Hi Guys!

I need some help here with OpenVPN in order to put it runing a remote network connection. It involves client-server work that I am doing from home: Client Linux (my notebook) -- Server Windows. In my notebook I have installed a tri-boot with FC/Suse/Solaris.

So, to put VPN to connect properly it requires TUN/TAP driver. Then, when I run...

# openvpn --mktun
Options error: You must define TUN/TAP device (--dev)

Any directions are mostly appreciated!

PS: My boss is suggesting me to just forget linux, and install instead Windows OS on my notebook. Anyway, I am a fan of linux, and at least in my home we got completely rid of windows thing yet for one year -- and I wish things keep this way.

So try

openvpn --mktun --dev tun0

thanks... as you suggested

# openvpn --mktun --dev tun0
Tue Jun 30 21:58:11 2009 TUN/TAP device tun0 opened
Tue Jun 30 21:58:11 2009 Persist state set to: ON

but my VPN is still not connecting.

Dear pls go through this link and i hope it will resolve ur problem related to openvpn.
http://openvpn.net/index.php/open-so...ion/howto.html

I am connected to my work's openvpn, using the openvpn plugin for Network Manager (NetworkManager-openvpn) and it was easy to setup a vpn connection using Network Manager. Try it !

Hi VAP, Thanks for the link.... but it was offline.

Hi Marozsas, thanks for the feeback.

I am trying my connection using FC10.
yesterday at the end of the day, I tried this:

# openvpn --mktun --dev tun0
Tue Jun 30 21:58:11 2009 TUN/TAP device tun0 opened
Tue Jun 30 21:58:11 2009 Persist state set to: ON

I have also done on FC10: system --> preferences --> internet and network --> network connections --> VPN

choose the option: VPN Connection 1 [x] connect automatically.
Gateway: the remote server IP
Authentication type: password
User name: admID
CA certificate

IPv4 Method: Automatic VPN.

Then I tried my IP to see the OpenVPN admin:
https://111.222.1.33:8443/admin
Then it gives me: Firefox can't establish a connection to the server at. Yesterday it was connecting with the OpenVPN control panel.

Then I try to connect remotely, and it does not work. Maybe it is just some missing twig. Any other suggestion?

To successfully configure a VPN connection you need to know a few things about the server side.
I don't known about yours, but mine give to the clients two files: a configuration file and a PKSC#12 file. Using it on command line looks like this:
On the config file there are settings for the type of vpn connection (TLS, password based, static keys, etc), if it uses a TUN or TAP interface, if it runs over TCP or over UDP (most common case), the MTU, the port on the remote end (where the server is listening to), what cypher is used to encrypt the data, and what kind of compression is used. The config file has the name of the PKCS#12 file too. The p12 file have the certificates for CA, for the user and the key used to cypher/protect this data.

If you are trying with NetworkManager-openvpn module it is easy (kind of) to fill the blanks when you setup a new VPN connection. You must fill the fields on the main window and the General and Security tabs on the Advanced window. They are all the above and you need to get the details with your system administrator.

Start with the command line as root using the config file and the PKCS#12 file.
When using Network Manager there are issues due to constrains imposed by SELinux. For test purpose only - disable SELinux and re-enable and fix it later.

Of course, I suppose your openVPN is TLS based. If is not, I am afraid I can't help much more, since I don't have any experience with static keys and password based is too insecure to anyone use it in nowadays.

I started a thread about his subject a while ago in this same forum about using NM-opvn and Zerina/Smoothwall server.

I hope this can help you.