Book Image

OpenVPN: Building and Integrating Virtual Private Networks

Book Image

OpenVPN: Building and Integrating Virtual Private Networks

Overview of this book

OpenVPN is a powerful, open source SSL VPN application. It can secure site-to-site connections, WiFi and enterprise-scale remote connections. While being a full-featured VPN solution, OpenVPN is easy to use and does not suffer from the complexity that characterizes other IPSec VPN implementations. It uses the secure and stable TLS/SSL mechanisms for authentication and encryption. This book is an easy introduction to this popular VPN application. After introducing the basics of security and VPN, the book moves on to cover using OpenVPN, from installing it on various platforms, through configuring basic tunnels, to more advanced features, such as using the application with firewalls, routers, proxy servers, and OpenVPN scripting. While providing only necessary theoretical background, the book takes a practical approach, presenting plenty of examples.
Table of Contents (17 chapters)
OpenVPN
Credits
About the Author
About the Reviewers
Preface
Index

Troubleshooting Firewall Issues


Windows XP and SuSE Linux have firewall systems installed that are activated automatically after installation. Like most (personal or desktop) firewalls these are configured to allow traffic originating from the local system and destined to the Internet or the local network. This configuration is sufficient for OpenVPN in almost every case. However, if your tunnels won't start and you receive messages announcing connection problems, perhaps it's the fault of a mis-configured desktop firewall. As only SuSE Linux and Windows XP come with pre-installed firewalls, we will learn how to deactivate these firewalls quickly.

Deactivating Windows XP Service Pack 2 Firewall

On Windows XP with service pack 2, you will find the firewall configuration as an entry in the Control Panel. If you have service pack 2 installed, you will find an icon Windows Firewall in the list of available control panel modules.

Double-click the icon Windows Firewall to start the configuration...