Re: Created new OVPN server based on old, getting strange error message when connecting

On 3/29/25 08:07, Bo Berglund wrote:
> On Sat, 29 Mar 2025 00:30:13 +0100, Bo Berglund <[email protected]> wrote:
> 
>> On Fri, 28 Mar 2025 18:09:16 -0400, "Dan Langille" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>> On my phone: I suspect you’re using a newer openvpn version.
>>> It is complaining about your CA. I think it wants a CA created with a newer algorithm.
>>> Wait for confirmation by others.
>>
>> Is this because openvpn itself is newer than the one on RPi2?
>> rpi4 version: OpenVPN 2.6.3
>> rpi2 version: OpenVPN 2.4.7
>>
>> I tried to use the old cert/key etc files on the new server...
>> (To make it accept connections using the old ovpn files.)
>>
>> If I create a new CA then will not the complete infrastructure need to be
>> rebuilt including the ovpn connection files?
>>
>> I was hoping that the same files could be used for either server just by
>> changing the connection port on the server.
>>
>> But in this case it seems like the server does not even start properly so the
>> connection too does not proceed. And maybe it is the phone that barfs at the
>> cert in the openvpn file and does not proceed towards the server? So the error
>> is not from the server?
>>
>> What would be the proper way to deal with this, in the end I figured there could
>> be two connection points served by the two RPi devices and using the same ovepn
>> files except for the connection port.
>>
>> It was such a long time since I started from scratch now, I even created a
>> script back then to help in creating new client files but that does only work on
>> the old kind of files.
> 
> I decided to build a new server from scratch using easyrsa 3.2.2.
> And I can't get it using apt because the most recent version there is 3.1.0-1,
> which is way too old...
> 
> So I downloaded easyrsa 3.2.2 from github to my $HOME/openvpn dir, but I got
> stuck following these actions:
> 
> - Copy the vars.example file to vars
> 
> - Edit the vars file to extend the life of the certs:
> set_var EASYRSA_CA_EXPIRE       5475  #15 years
> set_var EASYRSA_CERT_EXPIRE     5110  #14 years
> 
> - Then started the process:
> - $ ./easyrsa init-pki
> - $ ./easyrsa --nopass build-ca  (is this correct? no password?)
> - $ ./easyrsa gen-tls-crypt-key
> - next step is what?
> 
>>From now on I am getting confused as to the password usage, I want to in the end
> generate user logins in an ovpn file where the user needs to enter a password on
> connect. This password can be cached by the openvpn client used as is the case
> on a Windows or Linux PC, but it needs to be there to safeguard against use by
> an unknown person.
> It seems like there is a --nopass argument to *all* the commands and I don't
> know when it is appropriate to use that.
> 
> Is there a webpage anywhere "easyrsa 3.2.2 for dummies" where one can get a
> complete sequence of commands to wind up with a usable OpenVPN server and user
> ovpn files with password protection (for the ovpn files)?
> 
> I have looked around but what I found seems to be for older easy-rsa versions...
> 
> 
> I have read the "official" page:
>   https://community.openvpn.net/openvpn/wiki/EasyRSA3-OpenVPN-Howto
> 
> But it uses terminology that I don't understand about "systems", I just want to
> create an OpenVPN server that allows 1-2 users to connect from outside to the
> home server and from there access the local LAN as well as the Internet but as
> if actually being at home. I.e. in this case to be able to use the Internet as
> if located in Vienna.
> 
> There is no "organization" or such involved here...
> And what is meant by "system" in the descriptions? Sounds like they use several
> computers...
> 
> 

Hi Bo.
I would like to recommend another setup for your installation, without 
all the implications coming with an own pki...
This is save and can be handled very simple:
https://github.com/OpenVPN/openvpn/blob/master/doc/man-sections/example-fingerprint.rst

Maybe you give it a try.


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