Re: [gentoo-user] [OT] What is the best open-source VPN server for Linux?

[R0b0t1]

On Wed, Apr 4, 2018 at 3:18 PM, gevisz <gevisz@×××××.com> wrote:
> A friend of mine asked me to recommend him an open-source
> VPN-server for Linux but unfortunately I never used one.
>

If not https://www.wireguard.com/, I recommend OpenVPN. You could try
to set up IPsec if you wanted.

> After some googling, I have found OpenVPN but do not know
> if it is the best choice that suits his purposes, namely to access
> local network that does not have its own fixed IP from the outside.
>
> To be more precise: the local network to be accessed to from the
> outside is part of another local network. The latter (outer) network
> has its own fixed IP but the former (inner) network gets its IP via DHCP.
> So, it is impossible to connect to a computer in the inner network
> from the outside directly.
>
> The computer in local network to be connected runs Windows.
> The said friend of mine have tried to run some VPN server from
> Windows but it somehow hangs the "inner" computer when
> his "outer" computer has problems connecting to the Internet.
>
> So, now his idea is
> 1) to run a virtual machine in the "inner" (Windows) computer,
> 2) to install into this virtual machine very lightweight Linux server
>     only to run in it a VPN-server that should help him to connect
>     from the outside to the "inner" host (Windows) computer, which
>     has its fixed IP within the inner local network.
>

I'm not sure this makes sense. Firstly, in the case of OpenVPN at
least, there is a Windows client and associated signed fake network
device drivers. Perhaps if using Wireguard you might want to connect
through a VM to your VPN; I am not sure if there is a Windows client.

Secondly - you need the VPN server to be running on a computer which
is globally accessible. If your friend is in the US or some parts of
Europe their home line may not be behind NAT, and would work if set up
properly. In general most networks you connect to will not work. You
will always need one computer which is not behind NAT.

Cheers,
     R0b0t1