Basic info & links on VPN setup (including OpenVPN setup)

[jlevy]

This is such a common use case it should be mentioned in the networking/VPC section — what are the best links/tutorials on getting it to work?

When do you use OpenVPN? How do you set up OpenVPN? How do these decisions depend on existing network, use cases, and use of AWS?

Worth mention as well? https://pritunl.com/ What other commercial solutions are significant?

[jlevy]

gauravbajaj [7:18 AM] Has anyone congmfigured openvpn on AWS?

gsr619 [7:19 AM] yes....we have openvpn configured for our env.

mwarkentin [7:37 AM] @gauravbajaj Whenever someone brings that up, inevitably I see someone mention https://pritunl.com/ - might be worth looking into (I haven’t used myself) Pritunl Enterprise VPN Server Free open source enterprise distributed VPN server. Virtualize your private networks across datacenters and provide simple remote access in minutes.

husstech [7:45 AM] ^ That looks pretty nice. I got openVPN running using their ami image and the tutorial on their website.

gauravbajaj [7:47 AM] @mwarkentin thanks let me look at at this

[7:48] @gsr619 I will get back to you with few questions that I have.

dorrin [7:51 AM] I’ve also configured openvpn on AWS

husstech [7:58 AM] If anyone has used pritunl, any thoughts worth sharing?

bendy [9:43 AM] +1 to openvpn

[9:43] have also used open/free swan for site to site

cquinn [10:16 AM] I pay for the OpenVPN AS license; it's something like $10 a user a year.

manuelroin [10:39 AM] but there is a opensource OpenVPN service

[10:40] now I have OpenVPN free inside of my VPC

dorrin [10:42 AM] there’s a free openvpn AMI but only allows two users at a time. We use to use that, but then I set up my own openvpn so we can have multiple users at a time for free.

new messages manuelroin [10:45 AM] I think 2 licenses on the same time when you use the AMI

[10:45] but when you install the openvpn community from scratch

[10:46] no limits to concurrent users

[10:46] I have OpenVPN with 30 users connected

[HUSSTECH]

I guess this is the starting point, as it's top result when googling "openvpn aws". This is the guide from the openvpn folks themselves with instructions on how to set up using their provided AMI. https://docs.openvpn.net/how-to-tutorialsguides/virtual-platforms/amazon-ec2-appliance-ami-quick-start-guide/

Points to note:

• two simultaneous connection limit without paying for a licence

[k3ypad]

Shameless plug for my site-site guide using open/freeswan https://twilblog.github.io/vpn/ipsec/aws/2015/09/11/bring-up-ipsec-tunnels.html

[julienduchesne]

Found this guide to setup OpenVPN (without user limit). Took me 15 minutes and it was working perfectly fine.

http://ttlequals0.com/2015/08/16/openvpn-endpoint-on-aws-in-10-minutes/ The guide uses a script that does everything.

Also looking through the github of the author, I found this python script: https://github.com/ttlequals0/autovpn which creates an openvpn instance (unlimited users). It has a good amount of stars and is MIT. I could create a PR to at least point it out (after trying it out).

[gimoh]

While it is primarily an anti-censorship software, https://github.com/StreisandEffect/streisand/ uses Ansible to set up an OpenVPN (among other VPN servers, all optional) server and supports AWS and other providers.