OpenVPN Connected, No Internet Access: A Comprehensive Guide

Title: Comprehensive Guide: Setting Up an OpenVPN Server on Ubuntu 24.04 to Overcome Metadata Problems

Introduction

This comprehensive guide will walk you through the process of setting up an OpenVPN server on Ubuntu 24.04 to overcome metadata problems. By the end of this article, you will have a functional OpenVPN server that will help you secure your internet connection and maintain privacy.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, ensure your system meets the following prerequisites:

1. A fresh installation of Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
2. A non-root user with sudo privileges
3. A basic understanding of Linux command line

Step 1: Install OpenVPN Server

Follow the strict tutorial provided by Infotechys to install OpenVPN on Ubuntu 24.04:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install openvpn easy-rsa

Step 2: Configure OpenVPN Server

Navigate to the EasyRSA directory:

cd /usr/share/easyrsa/3.0.8/

Create a new directory for your VPN:

sudo mkdir my-vpn
cd my-vpn

Initialize the EasyRSA configuration:

sudo ./easyrsa init-pki

Set the server and client details:

sudo ./easyrsa build-server-full my-vpn nopass

Generate a Diffie-Hellman (DH) parameter file:

sudo ./easyrsa gen-dh

Configure the OpenVPN server:

sudo nano /etc/openvpn/server.conf

Edit the configuration file, ensuring it includes the following lines:

proto udp
port 1194
dev tun
ca ca.crt
cert server.crt
key server.key
dh dh2048.pem
server 10.8.0.0 255.255.255.0
ifconfig-pool-persist ipp.txt
push "redirect-gateway def1 bypass-dhcp"
push "dhcp-option DNS 8.8.8.8"
push "dhcp-option DNS 8.8.4.4"
keepalive 10 120
cipher AES-256-CBC
comp-lzo
user nobody
group nogroup
persist-key
persist-tun
status openvpn-status.log
verb 3

Step 3: Configure Firewall

Open the firewall configuration:

sudo nano /etc/ufw/before.rules

Add the following lines to the file:

# OpenVPN
-A ufw-before-input -p udp --dport 1194 -j ACCEPT

Enable and reload the firewall:

sudo ufw enable
sudo ufw reload

Step 4: Start the OpenVPN Server

Start the OpenVPN server:

sudo systemctl start openvpn@server

Enable the OpenVPN server to start automatically on boot:

sudo systemctl enable openvpn@server

Step 5: Create Client Certificates

Navigate back to the EasyRSA directory:

cd /usr/share/easyrsa/3.0.8/

Create a new directory for the client:

sudo mkdir my-vpn-client
cd my-vpn-client

Import the server CA and DH files:

sudo cp ../my-vpn/pki/ca.crt .
sudo cp ../my-vpn/pki/dh.pem .

Build the client-specific configuration and certificate:

sudo ./easyrsa build-client-full my-vpn-client nopass

Step 6: Configure OpenVPN Client

Create a new directory for the client configuration:

mkdir -p ~/.openvpn/my-vpn-client
cd ~/.openvpn/my-vpn-client

Copy the client certificate and key files:

cp ../pki/issued/my-vpn-client.crt .
cp ../pki/private/my-vpn-client.key .
cp ../my-vpn/ta.key .

Create the client configuration file:

nano client.ovpn

Edit the configuration file, ensuring it includes the following lines:

client
dev tun
proto udp
remote your_server_ip 1194
resolv-retry infinite
nobind
persist-key
persist-tun
ca ca.crt
cert client.crt
key client.key
ns-cert-type server
cipher AES-256-CBC
comp-lzo
verb 3

Replace your_server_ip with the IP address of your OpenVPN server.

Step 7: Connect to the OpenVPN Server

Connect to the OpenVPN server:

openvpn --config client.ovpn

Summary

This guide covered the process of setting up an OpenVPN server on Ubuntu 24.04 to overcome metadata problems. We walked through the steps of installing OpenVPN, configuring the server and client, and setting up firewall rules. Additionally, we provided a client-specific configuration and demonstrated how to connect to the server.

References

1. Install OpenVPN on Ubuntu 24.04
2. OpenVPN Server Configuration
3. UFW Firewall Configuration
4. OpenVPN Protocols and Ciphers