How to set up vpn connection on windows laptop. Setting up a VPN connection using Windows OS tools. What to do if the VPN is not working

A technology that creates a logical network on another network has received the abbreviation "VPN", which is literally English language stands for "Virtual Private Network". talking plain language, VPN includes different methods of communication between devices within another network and provides the ability to apply various ways protection, which significantly increases the safety of information exchanged between computers.

And this is very important in the modern world, for example, for networks of large commercial corporations and, of course, banks. Below are detailed guides on how to create a VPN, instructions on the procedure for making a VPN connection, and how to properly configure the created VPN connection.

Definition

To better understand what a VPN is, you just need to know what it can do. The VPN connection allocates a certain sector in an existing network and all computers and digital equipment located in it are in constant communication with each other. But most importantly, this sector is completely closed and protected for all other devices located in a large network.

How to connect a VPN

Despite the initially seeming complexity of determining VPN, its creation on Windows computers and even itself VPN setup won't be too hard if you have detailed guide. The main requirement is to strictly follow the strict sequence of the steps below:

Further, the VPN configuration is performed, taking into account the various accompanying nuances.

How to set up a VPN?

It is necessary to configure taking into account the individual characteristics of not only the operating system, but also the operator providing communication services.

Windows XP

To VPN in the operating room Windows system XP has successfully carried out its work, the following sequential steps are required:

Then, while functioning in the created environment, you can use some convenient functions. To do this, do the following:

Note: the parameters are always entered in different ways, because they depend not only on the server, but also on the communication service provider.

Windows 8

In this OS, the question of how to set up a VPN should not cause much difficulty, because here it is almost automated.

The sequence of actions algorithm consists of the following steps:

Next, you need to specify the network options. To this end, do the following:

Note: Entering settings may vary significantly depending on the network configuration.

Windows 7

The process of making settings in Windows 7 is simple and accessible even to inexperienced computer users.

To produce them Windows user 7 requires the following steps:

Note: for the purpose of correct operation, careful individual selection of all parameters is necessary.

Android

To set up the normal functioning of a gadget with Android OS in the VPN environment, you need to do several things:

Connection characteristics

This technology includes various types of delays in data transfer procedures. Delays occur due to the following factors:

1. It takes some time to establish a connection;
2. There is a constant process of encoding transmitted information;
3. blocks of transmitted information.

The most significant differences are present in the technology itself, for example, routers and separate lines are not needed for VPN. To function effectively, you only need access to the World Wide Web and applications that provide information encoding.

Today, VPN technologies have firmly entered everyday life and are well-known not only by IT specialists, so we decided to update a number of old articles, significantly supplementing and expanding the information they contain. Where ten years ago VPN was mostly reserved for fairly large organizations, today it is widely used everywhere. In this article, we will look at what a VPN is in 2019, what technologies are available, what are their advantages and disadvantages, and how it can all be used.

First of all, let's define the terminology. VPN (Virtual Private Network, virtual private network) - a generalized name for technologies that allow building a logical (virtual) network over a physical one, most often over the Internet or other networks with low level trust.

VPNs are commonly used to build networks. tunnels, tunneling is the process of establishing a connection between two points using encapsulation, when the data of one protocol is placed in the "envelopes" of another protocol in order to ensure their passage in an inappropriate environment, ensure integrity and confidentiality, protect with encryption, etc. and so on.

Those. if we approach the issue of terminology strictly, then VPN should be understood as a virtual network that is formed by establishing tunnel connections between individual nodes. But in practice, the terms are used much more loosely and very often cause serious confusion. Let's say that the now popular Internet access via VPN is not actually a virtual private network, but is a tunnel connection for accessing the Internet, from a logical point of view, it is no different from PPPoE, which is also a tunnel, but no one calls VPN.

According to the organization scheme, two large groups can be distinguished: client-server technologies and just tunnels. In the name of the former, it is usually customary to use the VPN abbreviation, while the latter do not. Tunnels require a dedicated IP address at both ends, do not use ancillary protocols to establish a connection, and may not have link control tools. Client-server solutions, on the contrary, use additional protocols and technologies that establish communication between the client and the server, control and manage the channel, and ensure the integrity and security of transmitted data.

Below we will look at the most popular types of tunnel connections that are used to build VPN networks, starting with classic solutions.

