Ricmedia PC Help

Tech guides for everyone

  • Home
  • Browsers +
    • Chrome
    • Chromium
    • Firefox
    • Internet Explorer
    • Microsoft Edge
    • Safari
    • Opera
    • Browsers (all)
  • Windows +
    • Windows 10
    • Windows 8/8.1
    • Windows 7
    • Windows Vista
    • Windows XP
    • Windows (all)
  • Other OS +
    • Linux
    • MAC OS X
    • Raspbian
    • Other OS (all)
  • MS Office +
    • Office 2013
    • Office 2010
    • Office 2007
  • Raspberry Pi
  • More +
    • Software
    • Networking
    • Hardware
    • Builds
    • Tools & Apps
    • Miscellaneous
    • Support +
      • Help
      • About
      • Sitemap
      • Contact
    • Legal +
      • Privacy
      • Terms
      • Disclaimer
      • Copyright
You are here: Home / Other OS / Linux / Setup private VPN network or VPN service provider – complete guide

Setup private VPN network or VPN service provider – complete guide

December 18, 2017 By Richie Leave a Comment

Connecting to your VPN server, Summary

For most of you, L2TP/IPSec will be the best choice on Windows, MAC, iPhone or Android as they all have built-in support for that protocol. If you’re in a more restrictive environment or running Linux, the SoftEther SSL-VPN Client app is my recommendation. OpenVPN and SSTP are both excellent protocols too so it’s really a matter of personal preference. OpenVPN supports Windows, MAC and Linux, while SSTP is a Windows only protocol but can be excellent at getting through restrictive firewalls.

I will give links to my video guides for each operating system and protocol but before I do, we need to rename our OpenVPN config file so you can easily locate it. Navigate to your VPNGuide folder, open your info.txt and copy your VPS’ IP address to clipboard. Inside your VPNGuide folder, right-click on the [123.123.12.123].zip file (replace 123.123.12.123 with your VPS’ IP) and choose Extract All…, then click the Extract button on the window that appears.

Windows will extract and create a folder with the same name, which should be the IP address of your VPS. Open the new folder if it’s not open already, then look for the .ovpn file titled “netflix_openvpn_remote_access_l3.ovpn“, then right-click on it and choose Rename, then paste your VPS’ IP address, click on white-space to save the file. Now, if you’re connecting via OpenVPN you will know where your OVPN config file is.

Use the following fields and settings for all VPN protocols:

  • Username: (SoftEther VPN client username: ie. John)
  • Password: (SoftEther VPN client pass:)
  • Hostname/Address/IP Address: (VPS IP:)
  • Encryption: required or maximum
  • Password Authentication: CHAP, CHAPv2 and/or PAP

Connect via L2TP/IPSec Protocol

You will need to open your info.txt file and copy the L2TP/IPSec PSK (Pre-Shared Key): password and paste into Secret/PSK/Pre-Shared Key field on your client device.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0eqR0Q7e6I]

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LxmMGY_yW8]

L2TP/IPSec on Android or iPhone Guide

Connect via SoftEther SSL-VPN

You will need to download the SoftEther VPN Client for either Windows or MAC, or for Link follow this guide.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywwqnffd1d4]

Connect via OpenVPN Protocol

Open your info.txt file and locate your .ovpn config file we renamed earlier, ie. 123.123.12.123.ovpn. Note that the CA Cert and Key are embedded inside the .ovpn file so you don’t need to include them.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBJvoNhjoBE]

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2ZMLFMsq3c]

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mc0nxWNwEDI]

Connect via SSTP Protocol

Note* In order to connect via SSTP you will need to install the .CRT CA Certificate we generated during the guide which is inside your VPNGuide folder. Follow the video guide below to do this before attempting an SSTP connection.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lc26lBHWraU]

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgfeRj8m7VM]

Once you’re ready, connect to your VPN, then visit IP Check website and make sure the IP address shown is your VPS’ IP address, if it is then you’re all set, congrats! If it shows another IP address or you have errors connecting, revisit this guide and double check everything.

Summary

If you’ve reached this point, Congratulations and start enjoying your new, private VPN network! I will be extending this guide to cover multiple VPN servers and RADIUS authentication soon so be sure to subscribe to my newsletter.

Let me know in the comments how you went setting up your VPN server, I would love to hear from you!

Cheers!
Richie

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Filed Under: Linux, Networking, Other OS, VPN, VPN Guide Tagged With: Cloud Server, Debian, DigitalOcean, dnsmasq, IPTables, L2TP, L2TP/IPSec, Linux, MS-SSTP, OpenVPN, Private Network, Private VPN, SoftEther, SSTP, VPN, VPN Service, VPN Service Provider

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Help & Support • Legal, Terms & Privacy • Contact Details • Copyright ©2006- Ricmedia • Part of the Ricmedia group of websites   Part of the Ricmedia group of websites