PiVPN strange authentication error

[Partridge]

Hi, first time poster....have searched for an answer to my problem but no luck so I hope you can help!

For a couple of years I have successfully run an OpenVPN server on my Raspberry Pi using the PiVPN config front-end with no issues at all. Using various clients incl. OpenVPN clients on Android, iOS, Windows and command-line openvpn on Linux.

A week or so ago I started getting authentication errors from each device when trying to connect. I have tried re-issuing new .ovpn profiles but get the same error. Also tried a "no password" .ovpn profile but same error. So I started looking deeper into the logs.

This is what I get at the end of the client log from openvpn on Linux (IP address / port commented out):
[olog]
Wed Jul 6 22:11:39 2022 [server_UAgeTMEk57ap] Peer Connection Initiated with [AF_INET]xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:xxxx
Wed Jul 6 22:11:40 2022 SENT CONTROL [server_UAgeTMEk57ap]: 'PUSH_REQUEST' (status=1)
Wed Jul 6 22:11:40 2022 AUTH: Received control message: AUTH_FAILED
Wed Jul 6 22:11:40 2022 SIGTERM[soft,auth-failure] received, process exiting
[/olog]

But then in the openvpn server log on the Raspberry Pi I see the following at the end of the connection process:
[olog]
Jul 6 21:11:39 raspberrypi-UK ovpn-server[3042]: xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:xxxx [DellInspiron] Peer Connection Initiated with [AF_INET]xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:xxxx
Jul 6 21:11:39 raspberrypi-UK ovpn-server[3042]: DellInspiron/xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:xxxx MULTI_sva: pool returned IPv4=10.8.0.2, IPv6=(Not enabled)
Jul 6 21:11:40 raspberrypi-UK ovpn-server[3042]: DellInspiron/xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:xxxx WARNING: Failed running command (--client-connect): external program exited with error status: 1
Jul 6 21:11:40 raspberrypi-UK ovpn-server[3042]: DellInspiron/xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:xxxx PUSH: Received control message: 'PUSH_REQUEST'
Jul 6 21:11:40 raspberrypi-UK ovpn-server[3042]: DellInspiron/xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:xxxx Delayed exit in 5 seconds
Jul 6 21:11:40 raspberrypi-UK ovpn-server[3042]: DellInspiron/xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:xxxx SENT CONTROL [DellInspiron]: 'AUTH_FAILED' (status=1)
Jul 6 21:11:45 raspberrypi-UK ovpn-server[3042]: DellInspiron/xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:xxxx SIGTERM[soft,delayed-exit] received, client-instance exiting
[/olog]

So this looks as though there is an issue with the "external program", which leads to the server rejecting the connection with "AUTH_FAILED" but with the real issue being elsewhere? Any ideas what this might be or how I can dig further?

Thank you!

[TinCanTech]

WARNING: Failed running command (--client-connect): external program exited with error status: 1

The client connect script failed. That is the problem.

[Partridge]

The client connect script failed. That is the problem.

Thank you! That gave me the prompt to dig into that and found an issue in the client connect script. Sounds obvious in retrospect I realise....