PPTP

PPTP ( Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol, point-to-point tunneling protocol) - one of the most famous client-server protocols, has become widespread due to the fact that, starting with Windows 95, the OSR2 PPTP client was included in the OS. Currently supported by almost the entire range of systems and devices, including routers and smartphones (the client has been removed from the latest macOS versions and iOS).

Technically, PPTP uses two network connections: a control channel running over TCP and using port 1723 and a GRE tunnel for data transfer. Because of this, it can be difficult to use in networks. mobile operators, a problem with simultaneous work of several clients due to NAT and the problem of forwarding a PPTP connection through NAT.

Another significant drawback is the low security of the PPTP protocol, which does not allow building secure virtual networks on it, but its wide distribution and high speed make PPTP popular where security is provided by other methods, or for Internet access.

L2TP

L2TP ( Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol) - developed by Cisco and Microsoft, uses a single UDP connection on port 1701 to transmit data and control messages, but does not contain any built-in information security tools. L2TP client is also built into all modern systems and network devices.

Without encryption, L2TP has been widely used and is used by providers to provide Internet access, thus ensuring the separation of free on-net and expensive Internet traffic. This was true in the era of home networks, but this technology continues to be used by many providers to this day.

To build a VPN, L2TP over IPsec (L2TP / IPsec) is usually used, where IPsec operates in transport mode and encrypts the data of the L2TP packet. In this case, an L2TP tunnel is created inside the IPsec channel, and in order to establish it, it is necessary to first provide an IPsec connection between the nodes. This can cause difficulties when working in networks with traffic filtering (hotel networks, public Wi-Fi, etc.), causes problems with L2TP / IPSec forwarding through NAT and the work of several clients due to NAT at the same time.

The advantages of L2TP include high prevalence and reliability, IPsec does not have serious vulnerabilities and is considered very secure. Minus - high load on the equipment and low speed.

SSTP

SSTP (Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol, secure socket tunneling protocol) - a secure VPN protocol developed by Microsoft, belongs to the so-called SSL VPN, is distributed mainly in the Windows environment, although clients are available in many modern OS environments. There are also third-party server solutions, say in Mikrotik.

Technically, SSTP is a PPP tunnel connection inside an HTTPS session on standard port 443. Only HTTPS headers are available to an outside observer, the presence of a tunnel in traffic remains hidden. This allows you to work successfully in any networks, since HTTPS is widely used to access sites and is usually allowed, it removes the problem of forwarding or operation due to NAT. Safe.

The advantages include integration into the Windows environment, security, the ability to work through NAT and firewalls. The disadvantages are weak or insufficient support from other operating systems and network devices, as well as vulnerability to some classic SSL attacks, such as "man in the middle".

openvpn

OpenVPN is a free and open source VPN implementation. SSL is also used to secure the connection, but unlike SSTP, OpenVPN headers differ from standard HTTPS, which makes it possible to uniquely determine the existence of a tunnel. To transfer data within an SSL channel, OpenVPN uses its own protocol with UDP transport, it is also possible to use TCP as a transport, but this decision is undesirable due to high overhead.

OpenVPN provides high security and is considered one of the most secure protocols, providing an alternative to IPsec. Also available additional features in the form of transferring the necessary settings and routes from the server to the client, which makes it easy to create complex network configurations without additional client configuration.

In addition to tunnels operating at the network layer (L3) - TUN, OpenVPN allows you to create link (L2) layer connections - TAP, allowing you to link networks at the Ethernet level. However, keep in mind that in this case, broadcast traffic will be encapsulated in the tunnel, and this can lead to an increased load on the equipment and a decrease in the connection speed.

Despite the fact that OpenVPN requires the installation of additional software, the server part is available for Windows and UNIX-like systems, and the client part is also available for mobile devices. Also, OpenVPN support is available in many router models (often in a limited form).

The disadvantages include work in user space and some complexity of settings. The speed inside OpenVPN tunnels can also be significantly lower than the link speed.

Despite this, OpenVPN has a high popularity and is widely used both in corporate networks as well as Internet access.

GRE tunnel

GRE ( Generic Routing Encapsulation, Generic Route Encapsulation) - a tunneling protocol developed by Cisco and designed to encapsulate any OSI network layer protocols (i.e. not only IP), GRE works directly over IP and does not use ports, does not go through NAT, protocol number 47.

