Setting OpenVPN on Debian (NordVPN as provider)

openvpn-debian-nordvpn.md

Setting OpenVPN on Debian (NordVPN as provider)

Tested on Debian 9.

First, edit /etc/default/openvpn and uncomment the following setting to prevent any VPN from being launched automatically:

AUTOSTART="none"

Follow by:

$ sudo systemctl daemon-reload
$ sudo systemctl restart openvpn

Obtain the client config files as outlined here: https://nordvpn.com/tutorials/linux/openvpn.

Unzip the files and cd to the folder containing ovpn_tcp and ovpn_udp.

Execute the following script (you can copy commands individually if you prefer):

# Rename files to follow a simpler pattern:
#  foo.nordvpn.com.tcp.ovpn -> foo.conf
#  foo.nordvpn.com.udp.ovpn -> foo-udp.conf
# Assumes NordVPN as your sole provider; feel free to modify the pattern.
rename "s/.nordvpn.com.tcp.ovpn/.conf/" ovpn_tcp/*.ovpn
rename "s/.nordvpn.com.udp.ovpn/-udp.conf/" ovpn_udp/*.ovpn

# Set the auth-user-pass file in every client file.
# Feel freel to replace `.auth` with whatever you want.
grep -rl auth-user-pass . | xargs sed -i 's/auth-user-pass/auth-user-pass .auth/g'

# Set the DNS resolver in every conf file.
for f in **/*.conf; do
echo -e "
script-security 2
up /etc/openvpn/update-resolv-conf
down /etc/openvpn/update-resolv-conf" >> $f
done

# Copy configs over to their final destination.
sudo cp **/*.conf /etc/openvpn/

Create the credentials ("up") file, containing your provider username and password, each in a separate line:

$ sudo echo -e "user\npass" > /etc/openvpn/.auth

Try the service out:

$ sudo systemctl start openvpn@us1001-udp

or openvpn@<any-other-file>, just omit the .conf extension.

Check your IP and if DNS might be leaking:

• http://dnsleak.com
• https://www.pcsuggest.com/check-and-fix-dns-leak-linux/

If green, you're all set.

To automatically start a VPN located in /etc/openvpn, enable openvpn@<name>.

Happy tunneling!