[kwlug-disc] Easy Software based VPN

[unsolicited]

I expect

 > I don't want to have to be responsible for user management or 
anything after the initial setup.

is a pipe dream except in a couple of use cases, if you have a dynamic 
user base. VPNs (nature of beastie) are so outside the norm that 
inevitably there is a large, time consuming, user educational element to 
VPNs. I don't expect that changes regardless of the software used.

The non-dream use cases are: always on (user can't do anything useful if 
the VPN isn't up, as the data they need is on the server side of the 
VPN, e.g. remote e-mail/client) [so connection must be automated and not 
under user control]; and almost always off (you need to connect to them 
for maintenance, so again, not under user control). Outside of that, it 
will be an ongoing task to mind.

As mentioned, for that dynamic user base, there is the fee services 
available at http://openvpn.net/ Part of the advantage of that appears 
to be clients consulting the service for where/how to connect to your 
servers. i.e. You don't have to worry about the connection details / 
fiddly bits on each client, that part is automated for you / the user.

For OpenVPN, there are registry entries you can make to simplify the 
OpenVPN gui for the user. e.g. Limit it to dis/connect, removing some of 
the complexity/flexibility for them. (While leaving any necessary 
complexity available via command line / script.)

See 'Registry Values affecting the OpenVPN GUI operation' within 
http://openvpn.se/install.txt The OpenVPN GUI is now bundled within the 
Windows OpenVPN packages.

I can see the advantage Paul suggests with SecurePoint. Unless you have 
the simple use case of 'Connect to office' (or disconnect). In which 
case you may find judicious registry changes useful / simpler. (Taking 
as much as possible / most all user interface, and thus complexity, off 
the table.)


On 14-05-05 03:31 PM, Paul Nijjar wrote:
>
> I find the end-user OpenVPN client for windows difficult to use. (Or
> rather, end users find it difficult to use.) Lately I have been using
> the SecurePoint OpenVPN client, which people find much easier:
> http://sourceforge.net/projects/securepoint/
>
> On Mon, May 05, 2014 at 01:43:02PM -0400, Joe Wennechuk wrote:
>>
>
>> I have been tasked with setting up a VPN server. What is the
>> quickest and easiest? I have set up OpenVPN before; but, I was
>> hoping there may be a good VPN software package that has a GUI
>> for user management etc. I don't want to have to be responsible
>> for user management or anything after the initial setup.