GRE requires white IP addresses on both sides of the tunnel and is a stateless protocol, i.e. does not control the availability of the opposite node in any way, although most modern implementations contain additional mechanisms to determine the status of the channel. Also, there are no security mechanisms, but this is not a disadvantage, since, unlike client-server solutions, GRE tunnels are used in corporate and telecommunications environments, where other technologies can be used to ensure security.

To build secure solutions, GRE over IPsec is usually used, when the GRE tunnel is located over a secure IPsec channel, although another solution is possible - IPsec over GRE, when a secure connection is established inside an unencrypted GRE tunnel.

GRE is supported on UNIX-like systems, network equipment (excluding home models), and Windows Server starting from version 2016. This protocol is widely used in the telecommunications and corporate environments.

IP-IP tunnel

IP-IP ( IP over IP) is one of the simplest and least overhead tunneling protocol, but unlike GRE, it encapsulates only IPv4 unicast traffic. It is also a stateless protocol with built-in security mechanisms, usually used in conjunction with IPsec (IP-IP over IPsec). Supported by UNIX-like systems and network equipment. Like GRE does not use ports and does not go through NAT, protocol number 4.

EoIP tunnel

EoIP ( Ethernet over IP) is a link layer (L2) tunneling protocol developed by Mikrotik that works based on the GRE protocol by encapsulating Ethernet frames into GRE packets. Allows you to connect remote networks at the link level (which is equivalent to a direct connection with a patch cord between them) and provide communication without using routing. At the same time, it should be understood that such a connection involves the passage of broadcast traffic, which can significantly reduce the performance of the tunnel, especially on narrow channels or channels with high delays.

At the same time, EoIP can be useful for connecting commercial and industrial equipment that cannot work at the network (L3) level with routing. For example, to connect remote cameras to a DVR.

Initially, EoIP was supported only by Mikrotik equipment, today its support is implemented in Zyxel equipment and there are packages for its implementation in a Linux environment.

IPsec

IPsec ( IP Security) - a set of protocols for ensuring the security of data transmitted over IP networks. It can also be used not only to protect existing communication channels, but to organize independent tunnels. But IPsec tunnels have not been widely used for a number of reasons: configuration complexity, configuration error criticality (security can be severely affected), and the inability to use routing to control traffic in such tunnels (the decision to process IP packets is made based on IPsec policies).

Conclusion

When rewriting this article, we did not set the task to embrace the immensity; it is impossible to consider all existing VPN solutions within the framework of one article. Its purpose is to acquaint the reader with the main technologies used today for building virtual private networks. At the same time, we deliberately left behind the scenes solutions from Cisco or other "adult" manufacturers, since they are implemented by professionals who clearly do not need such articles.

Also, we did not consider solutions without broad support from network equipment manufacturers, although there are quite interesting products there. For example, the SoftEther VPN multi-protocol server, which supports L2TP, SSTP, OpenVPN and its own SSL VPN protocol, has extensive networking capabilities, a graphical client for configuration and administration, and many other goodies. Or the promising WireGuard, which is characterized by simplicity, high performance and the use of modern cryptography.

However, which technology should be used? It all depends on the scope. If the task is to connect two offices with dedicated IP addresses, then we would recommend using GRE or IP-IP, if the ability to configure remote networks is limited, then you should look towards OpenVPN, it is also suitable if remote networks are behind NAT or do not have dedicated IP.

But for the organization remote access one of the natively supported protocols in the systems or devices used by the users should be used. If your infrastructure is based on Windows systems and there is no question of access from mobile devices, then you should pay attention to SSTP, otherwise it is better to opt for universal L2TP.

PPTP in modern conditions cannot be considered reliable due to weak protection, but may remain good choice if the data in the tunnel will be transmitted via one of the secure protocols. Let's say for HTTPS access to a corporate portal or a web version of a corporate application that also works via SSL. In this case, the VPN will provide additional authentication and narrow the perimeter of the attack on the application; the security of the channel itself will not play a decisive role in this case.

