok again and you are done.

After the configuration is completed check your new IP address and you make sure it is different from the initial IP address. You can now browse anonymously.

Important! After you are done with your activities under hidden IP, do not forget to uncheck Use a proxy server for your LAN. These proxies have a limited lifetime and usually slow down your internet connection. So use them only when you need!

VPN = Proxy alternative to change IP Internet Explorer

Most of the time the speed provided by proxies is quite low. Therefore, you may consider VPN services as an excellent alternative to change your IP using Internet Explorer. They are more expensive but also more reliable and faster. Also, there is a significant difference. Unlike proxies that are set up in the browser, VPNs change the IP for all applications running on the device (including other browsers, email clients, torrent clients, etc.).

Are you looking for an excellent VPN service? I recommend taking a look at HideMyAss and ibVPN.

How does it work?

The way it works is this:  Your computer accesses the internet through a modem.  If you have a network connection in your home or office, then you may have a router that acts as a single modem for every computer in the network.  That modem or router is assigned an IP address that tells any particular website that is accessed exactly where you are, who you are, and most importantly, what else you’ve been doing on the Internet.

Why hide my IP address?

Whether you’re downloading free music or emailing an old girlfriend (if you’re married), you might want to consider hiding your IP address.  This way, you can be completely sure that whatever you’re doing online, your secret life will remain hidden for as long as you want it to.

>> Are VPNs legal? Countries where VPN usage is illegal.

There are a lot of things to be aware of when you’re hiding your IP. You could be doing something illegal without knowing it. A lot of sites have weird rules in their TOS; you have to be aware of these and make sure you protect yourself. There happen to be quite a few good things that come from hiding your IP as well. We’ve compiled a small list of the pros and cons that come with hiding your IP address.

Hide IP Pros

• You can have more than one account on sites that restrict it.
• If you are banned from a forum, you can create a new account using different IP.
• You can post comments on forums/sites/blogs using a fake identity.
• You can vote multiple times (e.g., vote for your photo on a photo sharing site)
• People will have a tough time finding out who you are.
• Will be able to download more things at once.

Hide IP Cons

• If using a proxy, you’re trusting someone with your actual IP address.
• You can be sued by sites for violating TOS.
• Not allowed by some places, and will result in bans.

As you can tell, there are many things associated with hiding your IP address. This list that we are providing you is just a few of the pros and cons.

What do you think? Should you hide your IP address while browsing the Internet?

If you want to hide your IP address in total security and anonymity, you should check HideMyAss, ExpressVPN, PureVPN, HideIpVPN, or ibVPN.

The conclusion is yours. Do you need to hide your IP address or not?

FTP Proxy Server

FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol.  It is used to transfer information from one computer to another computer by using a network or server.  An FTP proxy server is used to gain access to a network when the machine you are using does not have an internet connection but does have access to a machine that has an internet connection.  This can also be used if your machine is blocked by a firewall and can not access the website that you wish to connect to.

HTTP Proxy Server

The most common type of proxy, the HTTP proxy server provides a means to access a website without being identified.  The server simply connects to the specified webpage with an anonymous IP address so that yours is not used.  There are, of course, ways that websites may know you are using a proxy server, but the site administrator will have absolutely no way of knowing who you are. This is the brilliance of such technology, that common, everyday users can bypass a secure network by using a proxy site to do their dirty work.

SOCKS Proxy Server

A SOCKS Proxy server simply provides the task of transferring data from a client to a server using any number of protocols so that according to the point of view of an Internet web server, the SOCKS server appears to be a client in itself.  Because a SOCKS proxy server does not add anything from itself or change the data it is transferring from the true client, anonymity of this type of proxy server is always absolute.

Whatever you choose, it’s always safe to be secure on the Internet, and a proxy server can help you do that.

Don’t know about you guys but I am fed of reading gazillions of articles on VPN and their types and their forms and their everything else!

We discuss so much that we end up generating loads of useless content. I agree that more content means more knowledge but at least tell me how to choose the best instead of telling me your style of best? I mean, c’mon, guys? I have my own requirements and I want to opt for my best VPN, not some so-called critics “best VPN”. Keep reading in order to find out how to choose the best VPN for you.

Okay! The above paragraph was a just random rant but it is true. We don’t get what we really search for in Google. This is why I have taken matters into my hand. I am no alpha geek and I don’t know what. DLL files are doing in my System32 folder but I got brains and today I will try to use a part of the same to make life easy for all of us.

It’s time for business.

IPsec style of VPN has ruled around for long till there was nothing like SSL. I will not know what you think and what are your requirements so I will try my best to touch base with the pros and cons of all types of VPNs. The ball will be in your court after the two-part series is wrapped up. Think before you decide.

SSL (Secure Socket Layer)

I discussed SSL in my last article itself and I wasn’t sure that I will end up throwing more light on the same all over again. If you ask me to summarize this quickly then SSL is responsible to create a secure session between your browser and the destination. In reality, SSL is like a proxy in most of the cases.

