Patent ID: 7617527

Claim:
A method for sending a data packet from a source in a local area network (LAN) to a destination outside the LAN comprising the steps of: receiving a data packet enroute from the source in the LAN to the destination; determining if the source in the LAN and the destination are members of a virtual private network, and if so: determining an encryption algorithm for messages sent between members of the virtual private network by accessing a portion of a memory that maintains information identifying various encryption algorithms to be utilized for data packets sent between members of various virtual private networks; determining a compression algorithm for messages sent between members of the virtual private network by accessing a portion of the memory that maintains information identifying various compression algorithms to be utilized for data packets sent between members of the various virtual private networks; executing the determined encryption algorithm on at least a payload portion of the data packet; executing the determined compression algorithm on at least the payload portion of the data packet; and forwarding the encrypted and compressed data packet to the destination outside the LAN.