17.2.1. OpenVPN General

OpenVPN implements virtual private network (VPN) techniques to create secure point-to-point or site-to-site connections.

Independently of the connection type you always need to run an OpenVPN server and an OpenVPN client. The device they’re running on can vary however. For a site-to-site connection you’d typically have the server running on your local VT AIR device and the client on a remote VT AIR device (or other router that supports OpenVPN). The VPN tunnel would then forward all the traffic in the remote network to your local network.

Alternatively you can also create point-to-point connections. If you want to use your phone for example on the go and still have access to your local network you can open a VPN tunnel to your local network from any device as long as it supports OpenVPN. This is also helpful if you want your traffic to be routed through your local network for security reasons or to avoid certain restrictions when browsing from specific locations.

The VT AIR allows the creation of OpenVPN Servers and OpenVPN Router Clients.

For a secure site-to-site connection, one site needs to have a OpenVPN server configured and the other one a OpenVPN router client. To get a working connection, both sites need to be configured with the same device mode, authentication mode, encryption algorithms, digest algorithms and tunnel network.