Windows asks for network location after every server restart

guillerolle

Hello all, i'm new here.

I've been trying to configure an OpenVPN server for home use and it's working pretty well. I have one computer that works as the server (running Debian) and all the other will connect to it (maybe from outside) and works perfectly.

However, after I shutdown all my computers (including server) and start them again, the VPN clients (running Windows 7) will ask me to set network location again everytime. This shall not work this way; I want my VPN network to be saved so every day I start it it's already a domestic network without asking.

It's not only that it doesn't save the network location but it is creating new networks everytime (first it was called "Network", then "Network 2", then "Network 3" and so on).

Both in server and clients OpenVPN runs as daemon/service.

Here are my configuration files:
;local a.b.c.d
port 1195
proto udp
#dev tun
dev tap

ca /etc/openvpn/easy-rsa/keys/ca.crt
cert /etc/openvpn/easy-rsa/keys/server.crt
key /etc/openvpn/easy-rsa/keys/server.key # this file should be kept secret

dh /etc/openvpn/easy-rsa/keys/dh2048.pem

topology subnet

mode server
tls-server

ifconfig 10.8.0.1 255.255.255.0
#server 10.8.0.0 255.255.255.0
ifconfig-pool 10.8.0.100 10.8.0.200
ifconfig-pool-persist /etc/openvpn/config/ipp.txt

client-config-dir ccd
#route 10.8.0.0 255.255.255.0
#route 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 vpn_gateway 50

#route 0.0.0.0 255.255.255.0 10.8.0.1
#push "route 10.8.0.1"

#server-bridge 10.8.0.1 255.255.255.0 10.8.0.10 10.8.0.100

client-to-client

keepalive 10 120

#comp-lzo

persist-key
persist-tun

status /etc/openvpn/config/openvpn-status.log

verb 3

management localhost 7505

;learn-address /var/lib/openvpn/learn-address.sh client
dev tap
proto udp
remote myserver 1195

resolv-retry infinite

nobind

persist-key
persist-tun

ca ca.crt
cert noteaug.crt
key noteaug.key

ns-cert-type server

#comp-lzo
verb 3 I hope you can help me fix this issue and my VPN configuration would be pretty much done

PD: In case it helps I added default gateway manually on clients to match 10.8.0.1.

TinCanTech

Your Openvpn set up will not work because you have no --server

guillerolle

Actually the server works. I can connect perfectly, interact between clients, resolve hostnames, etc. The problem is it keeps asking for Domestic / Work / Public network every single time I restart the server, and it will name the network differently (It's "Network 11" right now).

I tried your suggestion though

I added

server 10.8.0.0 255.255.255.0

and commented out the ifconfig and ifconfig-pool but it made no change. Keeps asking the same stuff.

Edit:
I also tried

server-bridge 10.8.0.1 255.255.255.0 10.8.0.100 10.8.0.200

and now I have an "unidentifed network" eventhough I set the deffaut gateway to 10.8.0.1 on Windows

guillerolle

Okay after several tries I'm stuck with 2 options:

Option 1:
To use "dev tun" and I have no problem after restarting, the networks will be set to a work network always.
The problem is I don't know how to resolve hostnames. If someone can give me a hand on this, I have no clue how to work this out (I read about setting up a dns server but I have no idea how to).

Option 2:
Using "dev tap" and I have no problems resolving hostnames (It's done automatically) but the problem is what I stated above. After every server restart, Windows will ask me to set the location of the server every single time. While I don't restart the server it'll work fine but it's not an option to never shut it down.

Hope someone helps me out here, I've searched a lot on this both options but I cannot make it work properly. I have no preference on using tun or tap, I was just trying to solve the issues, and couldn't understand the difference between both pretty much.

Thanks

TiTex

guillerolle wrote To use "dev tun" and I have no problem after restarting, the networks will be set to a work network always.
The problem is I don't know how to resolve hostnames. If someone can give me a hand on this, I have no clue how to work this out (I read about setting up a dns server but I have no idea how to).

you need to push DNS options to your clients , check the manual for --dhcp-option more information https://community.openvpn.net/openvpn/wiki/Openvpn24ManPage#lbAO