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To connect a home or office LAN to a VPS, run OpenVPN in routed TUN mode: the VPS is the internet-reachable server, while a router or always-on Linux host on your LAN is the client connector. Give the LAN, the VPS-side network, and the VPN tunnel three non-overlapping address ranges; advertise the LAN route to OpenVPN; install return routes on the LAN and VPS gateways; and allow forwarding in both firewalls. A tunnel that shows as connected is not enough—both directions need a usable route.
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The example below uses a branch LAN of 10.0.60.0/24, a VPS or headquarters LAN of 192.168.70.0/24, and a VPN network of 172.16.0.0/20. The OpenVPN Community sample instead starts with UDP port 1194 and a 10.8.0.0/24 pool. These are examples only; substitute ranges that are unique in your environment.
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What a site-to-site OpenVPN tunnel does
A remote-access VPN normally connects one user device to a private network. A site-to-site tunnel changes the placement of the client: OpenVPN runs on a LAN router or an always-on host, and that connector forwards traffic for many devices behind it. Hosts on the branch can then reach resources on the VPS side without installing a VPN client individually.
In a routed design, OpenVPN creates a layer-3 virtual interface, normally named tun0. The VPS server has a tunnel address, the connector has another, and the server learns that the branch subnet is reachable through that particular client. The branch gateway learns the reverse path to the VPN and VPS-side subnets through the connector.
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Use a routed design when both locations may initiate connections—for example, when a game server, file share, monitoring host, or administration service on either side must reach the other side and preserve the original source addresses. Network address translation (NAT) is easier when you only need outbound access from the branch, but it hides those source addresses and normally prevents unsolicited connections back to individual branch hosts.
Choose three address spaces before installing anything
Write down every network that will participate in routing. The ranges must be distinct and non-overlapping. If a home LAN and the VPS LAN both use 192.168.1.0/24, a router cannot tell which destination is local and which should enter the tunnel.
| Network | Illustrative range | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Branch LAN | 10.0.60.0/24 |
Hosts behind the OpenVPN client connector |
| VPS or headquarters LAN | 192.168.70.0/24 |
Private resources reachable on the server side, if the VPS is connected to one |
| VPN virtual network | 172.16.0.0/20 |
Addresses assigned to OpenVPN tunnel interfaces |
| Community-sample alternative | 10.8.0.0/24 |
Example pool used by the OpenVPN Community sample configuration |
Do not copy these values without checking your existing routes. Include container, hypervisor, guest Wi-Fi, and management networks in the overlap check. Decide which side owns each subnet and record the connector’s LAN address, the VPS public address or DNS name, and the gateway that will receive each static route.
Prepare the VPS as the OpenVPN server
Provide a reachable endpoint
The VPS needs a public IP address or DNS name that the connector can reach. Permit the selected OpenVPN protocol and port in the VPS operating-system firewall and in any upstream security group. The Community sample uses UDP on port 1194; TCP or another port can work only when the server, client, and firewall all agree.
Install the server software
Install OpenVPN Community or OpenVPN Access Server according to the distribution and edition you selected. Keep the server’s operating-system routes separate from OpenVPN’s virtual routes: the VPS must still know how to reach its own private interface or local network, while OpenVPN handles destinations behind clients.
Start with a layer-3 TUN profile
A minimal routed profile has matching values on both ends. The following illustrates the important relationships rather than a complete production configuration:
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port 1194
proto udp
dev tun
server 10.8.0.0 255.255.255.0
If you use the 172.16.0.0/20 example instead, configure that network consistently everywhere. A client using dev tap cannot connect to a server expecting dev tun, and a UDP client cannot complete a session with a TCP-only listener. Directive names and defaults can change between OpenVPN releases, so check the documentation installed with your version before copying a profile.
Create certificates and client profiles
Use one deployment CA and unique client identities
Create or import one certificate authority for the deployment, then issue a separate certificate and private key for every connector. Never clone one client profile and private key onto several routers: duplicate identities make revocation, logging, and server-side client routing unreliable. Protect private keys on the connector and remove them from systems that no longer participate.
Set the client endpoint explicitly
Each client profile must point remote to the VPS hostname or address and the listening port, and it must match the server’s dev and proto settings. A typical profile contains the CA, client certificate, private key, and the remote endpoint. Keep the profile for the branch connector distinct from profiles used by individual remote-access users.
