openvpn bridge windows network neighborhood

trancid

hi all! i am new to openvpn. using just 2 lines (server-bridge & push "redirect-gateway def1 bypass-dhcp") i have setup client to obtain local subnet address, dns, gateway. the box contains isc-dhcp, bind9, openvpn servers. but nowhere in internet there is said that browsing windows network neighborhood is available to clients... could u tell me what is my next step? is it possible at all? can i do it by means of installed packets or must use wins or smth like netbios support? if it is not possible how better to make name resolution working?

TinCanTech

This may be of some help:
https://community.openvpn.net/openvpn/wiki/WindowsBrowsing

trancid

wow i have never met this article!
one question - i have "example.org" domain name from dhcpd.conf as i remember... i see it as a suffix on clients. i do not want to have a domain... if i must live with it what are advantages of using domain? if i comment it out an error occurs and isc-dhcp fails to restart. in the webmin i see it can disable it but i feared to do that via webmin...)))) pls tell me how to manage it, maybe it must be referred to the box's name "debian(.org)"?
i will try all methods from that article but i do not expect each of them will help me...

of course i use tap at bridge and script from https://openvpn.net/index.php/open-source/documentation/miscellaneous/ethernet-bridging.html raises all needed interfaces and broadcasts. which params in server.conf are critical to enable browsing neighborhood? i do not think --push "dhcp-option" will help me...

trancid

my configs -

server-bridge
push "redirect-gateway def1 bypass-dhcp"
port 1194
proto udp
dev tap0
ca ca.crt
cert server.crt
key server.key
dh dh2048.pem
client-to-client
keepalive 10 120
comp-lzo
user nobody
group nogroup
persist-key
persist-tun
status openvpn-status.log
log openvpn.log
verb 6
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
client
dev tap
proto udp
remote box's ip address 1194
resolv-retry infinite
nobind
;user nobody
;group nogroup
persist-key
persist-tun
ca ca.crt
cert client.crt
key client.key
ns-cert-type server
comp-lzo
verb 6

> ifconfig
br0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 9c:d6:43:63:03:56
inet addr:192.168.1.1 Bcast:192.168.1.255 Mask:255.255.255.0
inet6 addr: fe80::9ed6:43ff:fe63:356/64 Scope:Link
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:229410 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:335883 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:0
RX bytes:21389273 (20.3 MiB) TX bytes:398169869 (379.7 MiB)

eth0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 48:5b:39:ed:48:56
inet addr:box's ip address Bcast:box's 255 Mask:255.255.255.252
inet6 addr: fe80::4a5b:39ff:feed:4856/64 Scope:Link
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:321178 errors:0 dropped:140 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:208507 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:13
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:401115981 (382.5 MiB) TX bytes:35468951 (33.8 MiB)

eth1 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 9c:d6:43:63:03:56
inet6 addr: fe80::9ed6:43ff:fe63:356/64 Scope:Link
UP BROADCAST RUNNING PROMISC MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:230647 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:331684 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:29573957 (28.2 MiB) TX bytes:391936249 (373.7 MiB)

lo Link encap:Local Loopback
inet addr:127.0.0.1 Mask:255.0.0.0
inet6 addr: ::1/128 Scope:Host
UP LOOPBACK RUNNING MTU:65536 Metric:1
RX packets:54433 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:54433 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:0
RX bytes:13843644 (13.2 MiB) TX bytes:13843644 (13.2 MiB)

tap0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr be:42:21:41:ff:65
inet6 addr: fe80::bc42:21ff:fe41:ff65/64 Scope:Link
UP BROADCAST RUNNING PROMISC MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:8446 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:17510 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:100
RX bytes:846443 (826.6 KiB) TX bytes:11826054 (11.2 MiB)

TinCanTech, i am Using tap and wanted to use local DNS but still no browsing as we see it on windows by Start-Network Neighborhood. Tried to "push "dhcp-option" to push both DNS and DOMAIN options, push "route 192.168.1.0 255.255.255.0" - does not work. what could prevent clients from browsing Network Neighborhood? i think there is no sense to try Using WINS-server because there may be a wrong configuration.

is it possible at all only by means of openvpn?

trancid

i do not have a separate dns-server, clients get dns from isc-dhcp, i use bind9+masquerade rule to share internet to clients. does bind9 need configuration to serve openvpn clients?

trancid

i think all the methods at https://community.openvpn.net/openvpn/wiki/WindowsBrowsing will not work without name resolution because Network Neighborhood need hostnames... am i right? So i need to use wins? only tomorrow then...

TinCanTech pls don't leave me, help me...)))))

TinCanTech

Sorry, I do not use Windows Networking .. but from what I know, it looks like you are on the right lines.

Other users here may be able to help you ..

trancid

TinCanTech wroteSorry, I do not use Windows Networking .. but from what I know, it looks like you are on the right lines.

Other users here may be able to help you ..

ages ago when building my xp i guessed right now that i've disabled vital services on xp client like lmhosts and some similar providing discovery and broadcasting functions... maybe this will solve my problem!!! 😃

TinCanTech

Certainly, XP is a good place to start and the last time I used windows networking .. Win10 (which I have to use against my will) is far less friendly, in all sorts of ways!

If it is windows browser you want then I cannot help .. but windows shares are sill reasonable .. eg > net use x: \\ip\share

trancid

i need windows network neighborhood so much because we use http://lanmsngr.sourceforge.net/ maybe soft working via lan net is dependable on windows network neighborhood... i will try today at work...

trancid

i have learned from one topic that samba wins server depends on dns name resolution... why? there are 2 ways - dns using domain and wins w/o domain.
Anybody of openvpn developers can tell me how make windows network neighborhood browseable? i had to manually define wins server address on client's tap but nothing...

trancid

WOW!!!! i 've launched wins server by means of isc-dhcp-server by putting 3 lines into dhcpd.conf to enable netbios although they were not meant to be there officially!!! i think i will not need samba at all.

trancid

huuuuuurrrrraaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!! it's working now!!!! samba was needed to configure as master browser http://rusdeb.blogspot.ru/2008/03/master-browser.html

trancid

lan messenger and pidgin do not work over vpn... but BeeBEEP (Secure Lan Messenger) does work from the box))))))

trancid

A QUESTION TO DEVELOPERS. Hello!!! i've found beebeep when was searching for a messenger tool over vpn. beebeep began working over openvpn tap bridge after installing BonjourPSSetup.exe. pls tell why http://lanmsngr.sourceforge.net/ can't work, the same to the pidgin which sees openvpn client but there is no message exchange... name resolution via wins is configured, samba is running as a master browser. network neighborhood works well but these messengers won't work... is a multicast the reason? how enable it on a openvpn server?

trancid

maybe there is an issue about IGMP

trancid

THE 2nd QUESTION TO DEVELOPERS. How can I use IGMP not only in local subnet but for openvpn clients too? openvpn tap bridge is used, 1 dhcp server and address range for all.

trancid

openvpn clients see each other in Qualia lan messenger thanks to client-to client directive in server config. but different subnets can not see each other although there is 1 subnet, 1 dhcp server, 1 dns server, 1 wins server... pls enable igmp translation between subnets...

trancid

help me!!!)) http://lanmsngr.sourceforge.net/ in its logs i can see it sees clients behind the bridge but as on the address 192.168.1.1 i.e. right on the server. i need to define to the clients my network behind the bridge. which maybe unofficial lines in configs to use?