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    Tutorial: Configuring pfSense as VPN client to Private Internet Access

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved OpenVPN
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    • DerelictD
      Derelict LAYER 8 Netgate
      last edited by

      Umm.  First thing you should do is delete that WAN rule.  Do it now.  Don't delay.

      Also delete the OpenVPN and PIAVPN rules.  Do it now.

      Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
      A comprehensive network diagram is worth 10,000 words and 15 conference calls.
      DO NOT set a source address/port in a port forward or firewall rule unless you KNOW you need it!
      Do Not Chat For Help! NO_WAN_EGRESS(TM)

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      • DerelictD
        Derelict LAYER 8 Netgate
        last edited by

        Now that you've done that.  Show us your NAT rules.

        Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
        A comprehensive network diagram is worth 10,000 words and 15 conference calls.
        DO NOT set a source address/port in a port forward or firewall rule unless you KNOW you need it!
        Do Not Chat For Help! NO_WAN_EGRESS(TM)

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        • W
          White Widow
          last edited by

          @Derelict:

          Now that you've done that.  Show us your NAT rules.

          Ha!!  Yeah, those non-LAN rules were NOT active (disabled) and are now deleted - otherwise that would kind of defeat the purpose of a firewall, right? :) The only firewall rules I have right now are:

          The Outbound NAT Rules:

          When I activate the "PIAVPN" version of these rules and the corresponding firewall rule, I lose all connectivity outside my LAN.

          ***UPDATE: It's magically decided to start working now.  I have no idea what the problem was but it's good to go now.

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          • DerelictD
            Derelict LAYER 8 Netgate
            last edited by

            You can leave the NAT rules active.  They mean nothing unless that interface is being used for egress.  They just have to be there if you're going from the source IP addresses out that interface.

            Maybe PIA was having a problem?  Who knows.  Glad it's working and you don't have a pass any any rule on WAN.

            Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
            A comprehensive network diagram is worth 10,000 words and 15 conference calls.
            DO NOT set a source address/port in a port forward or firewall rule unless you KNOW you need it!
            Do Not Chat For Help! NO_WAN_EGRESS(TM)

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            • W
              White Widow
              last edited by

              One additional question: I can get the OpenVPN/PIA tunnel up and functioning, but when I come back after a while the Interface is down and the OpenVPN service needs to be restarted.  This is from the log:

              Feb 14 23:26:43 openvpn[83612]: TLS: soft reset sec=0 bytes=494118/0 pkts=4201/0
              Feb 14 23:26:43 openvpn[83612]: ERROR: could not read Auth username from stdin
              Feb 14 23:26:43 openvpn[83612]: Exiting due to fatal error
              Feb 14 23:26:43 openvpn[83612]: Closing TUN/TAP interface
              Feb 14 23:26:43 openvpn[83612]: /usr/local/sbin/ovpn-linkdown ovpnc1 1500 1542 10.179.1.6 10.179.1.5 init

              Is this because I specified "auth-nocache"?  If so, shouldn't this option cause the information to be re-read from the file, not stdin?  I'll try and remove the -nocache option since, really, why should I mind having the login credentials saved in memory when it's OK to have them stored plaintext on disk…

              Is it something else entirely?

              Thanks,
              Aaron

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              • DerelictD
                Derelict LAYER 8 Netgate
                last edited by

                If you added auth-nocache outside of the tutorial, remove it.

                https://community.openvpn.net/openvpn/ticket/225

                Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
                A comprehensive network diagram is worth 10,000 words and 15 conference calls.
                DO NOT set a source address/port in a port forward or firewall rule unless you KNOW you need it!
                Do Not Chat For Help! NO_WAN_EGRESS(TM)

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                • P
                  plainzwalker
                  last edited by

                  Quick questions since I am still doing my research. If I wanted my VPN service (PIA) to use a different set of DNS servers, to prevent DNS leak, would it be possible? If so how would I go about setting this up? Or would pfsense as a whole have to use only one set of dns servers?

                  Sorry, still learning and haven't been able to get any hands on yet.

                  Thank you

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                  • Z
                    zax123
                    last edited by

                    @kintaroju:

                    great tutorial you guys have. I have a more complicated situation that I have been trying to get setup.

                    Having TWO openVPN client setup via PIA.

                    So the idea is this, based on IP range 192.168.0.2-192.168.0.20 it'll go to PIA USA west

                    The based on IP range 192.168.0.21-192.168.0.40 it'll go to PIA Canada

                    Then the remaining IP 192.168.0.41-192.168.0.254 will be on the WAN.

                    I've tried to follow the instructions before and just add a 2nd VPN client accordingly, but everything just default to the PIA USA West, is there anything I could be missing?

                    Hi there,

                    Not sure if you solved your problem, but if you haven't passed "route-nopull" as an advanced option to the OpenVPN client, that might be your problem.  I wanted to selectively send some of my LAN clients to VPN and others not, and had to pass this option as it stopped OpenVPN from generating a default (0.0.0.0) route in my routing tables.

                    Good luck!

                    Rob

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                    • T
                      t3kka
                      last edited by

                      First a huge thanks to the OP for providing this.  Exactly what I was looking for.

                      Second - and please bear with me as I'm new to pfSense - what is the best way to have ALL communication to the internet shut-off if for whatever reason the VPN becomes disconnected? Or maybe this is already going to occur because of the NAT rules defined?

                      Thanks for clarification.

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                      • DerelictD
                        Derelict LAYER 8 Netgate
                        last edited by

                        I have found the best way to do this is to edit the firewall rules that policy route traffic over the VPN.  Configure them to add a mark like VPN_ONLY.

                        Create an interface group for all your WAN interfaces.

