Menu
I have a scenario where I have a Windows VM in windows Azure that needs to connect to an external customer network (and connect to a database that is not in Azure).
This traffic is uni-directional in that it is only my VM that needs to connect to the customer's databases and not the other way around. Site to site is managed on Azure, which I cannot really test locally.
Conceptually, connecting to the customer's network via a point-to-site VPN seems more suitable (by creating the VPN connection in Windows itself via the network config).
The customer prefers site-to-site even though they don't need to connect to my VM. Am I missing something?
889
A Point-to-Site (P2S) VPN gateway connection lets you create a secure connection to your virtual network from an individual client computer. A P2S connection is established by starting it from the client computer.
VPNs can be divided into three main categories – remote access, intranet-based site-to-site, and extranet-based site-to-site. Individual users are most likely to encounter remote access VPNs, whereas big businesses often implement site-to-site VPNs for corporate purposes.
Unlike S2S connections, P2S connections do not require an on-premises public-facing IP address or a VPN device. P2S connections can be used with S2S connections through the same VPN gateway, as long as all the configuration requirements for both connections are compatible.
In point-to-site, you have to connect to the network you want to access manually. Usually, if you log-off or restart the workstation it loses connection, and you have to reconnect every time. It's common to use this type of VPN when we are working remotely, and we need to access our company assets. The channel is bi-directional, but it's 1-to-many.
Site-to-site is used when you want to connect two networks and keep the communication up all the time. It's also bi-directional, but it's many-to-many and stays up no matter if your server/workstation is running or not because the connection is established through a network gateway and not from the computer operating system.
In Azure, the Virtual Network Gateway is the platform providing both functionalities. You can configure site-to-site to connect to your customer network. If this network is not running in Azure, they usually have an appliance to establish dedicated tunnels. As long as it supports IPsec IKE, you are good to go.
If you are using the VM in Azure as a workstation, then point-to-site may be enough, but if your application needs to get data from the customer database automatically with or without someone logged in the VM, then site-to-site is a better approach.
A better explanation can be found here
156
If you love us? You can donate to us via Paypal or buy me a coffee so we can maintain and grow! Thank you!
Donate Us With
