To add a new VPN site:

1. Click New.

   The New VPN Site window opens in the Remote Site tab.

2. Enter the Site name.

3. Select the Connection type:

   • Host name or IP address - Enter the IP address or Host name.

     If you select IP address, and it is necessary to configure a static NAT IP address, select Behind static NAT and enter the IP address.

     Note - Behind static NAT applies to IPv4 addresses only.

   • High Availability or Load Sharing - When you select this option, you must configure a probing method on the Advanced tab. The probing method monitors which IP addresses to use for VPN: ongoing or one at a time.

     Load Sharing mode - Configure a list of backup IP addresses to distribute data.

     High Availability mode:

     • Configure a list of backup IP addresses in case of failure.

     • Primary IP address - Configure one of the existing IP addresses as the primary, or add an IP address and set it as the primary.

     The status of VPN sites whose hosts or IP addresses are in High Availability or Load Sharing mode are displayed in the Responsiveness column in the table. For example, 0 of 2 is responsive.

   • Only remote site initiates VPN - Connections can only be initiated from the remote site to this appliance. For example, when the remote site is hidden behind a NAT device. In this scenario, this appliance only responds to the tunnel initiation requests. This requires a secure method of remote site authentication and identification.

4. Select an authentication method. This must match the authentication you used to configure this appliance as the other gateway's remote site.

   • Preshared secret - If you select this option, enter the same password as configured in the remote gateway and confirm it.

     Note - You cannot use these characters in a password or shared secret: { } [ ] ` ~ | ‘ " \ (maximum number of characters: 255)

   • Certificate - The gateway uses its own certificate to authenticate itself. For more information, see VPN > Internal Certificate.

5. Select the Remote Site Encryption Domain.

   Configure the conditions to encrypt traffic and send to this remote site.

   • Define remote network topology manually - Traffic is encrypted when the destination is included in the list of network objects. Click Select to select the networks that represent the remote site's internal networks. Click New to create network objects.

   • Route all traffic through this site - All traffic is encrypted and sent to this remote site. You cannot configure more than one remote site.

     When Route all traffic is configured, you can exclude a network object from the VPN traffic.

     To exclude network objects or specific IP addresses:

     1. Click Exclude networks.

     2. In the Remote site route topology exclusions table:

        • To add a new Network Object Logical object that represents different parts of corporate topology - computers, IP addresses, traffic protocols, and so on. Administrators use these objects in Security Policies. and IP address, click New.

        • To remove an object from the exclusions table, select the object name and click Remove.

     3. Click Apply

   • Encrypt according to routing table - If you use dynamic routing, encrypt traffic based on source or service and destination. You must create a virtual tunnel interface (VTI) in the Device > Local Network page and associate it with this remote site. You can then use this VTI to create routing rules. Traffic that matches these routing rules is encrypted and routed to the remote site.

   • Hidden behind external IP of the remote gateway - The remote site is behind NAT and traffic is initiated from behind the remote site to this gateway. When you select this option, it is not necessary to define an encryption domain.

6. Exclude networks - Select this option to exclude networks from the specified encryption domain. This may be useful if two gateways are in the same community and protect the same parts of the network.

7. Click Apply

• Settings

  • Select to configure if the remote site is a Check Point Security Gateway A dedicated Check Point server that runs Check Point software to inspect traffic and enforce Security Policies for connected network resources.. To enable permanent VPN tunnels, Select the checkbox.

  • Select to disable NAT for this site. The original IP addresses are used even if hide NAT is defined.

• Encryption method

  Select the IKE version:

  IKE Version	Notes
  IKEv1	The modes for IKE negotiation are Main Mode and Aggressive Mode. For IKE negotiation, the Main Mode uses six packets, and the Aggressive Mode uses three packets. We recommend you use the Main Mode, which is more secure. By default, Enable aggressive mode is not selected and the Main Mode is used. Enable the Aggressive Mode only if necessary, and the other side of the VPN tunnel does not support the Main Mode. (Third party gateways primarily do not work in the Main Mode.) The Aggressive Mode is used to create a tunnel and one of the gateways is behind NAT. In this case, a pre-shared secret does not provide enough data for authentication in the Main Mode. Authentication must be done using a certificate and a gateway (peer) ID, or a secondary identifier couple that is available in the Aggressive Mode. The secondary identifier method is also available in IKEv2. If you select Enable aggressive mode for IKEv1: Use Diffie-Hellman group - Determines the strength of the shared DH key used in IKE phase 1 to exchange keys for IKE phase 2. A group with more bits ensures a stronger key but lower performance. Initiate VPN tunnel using this gateway's identifier - When this gateway's IP address is dynamic and the authentication method is the certificate and the peer ID, you must enter the Gateway ID. For Type, select domain name or user name.
  IKEv2	When you create a tunnel and one of the gateways is behind NAT without a certificate (uses a pre-shared secret), with IKEv2 protocol you can use a secondary identifier couple to allow authentication. In this case, the pre-shared secret is not enough. If you select Create IKEv2 VPN tunnel using these identifiers, configure these settings: Peer ID - Enter the identifier. Gateway ID - Select Use global identifier or Override global identifier (enter the new identifier). Enable multiple key exchange (Optional) - Starting from version R82.00.10 and higher, IKEv2 can perform multiple key exchanges with the use of different cryptographic algorithms, including Post-Quantum algorithms. The security of the entire exchange is designed to be at least as strong as the most secure algorithm used. This ensures that the overall key exchange remains protected even if one method is compromised.
  Prefer IKEv2, support IKEv1	Configure the fields as explained for the first two options. Additional Certificate Matching (does not apply when you use a pre-shared secret): When you select certificate matching in the Remote Site tab, you first need to add the CA that signed the remote site's certificate in the VPN > Certificates Trusted CAs page. In the Advanced tab, you can select to match the certificate to Any Trusted CA or an Internal CA. You can also configure more matching criteria on the certificate. Probing Method This section is shown only when you select High Availability or Load Sharing for the connection type in the Remote Site tab. When the remote site has multiple IP addresses for VPN traffic, the correct address for VPN is discovered through one of these probing methods: Ongoing probing - When a session is initiated, all possible destination IP addresses continuously receive RDP packets until one of them responds. Connections go through the first IP to respond (or to a primary IP if a primary IP is configured and active for High Availability), and stay with this IP until the IP stops responding. The RDP probing is activated when a connection is opened and continues a background process. One time probing - When a session is initiated, all possible destination IP addresses receive an RDP session to test the route. The first IP to respond is chosen, and stays chosen until the VPN configuration changes.

Notes: For more information on installing the certificate, see Managing Installed Certificates. The initiator's gateway ID must be set in the responder gateway as the peer ID. The Remote Access blade must be enabled for peer ID to work. On the gateway that is not behind NAT, for Connection type, select Only remote site initiates VPN. When you configure the remote site, do not select behind static NAT.

An initial tunnel test begins with the remote site. If you have not yet configured it, click Skip. The VPN site is added to the table.