.I have enabled the VPN service on my NETGEAR Orbi router, installed OpenVPN client on my Windows 11 laptop, and downloaded and installed the configuration file and keys from the Orbi router into the config folder. However, I cannot get the client to connect - it just stays perpetually in "Connecting" state while the "Bytes in" and "Bytes ... out" tick upward every so often.
Outside of a warning in re. compression and a "DEPRECATED OPTION" message in re. ciper set to "AES-128-CBC," both of which the interwebs suggest should be no problem, I get nothing in the log. It can sit there for hours in the "Connecting" state with the bytes in/out ticking up, but nothing. I have read about maybe a half dozen potential problems with the connection (bridge mode on my Spectrum cable modem, possible conflicts in LAN subnets, etc.), but the issue for me right now is that I get absolutely no indication of what's going on and what the possible problems are preventing the connection from taking place.
Is there a way to put logging into "Verbose" or "Debug" mode to help troubleshoot connection problems? Is there another log file outside of the one shown in the GUI that I can review that may help in troubleshooting the connection? Please help me figure out how I should go about troubleshooting this. I don't just want to make changes to my config and/or cable modem setup without knowing if it is actually the problem (or without seeing any change in the process) because in the past that "throwing darts at it to see what sticks" approach has caused bigger problems for me.
Currently running OpenVPN 2.6.5 GUI 11.43.0.0 on Windows 11 laptop against VPN Service on Netgear Orbi 850 with up-to-date firmware through Spectrum cable modems on both ends.