                        Create a floating rule on the wan interface group direction out.  Make it a Reject rule, Quick, matching any traffic with mark VPN_ONLY.

                        vpn_block_float.png
                        vpn_block_float_mark.png
                        vpn_block_float.png_thumb
                        vpn_block_float_mark.png_thumb

                        Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
                        A comprehensive network diagram is worth 10,000 words and 15 conference calls.
                        DO NOT set a source address/port in a port forward or firewall rule unless you KNOW you need it!
                        Do Not Chat For Help! NO_WAN_EGRESS(TM)

                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • B
                          boowii
                          last edited by

                          Hi Everyone.
                          I have the service up and running but for some reason i am not getting a IP address?
                          what have i missed?

                          cheers

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                          • G
                            ghanem
                            last edited by

                            Hey friends
                            Can i make a vpn in pfsense firewall between the admin in my LAN to connect 2 dedicated servers with 2 public address x.x.x.x / x.x.x.x
                            its urgent thanks for your answer :)

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                            • DerelictD
                              Derelict LAYER 8 Netgate
                              last edited by

                              Hey friends
                              Can i make a vpn in pfsense firewall between the admin in my LAN to connect 2 dedicated servers with 2 public address x.x.x.x / x.x.x.x
                              its urgent thanks for your answer :)

                              Start another thread.

                              Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
                              A comprehensive network diagram is worth 10,000 words and 15 conference calls.
                              DO NOT set a source address/port in a port forward or firewall rule unless you KNOW you need it!
                              Do Not Chat For Help! NO_WAN_EGRESS(TM)

                              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • U
                                User1503
                                last edited by

                                Hey Derelict thanks for answering my other questiond.  My problem is..uh, I'm not the sharpest at learning; I can follow tutorials (and even wrote some for wireless) and what I need is another tutorial for setting up NAT (or LAN?) rules.  I followed this VPN tutorial and everything is running great!  But like other's have asked, I need to have 1,2 or maybe only 3 IP's (computers) use the VPN, and all other bypass the VPN and go straight to the local internet.  So the answer's I've read of 'create a Lan rule for xxx' are nice and I'm sure easy for some, but I don't know HOW to do that?  I made some LAN rules, but it blocked everything and so I just removed them.  Therefore, if you, or anyone, knows of another tutorial of 'How to create a rule for 1 IP to bypass the VPN' I sure would appreciate a link.  I can follow directions and be successful (driving, making coffee, buying groceries) but I don't know the 'how-to' of pfSense rules.  Thanks!

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                                • DerelictD
                                  Derelict LAYER 8 Netgate
                                  last edited by

                                  Create an IP alias called vpn_hosts or something Firewall > Aliases

                                  Add the IP addresses that you want to be forwarded through the VPN

                                  Look at the first post in this thread.  Find the section called Routing.

                                  The walkthrough changes the LAN IPv4 Rule so it forwards all of LAN Net to PIAVPN_VPN4.  You want to make a rule just like it but ABOVE it with the source network set to the alias instead of LAN net.  Then change the LAN net rule back to Gateway: default

                                  Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
                                  A comprehensive network diagram is worth 10,000 words and 15 conference calls.
                                  DO NOT set a source address/port in a port forward or firewall rule unless you KNOW you need it!
                                  Do Not Chat For Help! NO_WAN_EGRESS(TM)

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                                  • U
                                    User1503
                                    last edited by

                                    Thanks for the steps.  I just can't get it to work.  I either have  No outbound connection; Everything thru VPN; or Everything Open, not vpn'd.  The IP's are set in the 'VPN Out IPs' and the gateway is 'default' under the 2nd LAN rule.  Just not getting it I suppose.  Thanks for the help.

                                    PIA_VPN_AliasIP_rules.jpg
                                    PIA_VPN_AliasIP_rules.jpg_thumb

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                                    • DerelictD
                                      Derelict LAYER 8 Netgate
                                      last edited by

                                      That should work.  You sure PIA is up when you try?  Did you clear states?

                                      Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
                                      A comprehensive network diagram is worth 10,000 words and 15 conference calls.
                                      DO NOT set a source address/port in a port forward or firewall rule unless you KNOW you need it!
                                      Do Not Chat For Help! NO_WAN_EGRESS(TM)

                                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • B
                                        bj24
                                        last edited by

                                        I have very similar set up and same issues.

                                        As I have it set up now, everything goes through the VPN. All I want is 192.168.0.102 to go on the VPN, all other traffic through ISP.

                                        What have I got wrong here?

                                        pfsens.jpg_thumb
                                        pfsens.jpg

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                                        • DerelictD
                                          Derelict LAYER 8 Netgate
                                          last edited by

                                          Probably a default route from the VPN provider.

                                          on 2.2, check Don't pull routes in the OpenVPN client config.  on 2.1.5 add route-nopull; to the advanced section.

                                          Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
                                          A comprehensive network diagram is worth 10,000 words and 15 conference calls.
                                          DO NOT set a source address/port in a port forward or firewall rule unless you KNOW you need it!
                                          Do Not Chat For Help! NO_WAN_EGRESS(TM)

                                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                          • B
                                            bj24
                                            last edited by

                                            Derelict thanks for the reply,

                                            I seem to of messed something up. :-[ :-[

                                            A few questions:
                                            1. Every time I enable and disable the VPN Client (which I do a lot while trying to set this up) it gives me a new IP which I then have to add to the firewall rules, is there a easier way of doing this?

                                            2. I seem to of lost ability to have traffic go through the VPN (I could once have all or nothing), I can see small amount of traffic on the VPN but when I check my IP I get my ISPs. What did I do?

                                            3. What did checking "Don't add/remove routes" do?

                                            I seem to go one step forward and two steps back every time I make a change on this.

                                            Thanks,

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