Dell SonicWALL GX250 Manual page 154

• Data Encryption Standard (DES)
When DES is used for data communications, both sender and receiver must know
the same secret key, which can be used to encrypt and decrypt the message, or
to generate and verify a message authentication code. SonicWALL DES encryption
algorithm uses a 56 bit key.
SonicWALL VPN's DES Key must be exactly 16 characters long and is comprised of
hexadecimal characters. Valid hexadecimal characters are "0" to "9", and "a" to "f"
inclusive (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, a, b, c, d, e, f). For example, a valid key would
be 1234567890abcdef.
• ARCFour
ARCFour is used for communications with secure Web sites using the SSL protocol.
Many banks use a 40 bit key ARCFour for online banking, while others use a 128
bit key. SonicWALL VPN uses a 56 bit key for ARCFour.
• ARCFour is faster than DES for several reasons. First, it is a newer encryption
mechanism than DES. As a result, it benefits from advances in encryption technol-
ogy. Second, unlike DES, it is designed to encrypt data streams, rather than static
storage.
SonicWALL VPN's ARCFour key must be exactly 16 characters long and is
comprised of hexadecimal characters. Valid hexadecimal characters are "0" to "9",
and "a" to "f" inclusive (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, a, b, c, d, e, f). For example, a
valid key would be 1234567890abcdef.
• Strong Encryption (TripleDES)
Strong Encryption, or TripleDES (3DES), is a variation on DES that uses a 168 bit
key. As a result, 3DES is dramatically more secure than DES, and is considered to
be virtually unbreakable by security experts. It also requires a great deal more
processing power, resulting in increased latency and decreased throughput.
SonicWALL's 3DES Key must be exactly 24 characters long and is comprised of
hexadecimal characters. Valid hexadecimal characters are "0" to "9", and "a" to "f"
inclusive (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, a, b, c, d, e, f). For example, a valid key would
be 1234567890abcdef12345678.
• Security Parameter Index (SPI)
The SPI is used to establish a VPN tunnel. The SPI is transmitted from the remote
VPN gateway to the local VPN gateway. The local VPN gateway then uses the
network, encryption and keys associated with the SPI to establish the tunnel.
The SPI must be unique, is from one to eight characters long, and is comprised of
hexadecimal characters. Valid hexadecimal characters are "0" to "9", and "a" to "f"
inclusive (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, a, b, c, d, e, f). For example, valid SPIs would
be 999 or 1234abcd.
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