OpenVPN client on Linux

Introduction

OpenVPN is an open-source software application that implements virtual private network (VPN) techniques for creating secure point-to-point or site-to-site connections in routed or bridged configurations and remote access facilities.

This article provides a guide on how to configure an OpenVPN Tunnel connection between an OpenVPN client on a Linux PC/Laptop and any OpenVPN server using TLS certificates as the authentication method. The examples in this article are created from a Ubuntu 16.04 distribution perspective, although they should apply to most newer Debian and even some other distributions as well. For a Windows guide, click here.

Configuration overview and prerequisites

Before we begin, let's overview the configuration that we are attempting to achieve and the prerequisites that make it possible.

Prerequisites:

• A PC or Laptop running on Debian Linux
• An active Internet connection

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Configuration scheme:

The scheme itself is very simple - an OpenVPN client connects to an OpenVPN server. The client is configured on a PC or Laptop using a Debian Linux distribution OS, while the server is undefined in this example, i.e., we will be focusing mainly on the client configuration method, since the server could belong to any OpenVPN service provider.