The important point worth a note is SSL is smart at encrypting end-to-end traffic which means it can bypass firewalls, load balancing devices, Intrusion Prevention Systems and other different types of network management systems. This means that SSL might just become a headache for you in some cases henceforth it is suggested that you do your research before implementing SSL style of VPN.

Golden Tip: SSL will add overhead on your servers henceforth I will suggest you to offload it to some proxy and then route the network traffic via your secure corporate network.

The advantage of SSL style VPN is that they won’t be any third party software required as default installation for SSL to work even at users end. This makes it easy to use SSL anywhere. The disadvantage is that if you somehow need access to something that isn’t present on the web then you might want an intervention by another layer as SSL provides security for web-based apps only.

The world of VPN has been full of bad (with some good) services which have left the end user confused and unsatisfied. At the end of the day, it is a high amount of self-research that helps an individual attain nirvana with VPN services. With this series of articles, I am trying my best to ease off the pain involved in attaining nirvana by giving some quick tips and explaining all forms of VPN that you will someday stumble upon.

IPSec

We have already discussed a lot about IPsec Protocol for VPN services so I won’t kill much time here. Basically, IPSec sets up a tunnel from the remote site thus securing any format of data transfer. This makes it easy for you to connect to any form of application (web apps or anything else) through this tunnel and stay secured.

IPSec is one of the tried and tested VPN protocols that has satisfied users for the past many years. IPSec will always look at a client installed on your machine for him to work successfully. The client software is usually free unless you end up using custom software provided by your vendor. This will cost you some bucks.

Golden Tip: IPSec will protect you from multiple hack attacks like man-in-the-middle attack, Replay, and Denial-of-Service (DoS) attack. Could be worth a shot due to its high end security features.

NOTE: If you have non-IP data then you might have to think about configuring GRE tunnels separately and run IPSec on them so as to support multicast traffic.

Hybrids

Well, this should be mentioned at the end but I wanted to leave this quick note. Hybrid VPN services are examples of multiple VPN types bundled into one so as to provide features of all in one package. You will have to do your research with the respective hybrid VPN service that you come across.

One such example is combining the features of IPSec and SSL so as to provide double security for its users.

Please be aware that in case of hybrid VPN services the service providers might provide client-based custom software to accomplish the task but this might burn a hole in your market. Again, do your research!

This is it!

This is it (and it isn’t a Michael Jackson that I am referring too!). I had to wrap this up before it becomes overly boring. Henceforth, here is the last and final part of VPN Nirvana!

Golden Tip: Please understand that at the end of the day it will be you who will know which VPN is best for you. Features, availability, and functionality of a VPN service depends on your geographical location. A VPN service that does well in China might not do good for you if you move to Indonesia. Henceforth, it is suggested that you (please) go through this series and start your own research. Results will be fruitful if you stay intact throughout!

Next, I will focus on Remote Offices and Remote Users as these happen to be an important reason why VPN services are highly in demand especially in the corporate world. Time for some really worthwhile suggestions!

Remote Users

If you are part of that genre of users who travel a lot and need access to the Internet from Hotels and Coffee Shops then MPLS is surely not the service you should be looking for. Ignore without giving second thoughts! IPSec is good for such users only if you have control over those systems that you will use as you might have to download VPN clients with regular updates popping up!

IPSec seems to be the only possible option for the IT support staff or any other person who plans to access multiple applications over a VPN. IPSec is good when it comes to scaling and it is easy to manage.

Another suggested option is SSL which comes into play when users are accessing the corporate network from non-corporate systems like public places or homes etc. This is possible in case of an SSL VPN as there is no client software required to run SSL VPN services. It is easy to use and quite cheap when compared to its counterparts. If you have an internet connection then you will easily have access to your data though it might not support all the applications that are part of your organization’s list!

Remote Offices

Now, the discussion moves from remote users to remote offices where the question is multiple users working simultaneously from one place itself! In such cases, SSL is not the best option.

In such cases, it is suggested that you have one secure link between your current location and your central office. If you are targeting an environment where all the remote sites will access your central site then IPSec will be the best-suggested option for you. Also, your users won’t have to worry about any client software as that will be taken care of on the network level.

But, if you plan to interconnect every possible branch with other branches then it might end up being really a pain in your bum. This will elevate when you have to setup GRE in case of non-IP traffic or multicast traffic. One should remember that this deployment will be done over the Internet henceforth no possible QoS guarantees might be available to satisfy client’s requirements.

Conclusion

We have done a lot of discussion about all possible (in use) formats of VPN services. As I have said already, it is you who will make the last decision. Hit it!

All of these search engines are monitoring and storing your searches along with other data such as your behavior while online. This information may in some cases, not only be seen by those involved with your favorite search engine but also in many cases, third parties. Learn about the TrackMeNot Firefox add-on.

What is TrackMeNot Firefox Add-on?

The idea of TrackMeNot came about when the creators realized that legislator would take a very long time in coming and we need something that will protect our Fourth Amendments now not in months and possibly years to come.

