Virtual Private Network (VPN)

A virtual private network (VPN) is a computer network in which some of the links between nodes are carried by  open connections or virtual circuites in some larger network (e.g., the Internet) as opposed to running across a single private network. The link-layer protocols of the virtual network are said to be tunneld through the larger network. One common application is secure communications through the public Internet, but a VPN need not have explicit security features, such as authentication or content encryption. VPNs, for example, can be used to separate the traffic of different user communities over an underlying network with strong security features.