• When choosing a connection protocol, think about how you will use the VPN. The PPTP protocol is known to be fast wireless network, but less secure than L2TP and IPSec. Therefore, if you care about security, use L2TP or IPSec. If you connect to a VPN at work, your employer will likely tell you which protocol to choose. If you are using your own VPN, choose a protocol supported by your ISP.
• When choosing a VPN provider, think about security. If you want to use a VPN to send documents and emails, or if you want to stay safe online, choose a VPN provider that offers SSL (TLS) or IPsec encryption. The SSL encryption protocol is the most popular. Encryption is a method to hide data from outsiders. Also, choose a VPN provider that uses OpenVPN for encryption, not PPTP. Several vulnerabilities have been found in PPTP in recent years; however, OpenVPN is generally considered a more secure encryption method.
• When choosing a VPN provider, think about privacy. Some providers monitor the activity of their customers and may inform the authorities if there is any suspicion. If you want to keep your online activity private, choose a VPN provider that doesn't keep user logs.
• When choosing a VPN provider, think about VPN bandwidth. It determines how much data can be transferred. Keep in mind that high-quality video and music files are larger and therefore require more bandwidth than text and image files. If you are only going to use the VPN to view and transfer sensitive documents, any VPN provider will provide sufficient bandwidth. But if you want to watch Netflix or play online games, for example, choose a VPN provider that allows you to use unlimited bandwidth.
• When choosing a VPN provider, consider whether you want to view content that is only available in other countries. When you browse the web, they receive your IP address, which determines your location. If you try to access content in another country, you may not be able to access it due to the IP address because there is no copyright agreement between the countries for that content. Therefore, look for a provider with output servers - in this case, you will have the IP address of the country you need. This will allow you to access content in another country using overseas servers. Choose a VPN provider that has servers in the country with the content you want.
• When choosing a VPN provider, consider whether you will be connecting to the VPN on a computer or mobile device. If you travel a lot or use your mobile device (smartphone or tablet) a lot, choose a VPN provider that provides a VPN connection for mobile devices or even provides apps that are compatible with your mobile devices.
• When choosing a VPN provider, think about the kind of support you need. Read reviews and find out about customer support for a particular VPN provider. Some providers provide phone support only, while others can also be contacted via chat or e-mail. Find a provider that offers a convenient customer support experience for you. Also look for reviews (via search engine, for example Yandex or Google) about the provider in order to evaluate the quality of customer support.
• When choosing a VPN provider, think about how much you are willing to spend. Some VPN providers offer free services(e.g. Open VPN), but as a rule, in this case, services (functions, bandwidth, support, and so on) will be cut. Since there are many VPN providers, compare the prices and services of some of them. Surely you will find a provider who will provide the services you need at an affordable price.

Using a VPN is one of the easiest and most reliable ways to hide your real location, protect personal data and messages on your smartphone, computer or tablet from theft. It does not require complex configuration steps and high costs from you. Websites and services will make sure that you are in the country where the VPN server is installed.

In this article, we will explain what a VPN is and how to set it up on an Android smartphone.

What is VPN

Virtual Private Network - virtual private network. The term means the creation of a closed network within a public network, such as the Internet. Initially, the mechanism for creating virtual private (private) communication spaces designed for greater security. By entering the VPN server, you find yourself inside a network space protected from external attacks.

The degree of trust in this technology can be judged by the fact that it is actively used large corporations to create your own protected distributed networks. They entrust confidential data to the strong cryptography that is at the heart of it.

When entering a virtual network, the user does not need to physically connect any additional wires. He simply enters his username and password on the VPN server. From this moment on, all requests to Internet resources are made on behalf of the virtual ip-address issued at the entrance.

Some experts compare working in a virtual private network with driving through a tunnel located under a busy highway where ordinary users move. Your channel is encrypted and cannot be attacked from the outside. However, you are using the same hardware and wires as unprotected users.

How to set up a VPN on Android

There are two options to enable VPN in Android: install the application from Google Play or set up a username and password in Settings. Below we present these methods in order of increasing complexity for the user.

Installing the VPN App

We advise you to start with the program Turbo VPN . It does not require registration and passwords and is free for most typical application scenarios: web surfing, instant messengers, and so on.

The user is required to:

1. After a 3-second wait, the traffic is already redirected to the server chosen by the application itself.

1. To “change citizenship”, you can select a server from a certain country in the program settings. Just click on the flag icon in the top right corner.

