OpenVPN Support Forum

Hey guys,

I'm running an openvpn server by pivpn and I want to switch to an OpenVPN Access server. Is there an comfortable way to transfer my pivpn's config files?

Hello L302,

Without even having seen your configs I can state that it's very unlikely it can be easily converted. Taking an open source based configuration and changing that to fit into what Access Server prepares for you is not going to be a trivial operation. If by chance the configuration is similar enough to what Access Server sets up, you may have a chance at doing it, but you'll have to edit database files manually, and even then there's a chance there's some configuration used that goes against the defaults that Access Server has. And while that may be adjusted, it's not likely to be an easy process.

I would advise you to just start with a fresh Access Server config and then providing your VPN clients with the new config files that are downloaded from and prepared by your Access Server.

Kind regards,
Johan

A few words to add:

You could set up your easy-rsa (or whatever TLS PKI frontend pivpn uses) as an external PKI for Access Server. But if you did that, you would be losing the greatest convenience feature of Access Server. The built-in PKI (and automatic user profile generation) takes away much of the administrative pain of running a community version openvpn server.

I'd definitely recommend starting over! I've seen both sides of this coin, and Access Server is much nicer.

regards, rob0

Are there any instructions on where to find the individual entries from the .config files in the Access Server?

Hello L302,

I don't understand your question exactly. I'm guessing you're asking where you can put directives from your open source OpenVPN config files into Access Server. The answer is that that is not the way it works. Access Server uses a GUI for configuration that then assembles the necessary instructions in memory and sends it directly to the OpenVPN daemons' management interface(s). No config file to edit.

Kind regards,
Johan

You heard me correctly. So there are no instructions that say "Command xy from the config file" can be found in the GUI on page xy?

Hi L302,

No, that doesn't exist, sorry. However if you contact our support ticket system (link in signature) and explain what things you are trying to do, and perhaps even show the directives you're using and why, we can guide you to how to configure things in Access Server to do those things.

Kind regards,
Johan