# IPsec/L2TP VPN Server Auto Setup Scripts Build status *Read this in other languages: [English](README.md), [简体中文](README-zh.md).* These scripts will let you set up your own IPsec/L2TP VPN server in no more than a minute on Ubuntu, Debian and CentOS. Just provide your own VPN credentials, and the scripts will handle the rest. We will use Libreswan as the IPsec server, and xl2tpd as the L2TP provider. #### Link to my VPN tutorial with detailed instructions ## Table of Contents - [Features](#features) - [Requirements](#requirements) - [Installation](#installation) - [Ubuntu & Debian](#ubuntu--debian) - [CentOS & RHEL](#centos--rhel) - [Next Steps](#next-steps) - [Important Notes](#important-notes) - [Manage VPN Users](#manage-vpn-users) - [Upgrading Libreswan](#upgrading-libreswan) - [Bugs & Questions](#bugs--questions) - [See Also](#see-also) - [Author](#author) - [License](#license) ## Features - **NEW:** The faster `IPsec/XAuth ("Cisco IPsec")` mode is now supported - **NEW:** A pre-built Docker image of the VPN server is now available - Fully automated IPsec/L2TP VPN server setup, no user input needed - Encapsulates all VPN traffic in UDP - does not need ESP protocol - Can be directly used as "user-data" for a new Amazon EC2 instance - Automatically determines public IP and private IP of server - Includes basic IPTables rules and `sysctl.conf` settings - Tested with Ubuntu 16.04/14.04/12.04, Debian 8 and CentOS 6 & 7 ## Requirements A newly created Amazon EC2 instance, using these AMIs: (See instructions) - Ubuntu 16.04 (Xenial), 14.04 (Trusty) or 12.04 (Precise) - Debian 8 (Jessie) EC2 Images - CentOS 7 (x86_64) with Updates - CentOS 6 (x86_64) with Updates **-OR-** A dedicated server or KVM/Xen-based Virtual Private Server (VPS), freshly installed with one of the above OS. In addition, Debian 7 (Wheezy) can also be used after applying this workaround. OpenVZ VPS users should instead try OpenVPN. **» I want to run my own VPN but don't have a server for that** :warning: **DO NOT** run these scripts on your PC or Mac! They should only be used on a server! ## Installation ### Ubuntu & Debian First, update your system with `apt-get update && apt-get dist-upgrade` and reboot. This is optional, but recommended. **Option 1:** Have the script generate random VPN credentials for you (will be displayed on the screen): ```bash wget https://git.io/vpnsetup -O vpnsetup.sh && sudo sh vpnsetup.sh ``` **Option 2:** Enter your own VPN credentials, or define them as environment variables: ```bash wget https://git.io/vpnsetup -O vpnsetup.sh nano -w vpnsetup.sh [Replace with your own values: VPN_IPSEC_PSK, VPN_USER and VPN_PASSWORD] sudo sh vpnsetup.sh ``` ### CentOS & RHEL First, update your system with `yum update` and reboot. This is optional, but recommended. **Option 1:** Have the script generate random VPN credentials for you (will be displayed on the screen): ```bash wget https://git.io/vpnsetup-centos -O vpnsetup_centos.sh && sudo sh vpnsetup_centos.sh ``` **Option 2:** Enter your own VPN credentials, or define them as environment variables: ```bash wget https://git.io/vpnsetup-centos -O vpnsetup_centos.sh nano -w vpnsetup_centos.sh [Replace with your own values: VPN_IPSEC_PSK, VPN_USER and VPN_PASSWORD] sudo sh vpnsetup_centos.sh ``` If unable to download via `wget`, you may alternatively open vpnsetup.sh (or vpnsetup_centos.sh) and click the **`Raw`** button. Press `Ctrl-A` to select all, `Ctrl-C` to copy, then paste into your favorite editor. ## Next Steps Get your computer or device to use the VPN. Please see: Configure IPsec/L2TP VPN Clients. **NEW:** The faster `IPsec/XAuth ("Cisco IPsec")` mode is now supported: Configure IPsec/XAuth VPN Clients. Enjoy your very own VPN! :sparkles::tada::rocket::sparkles: ## Important Notes For **Windows users**, a one-time registry change is required if the VPN server and/or client is behind NAT (e.g. home router). Also, if you see `Error 628`, go to the "Security" tab of VPN connection properties, enable `CHAP` and disable `MS-CHAP v2`. **Android 6 (Marshmallow) users**: Please see notes in Configure IPsec/L2TP VPN Clients. Clients are set to use Google Public DNS when the VPN is active. If another DNS provider is preferred, replace `8.8.8.8` and `8.8.4.4` in both `options.xl2tpd` and `ipsec.conf` with your new servers. Then restart `ipsec` and `xl2tpd` services. For servers with a custom SSH port (not 22) or other services, edit the IPTables rules before using. The scripts will backup existing config files before making changes, with `.old-date-time` suffix. ## Manage VPN Users By default, a single user account for VPN login is created. If you wish to add, edit or remove users, read this section. First, the IPsec PSK (pre-shared key) is stored in `/etc/ipsec.secrets`. To change to a new PSK, just edit this file. ```bash %any : PSK "" ``` For `IPsec/L2TP`, VPN users are specified in `/etc/ppp/chap-secrets`. The format of this file is: ```bash "" l2tpd "" * "" l2tpd "" * ... ... ``` You can add more users, use one line for each user. DO NOT use these characters inside values: `\ " '` For `IPsec/XAuth ("Cisco IPsec")`, VPN users are specified in `/etc/ipsec.d/passwd`. The format of this file is: ```bash ::xauth-psk ::xauth-psk ... ... ``` Passwords in this file are salted and hashed. This step can be done using e.g. the `openssl` utility: ```bash # The output will be openssl passwd -1 "" ``` When finished, you must restart services with: ```bash service ipsec restart service xl2tpd restart ``` ## Upgrading Libreswan The additional scripts vpnupgrade_Libreswan.sh and vpnupgrade_Libreswan_centos.sh can be used to upgrade Libreswan. Check the official website and update the `swan_ver` variable as necessary. ## Bugs & Questions - Got a question? Please first search other people's comments in this GitHub Gist and on my blog. - Ask Libreswan (IPsec) related questions on the mailing list, or read these articles: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]. - If you found a reproducible bug, open a GitHub Issue to submit a bug report. ## See Also - [IPsec VPN Server on Docker](https://github.com/hwdsl2/docker-ipsec-vpn-server) ## Author ##### Lin Song - Final year U.S. PhD candidate, majoring in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) - Actively seeking opportunities in areas such as Software or Systems Engineering - Contact me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linsongui ## License Copyright (C) 2014-2016 Lin Song   View my profile on LinkedIn Based on the work of Thomas Sarlandie (Copyright 2012) This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License Attribution required: please include my name in any derivative and let me know how you have improved it!