1. Here, in the Settings, the function is set automatic connection when the application starts.

1. It is convenient to control the operation of the application by the messages displayed in notifications. When you click on them, the program reports the channel parameters: download and upload speed, the total number of transferred data in MB.

1. If you need to return to normal mode with a real IP address, click on the program icon in the notification window and disable VPN with the cross button.

Currently, Android users have access to dozens of programs for VPN connections. They are:

• Paid. Traffic is charged, the user pays a fixed amount of the cost of the program during installation or uses paid subscription for a month. For example, application OpenVPN client.
• Conditionally free. Basic features are free, but you will have to pay extra for the speed or amount of traffic over the limit. You may also be charged for additional components and features. In particular, this is what developers doVPN Master-Free unblock proxy.
• Free. The existence of such projects pays off with advertising that you will view from time to time. They are very popular. Yes, application Hotspot Shield Free VPN has over 500 million downloads.

Using the native ability to connect via Android VPN

Modern versions of Android support working through a VPN without third-party applications. Find Connection in Settings.

We go to the VPN configuration and management category.

Please note that after installing the Turbo VPN application, there is already one setting in the menu for working with a virtual network. To make your own, click the Add button.

To correctly fill in the server name, login and password, you will need to register on one of the free or paid virtual network services. For example, you can use the service ExpressVPN . Her work is possible at 90 different countries, torrents are not blocked, and high-definition video streaming up to 4K is supported.

In Russia, the fastest and most inexpensive is considered VPN99 . The subscription fee at the time of writing is no more than $1 per month.

A search in Yandex or Google will help you choose such a service. When comparing services, be guided by their reliability and speed, as well as user reviews. You can organize your own VPN server yourself. Even a novice system administrator will cope with this work.

What you can use a VPN for

Typical scenarios where it is useful to use such services:

• Protection their personal data from websites and online stores. Traffic to the server is encrypted, the real ip-address cannot be determined. At the same time, anonymity is ensured not only in the Internet browser, but also in instant messengers and other programs on your phone.
• Country change and region. You can pretend to be a user from the US or European countries to receive special prices and terms of service on certain Internet resources.
• Bypass blocked resources. Using a VPN is the main way to bypass the blocking of services blocked in your country. Ukrainian users bypass blocked in Ukraine VKontakte and Yandex. Russian users using a VPN can work with a blocked Telegram.
• Save mobile data. In some cases, the protocols used to work with VPN servers can reduce the amount of billed traffic and reduce communication costs.

Limitations of free VPN services

The benefits of free services are clear. Enough to meet the needs ordinary user Internet, using a web browser, instant messenger and other applications that do not consume traffic too actively.

But it is worth remembering that free servers have a number of limitations:

• Low operating speed and traffic restrictions. In many cases, the work of torrents and other programs that require a large amount of data to be transferred is blocked. Operators free servers in this way they try to reduce the load on the equipment and encourage users to switch to paid tariffs.
• Low reliability. No one guarantees that the server will be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Users sometimes have to change the server due to its closure or congestion with clients.
• Advertising. Often to recoup their costs free operators resort to showing ads and paid ads to their users.

Advantages of paid VPN servers

• High reliability and availability of technical support. This allows you to count on the stable operation of the service and the preservation of the confidentiality of user data. Do not forget that the server itself knows your real ip-address and some other information.
• No restrictions by streaming video in high resolution. The capacities of these companies are incomparably higher than those of free ones, they can provide their customers with a higher data transfer rate.
• Confidence that in the near future the server is not closed.

From a legal point of view, VPN usage until prohibited. Virtual personal networks will allow you to maintain anonymity on the Internet and will provide a number of other benefits. But the use of the blocked resources themselves is associated with a certain risk. This should be remembered.

How to set up a VPN for Telegram or how to bypass blocking

Bypassing blocked resources is one of the most popular VPN applications. The principle is simple. Telegram is blocked in Russia, but not in the US. You are joining the server virtual network located in the United States and access any resources permitted in that country.

Telegram also has a special proxy bot that will help ensure that the messenger works under blocking conditions without redirecting all smartphone traffic to the VPN. The bot gives a link for registration. After passing through it, the user receives the address and port of the server, username and password.

To configure the proxy yourself, you need to:

Especially for our readers - do repost this entry and leave

Virtual Private Network is a virtual private network that is used to provide secure connectivity within corporate connections and Internet access. The main advantage of VPN is high security due to encryption of internal traffic, which is important when transferring data.