Confirm the tunnel before adding LAN routes
Start the client and check the OpenVPN log for a completed TLS session and an assigned tunnel address. At this stage, test only the connector’s VPN address and the server’s VPN address. Do not treat a successful handshake as proof that a branch host can reach a VPS-side host.
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The connector needs two forwarding domains: its OpenVPN interface and its physical LAN interface. A router appliance may expose this as an IP-forwarding or inter-zone firewall setting. On a Linux connector, enable IPv4 forwarding and make it persistent using the mechanism provided by your distribution; a temporary example is:
sudo sysctl -w net.ipv4.ip_forward=1Permit forwarding in the connector firewall from the LAN interface to the VPN interface and in the reverse direction when sessions can start on both sides. Allow established and related return traffic, but restrict new connections to the ports and subnets your policy requires. Opening the OpenVPN listener on the VPS does not automatically permit forwarding through the connector.
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The connector also needs a route for the VPS-side network through the tunnel. OpenVPN can install routes pushed by the server, or you can define a route in the client profile. Use the method appropriate to your installed version and verify the resulting routing table rather than assuming that a directive was accepted.
Advertise the branch LAN to OpenVPN
Access Server workflow
In Access Server, add the branch’s private subnet to the server-side routing configuration and associate it with the connector. The administration interface’s labels vary by release, but the setting is the private-network or routing area, not merely the user-access VPN pool. The example branch network is 10.0.60.0/24; enter your actual branch prefix and ensure that it does not overlap the VPN pool or any VPS-side network.
Community OpenVPN workflow
Community configurations normally combine a server-side route with a per-client iroute. The server route tells the VPS operating system that the branch prefix belongs in the OpenVPN network; the per-client route identifies which connected certificate owns that prefix. A conceptual example is:
route 10.0.60.0 255.255.255.0
# In the connector's client-specific configuration:
iroute 10.0.60.0 255.255.255.0
Place the directives where your OpenVPN version expects them, commonly in the server configuration and client-specific directory. The same branch prefix must not be assigned to two active clients. After reloading the server, inspect its OpenVPN and kernel routing tables to confirm that the route points to the intended connector.
Install the return routes
Routing is bidirectional. The server can send a packet toward 10.0.60.0/24 through the connector, but the reply will fail if the branch gateway sends VPN traffic to its ordinary internet router. Add a static route on the branch LAN’s upstream gateway for the VPN network and the VPS-side network, using the connector’s LAN address as the next hop.
For the illustrative topology, the branch gateway needs routes equivalent to:
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VPN_NETWORK via CONNECTOR_LAN_IP
VPS_LAN via CONNECTOR_LAN_IP
Replace VPN_NETWORK, VPS_LAN, and CONNECTOR_LAN_IP with your actual values. If the connector itself is the branch gateway, these routes may already be local to it; verify rather than adding duplicate entries.
If the VPS is not the gateway for 192.168.70.0/24, add a route on that private network’s gateway back to the branch subnet through the VPS’s private address. The Access Server site-to-site example uses routes through the Access Server private IP for precisely this reason. Without that route, a host on the VPS-side LAN may receive a request but return it through another router.
Decide between NAT and fully routed forwarding
| Property | NAT at the connector | Routed forwarding |
|---|---|---|
| Remote hosts initiating sessions to branch hosts | Usually unavailable unless additional port forwarding and policy are added | Supported when return routes and firewall rules are correct |
| Source address visible remotely | Remote hosts see the connector or translated server address | Original branch host addresses remain visible |
| Static routes on LAN or VPS gateways | Fewer routes are needed for outbound branch access | Required on every gateway that is not already aware of the tunnel |
| Operational effort | Simpler initial deployment | More planning, but clearer policy and troubleshooting |
| Best fit | Branch clients only need to initiate connections to remote resources | Both networks must initiate connections or you need host-level logging |
NAT is a deliberate trade-off, not a repair for missing routes. It can make a one-way connection appear to work while concealing the real path. Choose it only when hiding branch addresses and avoiding gateway changes are acceptable. For administration, monitoring, game hosting, or any service that must accept connections from the other site, use routed forwarding and install the required return paths.
Apply firewall policy on every hop
Allow the OpenVPN listener on the VPS for the chosen protocol and port. Separately allow forwarding between the VPN interface and the VPS’s private interface, and between the VPN interface and the connector’s LAN interface. On the branch side, permit the intended source and destination subnets rather than allowing all traffic by default.
