Manually Changing the Server IP-Hostname in the Client

[zangort]

I'll try to keep this simple...

Running my own OpenVPN setup at home (running on a Cisco RV3XX firewall), and running the latest 3.11.378 client on Windows 10. Everything works perfectly.

One catch: there is an occasion that my ISP might change my externally-facing IP address. I want to be able to easily change the IP address of the server to connect to in the Windows 10 client. The rarity of this event means that a dynamic DNS solution is not really justified.

In the newest 3.x client, I see following "Access Server Hostname" it says "(locked)". Is there a way to unlock this so it could be changed if so desired, or a way to reconfigure the .ovpn (used to create the profile) so that when the ovpn is imported it is unlocked by default?

Also there is a line for "Server Override". It appears this allows the original hostname/IP to be bypassed, based on my testing. Is this simply the only solution to altering the original IP (other than editing the .ovpn and re-importing it into the client)? It works, but it seems like an odd way to implement this as an entirely separate line, especially if the change is infrequent.

Unfortunately the FAQs and other documentation don't clearly address this scenario - other than suggesting to use dynamic DNS - and that is overkill for those us with more casual requirements.

Thanks!

Zang

[Pippin]

If your WAN is dynamic use DDNS...

[TinCanTech]

@zangort This has nothing to do with Openvpn community edition. *Moved*

[zangort]

I didn't know where to post, there is no clear direction for content on many of the subtopics (subjects often seem to be mixed across them), and there is no specific subtopic for the Windows-based client (at least, I only saw Android and iOS). I took a shot in the dark.

Pippin - since I'd estimate our address changes once, maybe twice a year, paying for DDNS just doesn't make sense.

I just wanted to be able to change the address of the server without having to redo and redeploy .opvns for myself and the others who VPN, and using the override line - while it seems to work - didn't seem like the appropriate 'long-term' solution.

Again, if that's just a failing/non-feature I'll accept it as-is, but when I saw the hostname line marked as "locked", it made me believe there was an option to be "unlocked"... otherwise, why bother labeling it that way if that's the only possible state anyways?

[TinCanTech]

I didn't know where to post, there is no clear direction

Yes, sorry about that. It could be improved but for now we have this.

[Pippin]

paying for DDNS just doesn't make sense

There are free options available.
https://freedns.afraid.org/
https://spdns.de/
https://freemyip.com/