How to configura access to home LAN from internet via VPS OpenVPN server?

RadioMiskovice

Hello,

I would like to ask for help with configuration.

I have a home LAN with some services of interest (NAS, scanner, printer, etc.). This LAN is connected to internet through an ISP network with a private address, so there is no chance to expose a VPN server in this LAN to be accessible by a VPN client from the internet. Therefore I have a VPS running somewhere else.

The home LAN address is 192.168.33.0/24, OpenVPN is as usual, 10.8.0.0/24. As an example, the LAN host running OpenVPN client is a Linux machine with IP addresses 192.168.33.12 and 10.8.0.10, there are some other hosts in the LAN, for instance a NAS on 192.168.33.13.

I am not sure how should I set up the following things:

1. How should I setup static VPN IP address, 10.8.0.10, for the client Linux host? Can it be done on the client Linux machine, or does it have to be set on the OpenVPN server? Is it part of OpenVPN config, or is it something to be set independently (ip addr, ip route commands).

2. All incoming connections from VPN should be correctly routed on the Linux client to the respective host in LAN. How should I setup routing on the client host, i.e. 192.168.33.12?

3. What should be the setup for Windows OpenVPN client on my notebook used to access the LAN from internet? Can I use push command in the OpenVPN configuration on the server (i.e. although used on the server, it would affect only Windows clients but not the Linux client), or do I have to tweak Windows client config or Windows network configuration? Traffic on this PC should not be redirected through the VPN, only routing to the LAN.

Thank you,

P.S. Illustration is here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2N57dku9sHJRHB1UERrOGZBOVU/view?usp=sharing

TinCanTech

Please start here:
HOWTO: For OpenVPN Community Edition

Pippin

Some hints to your requirement, keywords:
1.
--ccd
iroute

2.
ip_forward

If 1. and 2. is done "the right way" then 3. is no need.

Edit: Did not look picture so I removed wrong answer (:

RadioMiskovice

Thanks a lot.

Actually, I am embarrased because I went through all docs again after I posted this and found most of the information I was looking for. I set up ccd and iroute, plus I added "client-to-client" and, of course, set ipv4 forwarding on both the OpenVPN server and the LAN client to 1. Not sure if "client-to-client" is needed but it seems I should need this if I want the LAN client be accessible from Windows client.

I have been using SoftEther VPN for a long time. If you don't know SoftEther, I would characterize it as "everything is the opposite of OpenVPN" - by default you can "see" all VPN clients connected to the same "VPN Hub"; under normal circumstances and without additional setup you cannot reach any network interface or service on the host of the "VPN Hub" your client is connected to. That's why I was so uncertain and cautious regarding OpenVPN setup...

RadioMiskovice

@Pippin thank you for guidance, everything works as expected.

Is there a wiki where we could write something like "typical use cases" configurations proven to work? It is sometimes difficult to look for the necessary information spread in the HOWTO's or forums, although these are things that thousands of users have done thousand times...

Pippin

You`re welcome.

Keep in mind that with client-to-client, every client can "see" each other.
If you`re the only client that is ok`ish.

If I'm not mistaken you can get write access to the wiki after applying/registering.