TrackMeNot is a solution that can be used right now to hide your searches in a “cloud of ghost queries”. The only problem is that you must have a Firefox browser installed or you are out of luck, on the other hand, Firefox is very easy to download and install just like TrackMeNot.

Using TrackMeNot will give you more privacy and protect your information from search engines that might sell your information to third parties.

TrackMeNot Installation

Installing the add-on is very simple. All you have to do is follow the instructions in plain English. After a few seconds of installing, you will be able to see that search queries begin to show up in your status bar.

These will be sent to search engines, faking them out as to where you are really going or what you are searching for while online. You can, if you desire, disable the display function.

The same options are available from the Tools menu of the browser:

From the available Options you can:

• Set the Serch Engines that TMN queries
• Next, set the queries to be performed (Current Queries)
• Set the Query Frequency
• Set the Logging Options and see the performed queries (ShowLog)

You can choose from TrackMeNot version 0.3.x, version 0.4.x, and the newest version 0.5.x with features such as burst-mode, cookie anonymization, real-time search tracking, a few minor bug fixes, and improved timing mechanism and improved logging.

The important question: Can TMN effectively hide my identity?

Here is what the creators of TrackMeNot have to say about this:

To the extent that a third-party tries to identify you through searches alone, TMN can potentially make this a lot more difficult. Much depends on the search query terms included in future versions of TMN. If third-parties are using other means to identify you, e.g. through IP addresses and information from your ISP, TMN will be of little use.

So, you should also look at other tools in order to fully protect your privacy. Don’t forget to check my other post that presents 3 Free Firefox VPN/Proxy Add-ons That Still Work on Firefox 57.

Happy surfing!

This post presents my experience on installing BolehVPN on an Ubuntu Linux computer.

Since the BolehVPN giveaway that How-To-Hide-Ip made lately has seen a lot of success, we thought we’d continue getting into more details into that VPN service. A review, as well as the Windows platform installation, have already been written here (hey, by the way, in case you are wondering, the ten people who won the giveaway have been announced on that same article).

So why don’t we consider another platform for installing it? Since Ubuntu is one of the popular Linux distribution out there (and since this is the one I am using), I thought I could take you through the installation process. So for your reference purposes, I am using the 32bit version of Ubuntu 12.04 LTS (aka precise), on an Intel-based laptop.

For this article, I have uninstalled the OpenVPN package, but for your case, it may be that this package is already installed.

Pre-requisites – Install OpenVPN

So let’s first install the OpenVPN package:

heryzo@xxxxx:~$ sudo apt-get install openvpn

Personally, I like configuring all network-related tasks via the network-manager. So, I like taking the following extra-step (which is not mandatory, but quite useful). For that purpose, we need to install the package “network-manager-openvpn.” You can do that via the following command:

heryzo@xxxx:~$ sudo apt-get install network-manager-openvpn

Download BolehVPN Ubuntu activation keys

Then let’s download the activation keys for BolehVPN. You can find it from your BolehVPN dashboard once you’ve purchased a package. This process will have you download a zip file containing different configurations.

For this example, I’ve chosen to use the Canada landing point for my VPN connection, though I issued the following command.

So let’s first copy all the files that have been downloaded to /etc/openvpn

heryzo@xxxx:/etc/openvpn$ sudo cp /home/heryzo/Downloads/bolehvpn/hidemyip/* .

heryzo@xxxx:/etc/openvpn$ sudo cp /home/heryzo/Downloads/bolehvpn/hidemyip/FullyRouted-Canada.ovpn hidemyip.conf

Be careful with this last step: the official documentation on BolehVPN says to rename the file to openvpn.conf. However, I’ve found some mismatch since the keys that I downloaded from the same BolehVPN named my certificate files into hidemyip.crt and hidemyip.key. It took me some minutes figuring out what was wrong with my settings. Until I found out that I had to rename the conf file similar to the key files, though the use of hidemyip.conf instead of openvpn.con

Start the OpenVPN service

Now let’s start the OpenVPN service by issuing the following command:

heryzo@xxxx:~$ sudo /etc/init.d/openvpn start

* Starting virtual private network daemon(s)… * Autostarting VPN ‘hidemyip’

Note that shell command mentions that it automatically started the “hidemyip” VPN tunnel.

BolehVPN Ubuntu – All set!

Then we’re all set. Let’s check if whatismyipaddress.com finds out that I’m no more in Madagascar – and preferably, let’s hope it finds that I am somewhere in Canada.

So here’s the screenshot.

It seems like we’re all set. Let’s try one of those favorite websites that don’t allow guys located in places like mine to surf on. Hulu, are you going to remind me again that your service is not available in my country? Let’s see.

So I could load one of the most popular movies on Hulu today – I chose “Master Chef” since I like cooking shows I’d better stop this streaming session with Master Chef. Otherwise, I’ll end up watching the whole episode- which is not the goal …

Conclusion

Anyway, I hope this little “how-to” would have helped Linux users have their BolehVPN connection all-setup. I’ve mentioned a little trick that, I’m pretty sure, some Linux users would have blocked them to get it going. Enjoy!