Besides enhancing end-to-end privacy for general, end-user/daily worker use (outbound), VPN is also commonly used for extending access to your network behind a firewall to authorized service providers and/or clients for infrastructure management purposes (inbound). Hence the term, "virtual" private network.

In this scenario, if your AMPRNet space, intranet, etc. is the protected area requiring VPN access, you'd have that configured with a firewall, bastion host, etc. to block everything else (inbound) not coming through your VPN route.

Contrast this with public-facing services which do/should not require a VPN to access.

Hope some of that helps,

Matt

------- Original Message -------
On Tuesday, October 4th, 2022 at 1:09 PM, Harold Kinchelow via 44net <44net@mailman.ampr.org> wrote:

Hey Amateur Radio team

I know what VPN is. I know what OpenVPN does. What are the actual uses of having a VPN into the AmprNet space.

Ive seen on so many diagrams of setups where there is a VPN into the network.

Thanks all

Harold - K7ILO