Impact of IPSec on Real Time applications in IPv6 and 6to4 Tunneled Migration Network

IPSec is the amalgam of protocols dispensing security in IP networks. It has been the rudimentary security component in IPv4 and IPv6 networks providing for data authentication, integrity and confidentiality. Earlier security was not embedded at the IP level however with emergence of large scale public and corporate internets, the user data became vulnerable to malicious activities like privacy attacks and thefts. To mitigate this and secure network traffic, IETF introduced IPSec for robust network communications. IPSec is a framework that provides sublime options for encryption and authentication of data packets. IPSec architecture provides a flexible and agile approach for securing network traffic. Initially IPSec was introduced as an additional component in IPv4, but in next generation internet protocol IPv6, it´s an inbuilt component implemented as a part of extension header. Although IPSec is the panacea for securing IP protocol, its implementation and management is unequivocally complex in nature. The implementation involves key management and exchange through IKE, protocol negotiations and establishment of security associations which can significantly decrease performance and degrade IP communication. This fact has a significant impact on real time communication. This paper makes an empirical investigation of the parameters that are affected by implementation of IPSec in IPv6 and 6 to 4 Tunneled Migration Networks. The investigation is significant and evaluates about the performance decay that is encountered by incorporating security. The simulation approach is used and measurements are performed in OPNET Simulator ver. 14.5.