- VPS perimeter or security group: permit the OpenVPN listener from the connector’s expected source addresses where practical.
- VPS host firewall: permit the listener and forwarding toward the VPS-side network.
- Connector firewall: permit VPN-to-LAN and LAN-to-VPN forwarding, plus established return traffic.
- LAN host firewalls: allow the application ports from the remote subnet; a route alone does not override a host firewall.
Firewall syntax differs between Linux distributions, router firmware, and Access Server editions. Check counters or logs on each interface while testing so that a dropped packet can be distinguished from a missing route.
Validate the tunnel in layers
- Check process state. Confirm that the OpenVPN server and connector client are running and that the TLS session completed without certificate, protocol, or endpoint errors.
- Check interface addresses. Record the tunnel address on the VPS and connector. They must belong to the configured VPN virtual network and must not collide with a LAN address.
- Check the server route. On the VPS, verify that the branch prefix is associated with the correct OpenVPN client. In a Community configuration, confirm both the server-side route and the client-specific route.
- Check the connector route. Confirm that traffic for the VPS-side subnet uses the tunnel rather than the ordinary WAN gateway.
- Check forwarding counters. Generate a test packet and watch the VPS, connector, and LAN firewall counters. A counter that never increments identifies the hop where traffic is being stopped.
- Reach the connector’s LAN address. From a VPS-side test host, reach the connector’s address on
10.0.60.0/24before testing another branch host. - Reach a second branch host. Test a known service or an ICMP echo if host policy permits it. Success to the connector alone does not prove that LAN forwarding works.
- Test the application port. Only after routing and basic reachability work, test the actual game, administration, file, or monitoring port. Application failures at this stage are no longer evidence of a tunnel problem.
Common failures and targeted fixes
Overlapping address ranges
Symptom: traffic stays local, follows the wrong gateway, or works only from one side. Fix: renumber one network or redesign the VPN pool so the LAN, VPS-side network, and virtual network are all distinct. The requirement for separate subnets is fundamental to the site-to-site design.
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One-way reachability caused by a missing return route
Symptom: the VPS can send toward a branch host, but replies disappear; or branch clients can reach the VPS while VPS-side hosts cannot start sessions. Fix: add the reverse route on the branch gateway and, when applicable, on the VPS-side LAN gateway. Use a packet capture or firewall counters to confirm that replies are returning through the tunnel.
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Symptom: outbound connections work, but remote hosts cannot initiate connections or logs show only one translated address. Fix: remove or narrow the NAT rule, use routed forwarding, and install return routes. Keep NAT only when one-way access is the intended policy.
Client and server listener mismatch
Symptom: repeated connection timeouts or immediate protocol errors. Fix: verify the client’s remote hostname or address, port, proto, and dev against the server. Also verify the VPS firewall and upstream security group.
Forwarding blocked even though the listener is open
Symptom: the tunnel is established and tunnel addresses answer, but branch hosts cannot be reached. Fix: permit forwarding between the VPN and LAN interfaces on the connector and between the VPN and private interface on the VPS. Check host-level firewalls on the destination machines as well.
Duplicate client credentials
Symptom: clients disconnect each other, routes attach to the wrong connector, or revoking one site affects another. Fix: issue a unique certificate and key pair for every connector, revoke duplicated credentials, and reconnect with the corrected profile.
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- Document the owner and purpose of every subnet, certificate, route, and firewall rule.
- Keep the connector powered and connected continuously; an intermittent home workstation is not a dependable site gateway.
- Restrict the branch route to the exact prefixes required instead of advertising an entire private address space.
- Monitor tunnel state and route changes so a disconnected connector is noticed before services fail.
- Rotate or revoke client certificates when a router is replaced or its private key may have been copied.
- Recheck directive names, defaults, and service-reload procedures after OpenVPN upgrades.
When this design is appropriate
A site-to-site OpenVPN tunnel is a practical choice when the VPS is reachable from the internet, the branch gateway can run an OpenVPN client, and you control the routes and firewalls on both sides. It is especially useful for securely reaching a private game server, administration panel, storage host, or monitoring endpoint without exposing that service directly to the public internet.
It is not a substitute for solving an address-plan conflict, and it does not remove the need for application authentication. The VPN supplies a path; your host and service firewalls still decide which machines and ports may use it.
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