Which OpenVPN clients to use and how to install them

Choosing an OpenVPN client

The OpenVPN clients we recommend at Stackscale are: the open source OpenVPN client for Windows, the open source TunnelBlick solution for Mac OS and, for Linux, an OpenVPN package that can be easily installed. 

How to install OpenVPN on Linux

You can install the OpenVPN client on Linux following one of the following options, depending on the Linux operating system installed. 

Installing the OpenVPN client on CentOS or RedHat

yum install openvpn

Installing the OpenVPN client on Ubuntu or Debian

apt-get install openvpn

Once it’s installed, you can copy the configuration files we have sent you from Stackscale in the /etc/openvpn directory. Modify the auth.txt file according to the configured user (the example is done with the “admin” user). After completing these steps, you only need to restart the OpenVPN service and Stackscale’s VPN will be ready to use.

How to install VPN TunnelBlick on Mac OS 

For installing the OpenVPN client TunnelBlick, the first step is downloading the latest stable version of TunnelBlick and executing it in order to install it on your computer. Once it’s installed, select the .ovpn file path we sent you and you will be able to access to Stackscale’s VPN.

How to install OpenVPN on Windows

Once you have downloaded and installed the latest 32 or 65 bits stable version of OpenVPN for Windows, import the file using the utility “Import configuration” of OpenVPN and then you will only need to press the “Connect” button.

Copy the content for the VPN we sent you by email on the “windows” directory to the folder C:\Program Files\OpenVPN\config. Finally, right-click on the notification tray icon and then click on connect.

There are many OpenVPN clients you can also use, apart from the options we mention above. For instance, the open source OpenVPN client Pritunl, which is free, simple to use and can be installed on many operating systems.

Create new users for your Stackscale’s VPN

You can count on our technical support team whenever you want, but configuring new users is a simple task you can easily do in order to have multiple access users. Moreover, if you rely on Stackscale’s system administration service, we will take care of it.

In order to create new users, access via SSH to the server that contains the VPN server, use the “admin” user and the password you initially established for the environment. This can be done via the public IP of the VPN.

For creating a new user, execute:

sudo useradd <user_id>

For establishing the password, execute:

sudo passwd <user_id>

As you will notice, the VPN authenticates the users created in the system with the VPN server. On Linux, the next step consist of editing your client’s configuration on the auth.txt file, where you will introduce the user in the first line and the password in the second one. On Mac, you can edit it directly from the visual environment of TunnelBlick.

From Stackscale, in order to guarantee the maximum security, we recommend that every user with permissions has its own access to the VPN. IT security is essential, so don’t hesitate to contact us if you want to guarantee the highest security, privacy and performance in your IT infrastructure or virtual environment.

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