WINPHO Network Topology

WINPHO overlies WIN/NLETS, a private, secure, law enforcement network used primarily for the transmission of fingerprint and criminal history records. WIN/NLETS provides the interstate backbone among WIN member states, terminating with a drop at each state member’s central site. From that drop (a firewall), state networking takes over.

WINPHO uses TCP/IP in support of HTML, XML, FTP and other TCP/IP applications. Security is provided at several levels. Basic security is a function of WIN/NLETS being a private, secure network. However, because WIN/NLETS touches state, federal and local networks at each member’s drop, an additional layer of security is required. That security is provided, in part, by implementation of NAT (Network Address Translation) through a Cisco PIX firewall at each member drop. Other devices throughout the network enhance security as well. Proxy servers, VPN, SSL, user authentication, extensive logging, audits, and other tools support the high level of security required on this network.

Typical State WINPHO Network
Click on diagram for high-resolution image.

Typical Implementation of Cisco PIX with WINPHO
Click on diagram for high resolution image.