Is DMVPN still being used?

Summary

In this article, we will explore the topic of DMVPN (Dynamic Multipoint Virtual Private Network) and its alternatives. We will discuss the differences between DMVPN and other VPN technologies, as well as answer commonly asked questions about DMVPN.

Main Thought

DMVPN has been a popular choice for secure communication and connection between branches. However, there are alternative technologies that can serve as replacements for DMVPN.

Main Thought

One popular alternative to DMVPN is FlexVPN, which utilizes IKEv2 for negotiating IPsec Security Associations (SAs). This provides enhanced security and flexibility compared to DMVPN.

Key Points

1. FlexVPN is an alternative to DMVPN that uses IKEv2 for negotiation of IPsec SAs.
2. DMVPN and SD-WAN both use encryption and authentication for data protection, but SD-WAN offers additional security features such as firewall and intrusion prevention.
3. VPNs connect remote sites to a central headquarters, while DMVPN creates a mesh VPN topology.
4. Unlike IPsec VPN tunnels, which are hardcoded and require static configurations, DMVPN dynamically builds tunnels as needed.
5. DMVPN combines Multipoint GRE (mGRE) tunnels, IPSec encryption, and NHRP to provide secure and scalable communication between sites.
6. Another alternative to DMVPN is site-to-site VPN, which provides point-to-point connectivity between devices or networks.
7. SD-WAN acts as a gateway to a network and optimizes traffic routing over multiple connections, while VPNs send traffic over a single network link.
8. Citrix SD-WAN, FortiGate Secure SD-WAN, and VMware SASE are some alternatives to SD-WAN.
9. MPLS can run over DMVPN to create more scalable VPNs.
10. Point-to-point VPN is a legacy VPN technology that connects specific devices, while site-to-site VPN securely connects multiple LANs.
11. DMVPN is a Cisco proprietary technology, utilizing point-to-point GRE tunnels and NHRP.

Questions and Answers

1. What is a replacement for DMVPN?
A popular alternative to DMVPN is FlexVPN, which offers enhanced security and flexibility.

2. Is DMVPN the same as SD-WAN?
While both DMVPN and SD-WAN use encryption and authentication, SD-WAN offers additional security features and acts as a gateway to a network.

3. What is the difference between DMVPN and site-to-site VPN?
DMVPN creates a mesh VPN topology, while site-to-site VPN provides point-to-point connectivity between remote sites and a central headquarters.

4. What is the difference between DMVPN and IPsec?
DMVPN dynamically builds tunnels as needed, whereas IPsec VPN tunnels are hardcoded and require static configurations.

5. What is the difference between mGRE and DMVPN?
DMVPN combines multiple mGRE tunnels, IPSec encryption, and NHRP to provide secure communication between locations.

6. What is the difference between FlexVPN and DMVPN?
FlexVPN utilizes IKEv2 for negotiating IPsec SAs, while DMVPN defaults to using IKEv1.

7. What is the difference between point-to-point VPN and SD-WAN?
SD-WAN acts as a gateway to a network and optimizes traffic routing over multiple connections, while point-to-point VPN provides connectivity between specific devices or networks.

8. What is an alternative to SD-WAN?
Alternative options to SD-WAN include Citrix SD-WAN, FortiGate Secure SD-WAN, and VMware SASE.

9. Why use DMVPN over MPLS?
MPLS can run over DMVPN, providing more scalable VPNs and segmenting network traffic between different business units.

10. Is point-to-point VPN the same as site-to-site?
Site-to-site VPN securely connects multiple LANs, while point-to-point VPN is a legacy VPN technology that connects specific devices.

11. Is DMVPN Cisco proprietary?
Yes, DMVPN is a Cisco proprietary technology that utilizes point-to-point GRE tunnels and NHRP.

Conclusion

In conclusion, DMVPN has been a popular choice for secure communication between branches. However, alternative technologies such as FlexVPN offer enhanced security and flexibility. Understanding the differences between DMVPN and other VPN solutions can help organizations make informed decisions about their networking needs.
Is DMVPN still being used?

What is a replacement for DMVPN

A popular alternative to DMVPN is FlexVPN. There are four pieces to the DMVPN puzzle: Multipoint GRE (mGRE) NHRP (Next Hop Resolution Protocol)

Is DMVPN the same as SD-WAN

Both DMVPN and SD-WAN use encryption and authentication for data protection, but SD-WAN has additional security features such as firewall, intrusion prevention, and cloud security integration.

What is the difference between DMVPN and site to site VPN

VPNs connect each remote site to the company headquarters. A DMVPN creates a mesh VPN topology. In this "hub and spoke" mesh, each remote site's router is configured to connect to the company's VPN hub device to provide access to the required resources.

What is the difference between DMVPN and IPsec

While IPsec VPN tunnels are hardcoded and essentially "nailed up" between two locations, DMVPN builds tunnels between locations as needed. It does this using typical routers with no additional feature capability, as is the case with SD-WAN. DMVPN tunnels are designed as a mesh network, as opposed to hub and spoke.

What is the difference between mGRE and DMVPN

DMVPN combines multiple GRE (mGRE) Tunnels, IPSec encryption and NHRP (Next Hop Resolution Protocol) to perform its job and save the administrator the need to define multiple static crypto maps and dynamic discovery of tunnel endpoints.

