Recommend an easy vpn solution

Red Squirrel

No Lifer
May 24, 2003
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www.anyf.ca
Tired of dicking around trying to get OpenVPN to work. Is there something easier, perhaps some unencrypted (so I don't have to deal with certs) tunnel that I can then use through a SSH tunnel? Idealy I'd like it to work in Linux and Windows, and be as simple as just creating a virtual interface at both ends and make it as if an ethernet cable was plugged in end to end. Ethernet over IP, basically.

Anything out there, open source that would do this? My primary requirement is that it's Linux based, but Windows support too would be nice.
 

Engineer

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
39,230
701
126
Is this to go to your home? Is this for a business?

You can get routers that support PPTP using third party firmwares like Tomato that are really easy to setup and work with Windows. I've used both OpenVPN and PPTP from Tomato on several routers. Of course, that would mean getting a compatible router and flashing with a VPN version of Tomato.

Once connected, I can see my LAN and surf the web 'through' the VPN. I can also set up Firefox to use DNS from my router @ home if I choose.
 

Red Squirrel

No Lifer
May 24, 2003
70,646
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www.anyf.ca
This is for home. I don't want to replace my router, I have a full blown pfsense box with vlans etc... I tried to setup OpenVPN on it but it just wont work. It's too complicated and all the tutorials leave you hanging assuming everything they said is actually going to work. The new OpenVPN client is also kind of weird because the config files are not text based anymore. When I use the client export option nothing happens and it does not make a new profile. Overall, it's just too tedious and complicated for nothing.

Is there not a Linux native way to route ethernet over IP or something like that? I just want something super simple that I can then route through a SSH tunnel.

I just tried something called quicktun, but the installer errors out, and it does not look like something that has any documentation other than a small wiki page.