Topic: using openvpn client to connect to external network

[chrislaurie]

I have SME 7 as a home server. I need to connect to my office using their openvpn service. I run the openvpngui from a Windows vista workstation behind my SME server and connects but then nothing works over that line. I cannot ping their network and establishing an RDC session fails.

I just spent an hour with their techie and he says that I am not hitting their external interface when I ping one of their machines. There is a route on my local workstation to their subnet via their gateway after the openvpn connection.

So my question is this: Is this sort of connection possible? Is there something I can do to make it work? (I have even tried port forwarding the openvpn port to my workstation).

Most of the research on contribs.org points to installing openvpn as a server here to connect to from outside, but I am trying to connect to an openvpn server from a workstation behind an SME server.

[CharlieBrady]

I have SME 7 as a home server. I need to connect to my office using their openvpn service. I run the openvpngui from a Windows vista workstation behind my SME server and connects but then nothing works over that line.

This is almost certainly an openvpn configuration issue, and nothing to do with SME server. You will likely receive better help in an openvpn related forum.

[p-jones]

Is this sort of connection possible?

YES

Is there something I can do to make it work?

Probably

I do this regularly but there is far too little information here to help you.
Depends on whether OpenVPN is running in bridged or routed mode and whether you SME Server is running in Server only mode or Server-Gateway. The OpenVPN port is configurable in the open VPN config / connection script. The OpenVN log file should shed some light. Increase the verbosity of logging if necessary to get some info. A traceroute may tell you where the blockage is.

There are some UAC setting that need to be put in place to install and run the OpenVPN client on a Vista / Win7 PC.
I forget what they are but I found them easily with Google.

I have not needed to make any changes to my SME Server - Gateway to pass openvpn traffic to a number of different sites that I need to connect to. 

and nothing to do with SME server

. From my experiences with the OpenVPN client, I would start looking at your Vista security and UAC settings.

HTH
Peter

[CharlieBrady]

and whether you SME Server is running in Server only mode or Server-Gateway.

We already know "server-gateway mode" from the statement "behind my SME server". SME server's only roles are to NAT the UDP traffic and allow the return traffic through.

[soprom]

using their openvpn service.

Help should be available from "them". Your office should be able to provide you with configuration files (.ovpn, certificates) to connect to the server.