5 Free VPN Servers and Clients

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VPN clients are developed allowing you to connect private networks. It brings possibility of folders and network resources sharing, usage of network pronters, databases, other user data, as well as security and hiding your IP address and location. Your needs and imagination will help hot to get most of the VPN. For example you could share an iTunes library and listen to it from the other part of the world via Internet. You can read more about Virtual Provate Networks at the Wikipedia, for example. Even though many VPN tools are offered as shareware, there are at least 5 VPN Servers and Clients for you to have a look that are completely free for use. The VPN applications  we are going to discuss contain VPN servers (to create VPNs to be accessed from other networks like the Internet) and VPN clients (which allow you to connect to those virtual private networks).


5 Free VPN Servers and Clients
1. OpenVPN
www.openvpn.net
Available for Windows, Mac, Linux
This open source VPN server is very easy to setup. You can use it with other open source VPN clients. It is very important you can simply export configuration files from OpenVPN and after that import into a other VPN clients, this feature saves a lot of time setting up a VPN connection. OpenVPN is so popular, that some router manufacturers (such as DD-WRT, OpenWRT, Tomato, etc.) already integrate it into their firmware. However, OpenVPN may not be compatible with most of the commercial VPN providers, but it is still a free open source product bringing an alternative to expensive commercial applications. You can set-up OpenVPN Server on Windows 7 as an alternative to an integrated Windows 7 VPN Server.


2. Cisco VPN
www.cisco.comAvailable for Windows, Mac, Linux
Cisco is very popular amont corporate and educational VPN building. Many of our valued readers connected to VPN servers by Cisco without noticing it. Although the price for a Cisco VPN server may be very high, and it varies a lot, as an end user you can downlod Cisco VPN client and use it for free. Do not be surprised with some possible issues in Windows 7, as it was reported there is lack of 64-bit systems support from Cisco.


3. LogMeIn Hamachi
www.logmeinhamachi.com
Available for Windows, Mac, Linux
This software is very easy to , setup, configure and use. All you need to do is to install the LogMeIn Hamachi client on all the computers and devices from which you intend to connect to VPN and after that add them to yout Hamachi VPN. That is it! Very simple to setup. However, you will have to manage your VPN from Hamachi’s servers, and it can be a security issue for many VPN users setting up VPN for private use.


4. Shrew Soft
www.shrew.net
Available for  Windows, Linux
Shrew Soft is able to configure with many VPN server protocols: IPsec, OpenSWAN, freeSWAN, and strongSWAN. It helps usual Windows-based computers to easily connect to such virtual private networks. It became very popular when Windows 7 was released, as Cisco was not that fast to support users with a 64-bit VPN client.


5. Windows 7 VPN Server
Available for Windows
You can also use a built-in integrated VPN server. It is a not wide-known feature, but it is not worse than many free and commercial VPN servers. Read more about VPN Server Windows 7 itself and the step-by-step setup instructions.