Security Association (Windows Embedded CE 6.0)
1/6/2010
The security association (SA) determines the level of security provided by IP Security Protocol (IPSec). A security association is the combination of a negotiated key, a security protocol, and the security parameters index (SPI). Together these define the security infrastructure used to protect the communication from sender to receiver. The SPI is a unique, identifying value in the SA that is used to distinguish among multiple security associations that exist at the receiving device.
To enhance the security infrastructure of your network, the IPSec Internet Key Exchange (IKE) protocol performs a two-phase operation consisting of main mode and quick mode negotiation. Confidentiality and authentication are ensured during each phase by the use of encryption and authentication algorithms that are agreed upon by the two devices during security negotiations. This operation is discussed in the following topics: