OpenVPN server system overview
Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2016 2:09 pm
OpenVPN is a wonderful service; it will open up the world of network premises computing securely. Think of it as the keys to your physical house but in the computer networking world. Fair enough one could use Microsoft’s VPN offering but, the open source OpenVPN server service is considerably better by far running on Linux, and it's totally free in that environment.
It does run on Windows but by far the best environment to run an OpenVPN server on is Linux. I use it myself on an Ubuntu server for tunnelling through that box from other devices to gain access to Windows and samba shares on the Ubuntu server box itself from remote locations. And actually bypassing blocks that the o2 mobile operator has put in place to stop their smart mobile phone users streaming content directly from my own premise network using a SlingBox 350 and it works perfectly.
Bang, blocked SlingBox from iPhone SlingPlayer when out and about, switch on VPN to my premises network, run SlingPlayer on iPhone and bang away you go running and streaming smoothly over an OpenVPN UDP tunnel on a network port of your choice, like bypassing the Great Wall of China.
If you have access to a service, site, server or whatever on your own premises including in your own premises then it's accessible from anyway on the planet with OpenVPN, by going through that virtual private network (VPN).
With OpenVPN it has a central server key, your own keys and client (friends) keys that are authorised by yourself for entry into your premises computer local area network (LAN); think of the keys in the same way you would your house keys, with the exception that you can revoke access to a key whenever you like in the future without access to the other users key(s); for you have the absolute master key that controls all access to your own areas.
It does sound crazy to allow others access to your LAN premises computer equipment, so be careful in the way you set it up and use it because that’s what you’re doing if you run an OpenVPN server; distribute client keys securely and wisely!
It does run on Windows but by far the best environment to run an OpenVPN server on is Linux. I use it myself on an Ubuntu server for tunnelling through that box from other devices to gain access to Windows and samba shares on the Ubuntu server box itself from remote locations. And actually bypassing blocks that the o2 mobile operator has put in place to stop their smart mobile phone users streaming content directly from my own premise network using a SlingBox 350 and it works perfectly.
Bang, blocked SlingBox from iPhone SlingPlayer when out and about, switch on VPN to my premises network, run SlingPlayer on iPhone and bang away you go running and streaming smoothly over an OpenVPN UDP tunnel on a network port of your choice, like bypassing the Great Wall of China.
If you have access to a service, site, server or whatever on your own premises including in your own premises then it's accessible from anyway on the planet with OpenVPN, by going through that virtual private network (VPN).
With OpenVPN it has a central server key, your own keys and client (friends) keys that are authorised by yourself for entry into your premises computer local area network (LAN); think of the keys in the same way you would your house keys, with the exception that you can revoke access to a key whenever you like in the future without access to the other users key(s); for you have the absolute master key that controls all access to your own areas.
It does sound crazy to allow others access to your LAN premises computer equipment, so be careful in the way you set it up and use it because that’s what you’re doing if you run an OpenVPN server; distribute client keys securely and wisely!