What is a difference between FlexVPN and DMVPN

IPSec: One key difference between FlexVPN and default Dynamic Multipoint VPN (DMVPN) is the protocol used for negotiating IPsec Security Associations (SAs). While DMVPN defaults to using Internet Key Exchange version 1 (IKEv1), FlexVPN utilizes IKEv2.

What is the difference between point-to-point VPN and SD-WAN

What's the Difference Between SD-WAN and VPN SD-WAN acts as a gateway to a network and optimizes the routing of traffic over multiple connections. In contrast, VPN provides point-to-point connectivity between a device and a network (or between two networks) and sends traffic over a single network link.

What is alternative to SD-WAN

Top Citrix SD-WAN AlternativesFortiGate Secure SD-WAN.Prisma SD-WAN.Versa VOS.VMware SASE.Cisco SD-WAN powered by Meraki.Aruba EdgeConnect Enterprise.CloudWAN.SRX Series Services Gateways.

Why use DMVPN over MPLS

MPLS can run over DMVPN. The reason for it is to create even more scalable VPNs over DMVPN. Without MPLS, if there are many different business units that need to communicate river DMVPN, to segment those business units' network traffic, many different tunnels would be required.

Is point-to-point VPN the same as site to site

Site-to-site VPNs connect several LANs securely, whereas Point-to-point (PTP) is a traditional VPN protocol that connects particular devices. Unlike Site-to-Site, PTP is considered a legacy VPN technology that is less secure than modern VPN solutions.

Is DMVPN Cisco proprietary

Connections between devices are still point-to-point GRE tunnels, spoke-to-spoke connectivity is still achieved with NHRP redirect message, IOS routers even run the same NHRP code for both DMVPN and FlexVPN, which also means that both are Cisco's proprietary technologies.

What is benefit of DMVPN

DMVPN Benefits

Reduces the cost of secure communications and connections between branches by integrating VPN with communication practices. Allows for easier branch-to-branch communications and connections through a centralized system. Reduces the likelihood of downtime by securing routing with IPsec technology.

What is the difference between DMVPN Phase 2 and 3

In Phase 2: The traffic goes through the hub until an IPsec tunnel has been formed between the two communicating spokes. In Phase 3: The traffic goes through the hub until the spoke gets an NHRP resolution and the CEF next-hop is overwritten/changed.

Can SD-WAN replace VPN

If your company is small and only requires connection to a small number of sites, opting for VPN makes sense. However, if your business is fast-growing and needs a system where scalability, reliability, and performance are of utmost importance, SD-WAN is the more effective option.

Is SD-WAN still relevant

As organizations increasingly adopt cloud services, embrace digital transformation, and require efficient connectivity across multiple locations, SD-WAN is likely to remain a prominent solution in the networking landscape.

Why not to use SD-WAN

There is no on-site security functionality. Security standards will still need to be implemented to ensure that your network remains protected and not exposed to outside threats. One simple data breach could compromise the entire enterprise.

Why is MPLS outdated

MPLS was a great innovation for its time, but there are newer technologies that better address today's network architectures. Software-defined WANs (SD-WAN) is architected with cloud connectivity in mind, which is why so many businesses have been replacing or augmenting their MPLS networks with SD-WAN.

Is MPLS still relevant

As the enterprise edge continues to expand, MPLS will continue to be a top choice for a range of use cases that range from DR to fast connectivity to mission-critical apps to low-loss bandwidth for video and voice. For the foreseeable future, MPLS is here to stay.

What is the difference between VPN and P2P VPN

A P2P network, on its own, is not as secure as a regular VPN. Although it allows direct connection between users, a P2P network may not have the encryption capabilities a VPN has. For example, suppose your company has set up a P2P network with several different campuses across the world.

What is point to point VPN also known as

The Point to Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) is a network protocol used to create VPN tunnels between public networks. PPTP servers are also known as Virtual Private Dialup Network (VPDN) servers. PPTP is preferred over other VPN protocols because it is faster and it has the ability to work on mobile devices.

Why OSPF is not recommended with DMVPN

OSPF is not the best solution when it comes to DMVPN. Because it's a link-state protocol, each spoke router has to have the complete LSDB of the DMVPN area. Since we use a single subnet on the multipoint GRE interfaces, all spoke routers have to be in the same area.

Does Meraki use DMVPN

Existing infrastructure comprises of two Hub routers in the DC and there about 100+ spoke router spread across states.

What are the disadvantages of DMVPN

Disadvantages of DMVPN

Cannot offer low-latency and high-performance network path for real-time business applications. Creating and managing a DMVPN configuration is not easy and requires certain skillsets.

What are the cons of DMVPN

DMVPN hub-and-spoke topology designs have the following disadvantages: No support for non-IP protocols. IGP routing peers tend to limit the design scalability. No interoperability with non-Cisco IOS routers.

What is the difference between DMVPN Phase 1 and 2

DMVPN Phases Explained

DMVPN Phase 1: All traffic flows through the hub. The hub is used in the network's control and data plane paths. DMVPN Phase 2: Allows spoke-to-spoke tunnels. Spoke-to-spoke communication does not need the hub in the actual data plane.