# GRE+IPsec ## Why GRE? * [GRE](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GRE) provides universal encapsulation on top of IP. * It has a smaller header than UDP. * GRE tunnels are processed in-kernel on *nix systems. * It's supported by hardware routers. ## Why IPsec? * GRE provides no encryption and authentication of it's own. * IPsec in implemented in-kernel on FreeBSD and Linux with multithreaded encryption resulting in a lower latency than userspace VPN daemons using tun/tap interfaces. ## Problems with GRE * GRE is defined directly on top of IP. * Broken NAPT implementations will stop GRE tunnels. ## Problems with IPsec * ESP is defined directly on top of IP. * NAT support was added as an aftertought to IPsec. * IKEv1 is too complex. * Racoon has useless error messages. ## Requirements for sane operation ## How to configure a GRE tunnel on FreeBSD ## How to configure IPsec on FreeBSD