What is ZeroTier?
ZeroTier is an open-source application which uses some of the latest developments in SDN to allow users to create secure, manageable networks and treat connected devices as though they’re in the same physical location. ZeroTier provides a web console for network management and endpoint software for the clients. It’s an encrypted Peer-to-Peer technology, meaning that unlike traditional VPN solutions, communications don’t need to pass through a central server or router — messages are sent directly from host to host. As a result it is very efficient and ensures minimal latency. Other benefits include ZeroTier’s simple deployment and configuration process, straightforward maintenance, and that it allows for centralized registration and management of authorized nodes via the Web Console. By using ZeroTier to create a private network for the devices, it helps to reduce attack surface by making the network less susceptible to attacks. This makes it harder for attackers as they need to figure out how to infiltrate the private network.
Sign up for ZeroTier
Step 1: Sign up a ZeroTier account at https://www.zerotier.com/
Step 2: An email with instructions to verify your email address will be sent. You need to verify your email address to activate your account.
How to create a private network?
Step 1: Login to your ZeroTier account.
Step 2: Click on Create A Network on the welcome page.
This will create a new private ZeroTier network and it will show up on the page like so:
The 16-digit hexadecimal code is the Network ID. This network ID is what you'll use to join your devices to the network from the ZeroTier Client.
You can make changes to the network configuration e.g. network name by clicking on the name itself.
This will bring you to the Settings page where you configure the settings of your private network. In this case, I changed the network name to privatenetwork1.
Ensure that Access Control remains set to Private. This ensures that only approved machines can connect to your network, and not just anyone who happens to know your Network ID.
*Note that any changes you make will be saved and applied automatically.
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We have successfully signed up a ZeroTier account and created a new private network. The next step will be to install the ZeroTier software on the Linux VM to allow it to connect to the SDN.