Performance Impact of Data Compression on Virtual Private Network Transactions

Virtual private networks (VPNs) allow two or more parties to communicate securely over a public network. Using cryptographic algorithms and protocols, VPNs provide security services such as confidentiality, host authentication and data integrity. The computation required to provide adequate security, however, can significantly degrade performance. In this paper, we characterize the extent to which data compression can alleviate this performance degradation. More specifically, we study the performance obtained when combining the IP Payload Compression Protocol (IPComp) with the IP Security Protocol (IPsec). We evaluate performance using 3 system models; each of these models consists of some or all of the computation and transmission operations required to support VPN transactions. Using speedup equations that describe the performance impact of compression in the system models, we derive inequalities that specify the conditions required for data compression to improve performance. We al...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2000
• Where: LCN
• Authors: John Patrick McGregor, Ruby B. Lee
• Keywords: Computer Networks, Data Compression, IP Payload Compression Protocol, LCN 2000, Performance