Define VPN tunnel settings for policy-based VPNs

The Tunnels tab in the Policy-Based VPN editing view allows you to define settings particular to individual tunnels or disable some tunnels altogether.

The topology of the policy-based VPN (defined on the Site-to-Site VPN tab) determines which tunnels are shown on the Tunnels tab. If you have set up connection forwarding between the gateways on the Site-to-Site VPN tab, the number of generated tunnels is reduced according to the relationships and the capabilities of the gateway that forwards the traffic. The forwarding relationships are shown under Forwarding Gateways.

There are two types of tunnels:

  • The Gateway<->Gateway list shows connections between pairs of gateways.
  • The Endpoint<->Endpoint list shows the individual connections that form the tunnels in the Gateway<->Gateway list. There can be several connections at this level for any Gateway pair if one or both of the Gateways have multiple endpoints (Multi-Link). If both Gateways have only one endpoint, there is only one tunnel also at this level for the Gateway pair.

If a VPN Gateway has a Multi-Link VPN configuration, you can select whether to use tunnels as backups or actively balance traffic between them. Multi-Link is specific to Forcepoint NGFW, and is not part of the IPsec standard. You might not be able to use Multi-Link with third-party gateways. Satisfactory results can be achieved if the third-party gateway allows ICMP probes, RTT ICMP probes, and supports DPD. You can disable redundant tunnels to the third-party gateway on the Tunnels tab if necessary.

This tab is also where you can view the link summary. The link summary is a summary of addresses and settings that have been configured for individual tunnels. You might want to check the link summary when there are complex setups involving external components (such as a VPN hub configuration).

Before editing a policy-based VPN that is used in active VPNs, we recommend making a backup of the Management Server.

For more details about the product and how to configure features, click Help or press F1.

Steps

  1. Select Configuration, then browse to SD-WAN.
  2. Browse to Policy-Based VPNs.
  3. Right-click the Policy-Based VPN element, then select Edit.
  4. Click the Tunnels tab.
  5. (Optional) If there are tunnels listed that are not needed, right-click the tunnel, then select Disable.
    Duplicate tunnels are not allowed between VPNs. If another VPN already defines a tunnel between the same endpoints, disable the duplicate tunnel in one of the VPNs.
  6. If you use pre-shared keys for authentication with external gateways, either set a key with your partner or export the keys that have been generated for your partner.
    To view, change, or export the pre-shared key for a particular tunnel, double-click in the Key column in the Gateway<->Gateway list. This pre-shared key is used only with gateway devices. Set pre-shared keys for third-party VPN clients in the User elements. The Forcepoint VPN Client does not allow pre-shared key authentication.
    CAUTION:
    The pre-shared key must be long and random to provide a secure VPN. Change the pre-shared key periodically (for example, monthly). Make sure that it is not possible for outsiders to obtain the key while you transfer it to other devices.
  7. (Optional) Change the VPN Profile used at the tunnel level to override the profile selected for the VPN element:
    • If you change a profile for a tunnel on the Gateway<->Gateway list, both IKE SA and IPsec SA settings are overridden from the default for the VPN.
    • If you change a profile for a tunnel on the Endpoint<->Endpoint list, only the IPsec SA settings are overridden from the selection for the main tunnel on the gateway level.
  8. (Optional, Multi-Link only) Select the Mode in which Endpoint<->Endpoint links are used.
    1. Select a tunnel on the Gateway<->Gateway list.
    2. Right-click the Mode column for a link on the Endpoint<->Endpoint list, then select the mode from the right-click menu.
    The Mode that you select for a link overrides the Mode setting in the endpoint properties. You can also configure the link’s Mode to be automatically calculated based on the Mode defined for the endpoints. You can also define QoS Exceptions to select the Mode based on the QoS class of the traffic that is directed to the link.
  9. (Optional) To review the IP addresses and settings used in the individual tunnels, right-click the tunnels on the Endpoint<->Endpoint list, then select View Link Summary.
  10. After making all changes, check the Validity column for all tunnels.
    1. If a tunnel has a warning icon in the Validity column, right-click the tunnel, then select View Issues.
    2. Resolve all problems indicated in the messages shown.
    If all tunnels are shown as valid, the policy-based VPN is correctly configured, although the Management Server cannot check all possible problems in this view. More issues might be shown at policy installation. Any validation and issues that are shown for external gateways are based only on the definitions that have been entered manually into the related elements.
  11. Click Save.

Next steps

Add Access rules and possibly also NAT rules to direct outgoing traffic to the VPN and allow incoming traffic from the VPN.

Link Summary tab (Policy-Based VPN)

Use this tab to view a summary of the Policy-Based VPN configuration.

Option Definition
Network Elements A Shows the internal networks or IP address ranges that are behind the gateway.
Gateway A The name of the VPN Gateway element.
Endpoint A The IP address of VPN endpoint A.
Endpoint B The IP address of VPN endpoint B.
Gateway B The name of the VPN Gateway element or the External VPN Gateway element.
Network Elements B Shows the internal networks or IP address ranges that are behind the gateway.
IKE SA The IKE SA settings for the VPN tunnel.
IPsec SA The IPsec SA settings for the VPN tunnel.
Certificate The VPN tunnel's certificate.