What is a VPN connection

Many people, when faced with this abbreviation, ask: VPN - what is it and why is it needed? This technology opens the possibility to create a network connection on top of another. VPN works in several modes:

• node-network;
• network-network;
• node-node.

The organization of a private virtual network at the network levels allows the use of TCP and UDP protocols. All data that passes through computers is encrypted. This additional protection for your connection. There are many examples that explain what a VPN connection is and why you should use it. This issue will be discussed in detail below.

Why you need a VPN

Each provider is able to provide, at the request of the relevant authorities, logs of user activities. Your Internet company records all the activities that you performed on the network. This helps to relieve the provider of any responsibility for the actions that the client carried out. There are many situations in which you need to protect your data and gain freedom, for example:

1. The VPN service is used to send confidential company data between branches. This helps protect sensitive information from being intercepted.
2. If you need to bypass the binding of the service by geographic area. For example, the Yandex Music service is available only to residents of Russia and residents of the former CIS countries. If you are a Russian-speaking resident of the United States, then you will not be able to listen to the recordings. A VPN service will help you bypass this ban by replacing the network address with a Russian one.
3. Hide site visits from the provider. Not every person is ready to share their activities on the Internet, so they will protect their visits with the help of VPN.

How a VPN Works

When you use another VPN channel, your IP will belong to the country where this secure network is located. When connected, a tunnel will be created between the VPN server and your computer. After that, in the logs (records) of the provider there will be a set of incomprehensible characters. Data analysis special program will not give results. If you do not use this technology, then the HTTP protocol will immediately indicate which site you are connecting to.

VPN Structure

This connection consists of two parts. The first is called the "internal" network, you can create several of these. The second is the “external”, through which the encapsulated connection occurs, as a rule, the Internet is used. It is also possible to connect a single computer to the network. The user is connected to a specific VPN through an access server connected simultaneously to the external and internal networks.

When a VPN program connects a remote user, the server requires two important processes to go through: first identification, then authentication. This is necessary to obtain rights to use this connection. If you have successfully passed these two stages, your network is empowered, which opens up the possibility of work. In essence, this is the authorization process.

VPN classification

There are several types of virtual private networks. There are options for the degree of security, the method of implementation, the level of work according to the ISO / OSI model, the protocol involved. You can use paid access or a free VPN service from Google. Based on the degree of security, channels can be "secure" or "trusted". The latter are needed if the connection itself has the desired level of protection. To organize the first option, the following technologies should be used:

• PPTP
• OpenVPN;
• IPSec.

How to create a VPN server

For all computer users, there is a way to connect a VPN yourself. The operating room option will be considered below. Windows system. This manual does not provide for the use of additional software. The setting is carried out as follows:

1. To make a new connection, you need to open the network access viewing panel. Start typing in the search for the words "Network Connections".
2. Press the "Alt" button, click on the "File" section in the menu and select "New incoming connection".
3. Then set the user who will be granted a VPN connection to this computer (if you have only one Account on a PC, you must create a password for it). Install the bird and click "Next".
4. Next, you will be prompted to select the type of connection, you can leave a checkmark in front of "Internet".
5. The next step is to enable network protocols that will work on this VPN. Check all boxes except the second one. You can optionally set specific IP, DNS gateways, and ports in IPv4, but it's easier to leave automatic assignment.
6. When you click on the "Allow access" button, the operating system will create the server on its own, display a window with the computer name. You will need it to connect.
7. This completes the creation of a home VPN server.

How to set up a VPN on Android

The method described above was how to create a VPN connection on personal computer. However, many have long been performing all actions using the phone. If you don’t know what a VPN on Android is, then all the above facts about this type connections are valid for a smartphone as well. The configuration of modern devices provides comfortable use of the Internet on high speed. In some cases (for launching games, opening websites) they use proxy substitution or anonymizers, but VPN is better for a stable and fast connection.

If you already understand what a VPN is on a phone, then you can go directly to creating a tunnel. You can do this on any Android device. The connection is made as follows:

1. Go to the settings section, click on the "Network" section.
2. Find an item called "Advanced Settings" and go to the "VPN" section. Next, you will need a pin code or password that unlocks the ability to create a network.