How to access client side network drives when connected to OpenVPN

flexmcmurphy

Hello,

Like many others on here I'm a total networking newbie. I've googled loads and read many posts. Sorry if this question has been asked many times already but please bare with me!

Client side:
OpenVPN GUI v2.5 on Windows 7 running in a work LAN. This LAN has numerous network drives that are accessible from Windows file explorer on the Win 7 machine.

Server side:
OpenVPN 2.4 running on a Raspberry Pi at my home. This server side LAN has several other hosts each with samba server on them and these samba shares are accessible to each host in the server side LAN.

What I have got working:
I can connect to the VPN server and can get internet access from the home (server side) connection. I can map network drives from Windows file explorer on the client side and see the Samba shares of the hosts on the server side LAN.

What I want to get working:
When connected to the OpenVPN server, most but not all, of the client side network shares becomes inaccessible. Yes... some of them stay accessible, from reading around so far I would have thought it would be all or nothing but anyway... how do I make all the client side network shares be accessible to me from the client side Windows machine when I am connected to the VPN? I don't need to drag and drop files from the client side hosts/shares to the server side hosts/shares I just want all the client and server side hosts/shares to be accessible to me from that Windows 7 client side machine at work. For instance some applications I use at work are run from a work based network drive but they freeze up on me when I connect to the OpenVPN server so I can access shares from hosts on my home LAN.

Is this the solution explained here? If so then the last line will be a show stopper for me....

"Similarly, if the client machine running OpenVPN is not also the gateway for the client LAN, then the gateway for the client LAN must have a route which directs all subnets which should be reachable through the VPN to the OpenVPN client machine."

Because I can't control the client side gateway... well at least I presume that is in the IT dept?

Are there any other work arounds like changing the order of the network connections in Windows 7? Or enabling sharing on one of the network connections to "..allow other network users to connection through this computer's internet connection"?

Any help much appreciated!

Flex

300000

You need site to site so it will work out let you use both network when it connect . Basic openvpn is poin to point connection so there is no server or client but only is point of connection. When you make site to site you need to do the same on both sides to make it work .what you must do is both shoul act as server and having a plant on routing all subnet on both sides.

So on the client side you need NAT and IP Forward as server and on server side you need "route 00.00.00 255.255.255.0" this is client subnet shout be add on server'routing table

Iroute 00.00.00.00 255.255.255.0 this is the same client'subnet to add on server when client connect to it so server will perform adding route as route 00.00.00.00 255.255.255.0 client'ip

It is best to study iroute before you can do it

flexmcmurphy

@300000

Thank you very much for your reply. I think I have so much to read and learn about networking such as packet flows, routers and gateways. Even iptables also.

I found useful links about Site-To-Site with OpenVPN and how to expose a subnet that is local to the client to the VPN. And of course the expanding the scope of OpenVPN.

These links are useful unfortunately I just can't really understand enough what is going on to make anything work.

In my case described above... When I connect to my OpenVPN I lose connectivity to other network drives that would otherwise be available to me. I just about understand that this is because there is no route set up for packets to flow between those drives and the VPN. To make things even more complicated those drives are not on the same subnet as my client so, from my current understanding, I would need to set up routes on those server machines or the gateway/router that connects them to the subnet I am on in order to then be able to route them to my VPN. If I am correct in that understanding then I won't be able to progress any further with this because I don't have that type of access

Cheers,

Flex

TinCanTech

flexmcmurphy wrote I would need to set up routes on those server machines or the gateway/router that connects them to the subnet I am on in order to then be able to route them to my VPN. If I am correct in that understanding then I won't be able to progress any further with this because I don't have that type of access

That is the bottom line ..