Site to site OpenVPN client auto reconnect

ngcbg

Hello,

I prepared a small Pfsense setup with 2 boxes, connected with OpenVPN site to site configuration. I used the official Netgate guide and everything was easy even for my relatively poor IT skills.

My only issue is that if the Pfsense server node goes down for a little while (reboot, etc.), the client on the other side of the tunnel won't reconnect automatically. A manual innervation with the remote box, restarting the openvpn service doing the job and the data flows perfectly...but it is not perfect solution.
So on that stage I got some questions:

Is it possible to configure the client to try reconnecting for a given time frame, or to force it to keep trying no matter what
Did I made a good choice with OpenVPN, or in this scenario of mine, IPsec would be better?
The configuration I use is with shared key. Is that okay, or using any other option would be more beneficial?
I am using TUN - layer 3, instead of TAP - layer 2 virtual interface. Is that okay and would I benefit somehow, If i chose TAP?

Like I said - my IT skills are basic. So I am reading but not manage to understand everything and quite honestly, on every step I doubt that I am doing the thing properly. I am trying to learn and do all these stuff in order to connect my home network with my parents home. During COVID I found fixing their small issues a huge hassle for me and for them both.

The setup is quite simple. I bought 2 Qotom Mini PC's form Aliexpress (1.5GHz celeron, 4GB RAM, 64GB SSD, 2 Gbit NIC's)
I am using it for firewall, IPv4 DHCP, secure DNS resolver, PfblockerNG and now - the OpenVPN.

Is this hardware sufficient enough for what I am doing?

Thank you for your time!

Best Regards,
Nick