Version 2.0 of IP VPN Requirements and Self-Certification Requirements published

Based on the experiences from implementation projects the IP VPN Requirements have been revised and a complete set of documents for self-certification has been developed.

Following the revision of the IP VPN Specifications by the IP VPN Task Force of the Berlin Group, Version 2.0 of the "Minimum Requirements for IP based networks" has been developed based on the experiences from different implementation projects and has been agreed on by the Implementation Task Force and the VPN Task Force.

In addition to this the Implementation Task Force of the Berlin Group has developed a document "Minimum Requirements for Certification" as a documentation of the self-certification process which should be used by gateways implementing the Berlin Group specifications. The document contains the process description, a concept for functional testing, test-cases for integration testing and a common security policy.

The main document describes the self certification process to be followed by Berlin Group gateways and explains the responsibilities for internal and bilateral testing. Functional requirements are detailed in a comprehensive concept which considers different implementation phases and testing priorities. For integration testing, a common set of test cases is defined as an excel sheet, enabling the testing partners to evaluate their test results in parallel. In addition to this a common security policy has been defined as a common reference for implementation. The test case catalogue has been checked positively by the Clearing Task Force and the Authorisation Task Force of the Berlin Group, the security policy has been agreed on by the Security Task Force of the Berlin Group.

To provide additional guidance to interested implementers the Implementation Task Force has developed an Implementation Master Plan, outlining the major work packages of a project for the implementation of a Berlin Group gateway (attachment 4). The document is intended to support interested parties in their development projects as a kind of checklist for setting up implementation projects.

All documents are provided for download via the Berlin Group website.