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Re: [Openvpn-users] OpenVPN 2.0-test20 released


  • Subject: Re: [Openvpn-users] OpenVPN 2.0-test20 released
  • From: "James Yonan" <jim@xxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Sun, 11 Apr 2004 19:47:09 -0000

"Kevin P. Fleming" <kpfleming@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> said:

> James Yonan wrote:
> 
> > * Connecting clients can now have a client-specific
> >   configuration on the server, based on the client
> >   common name embedded in the client certificate.
> >   See --client-config-dir and --client-connect.
> >   These options can be used to configure client-specific
> >   routes.
> 
> This is very, very cool.
> 
> > * Added an option --client-to-client that enables
> >   internal client-to-client routing or bridging.
> >   Otherwise, clients will only "see" the server,
> >   not other connected clients.
> 
> I had a weird idea the other day: how hard would it be for OpenVPN to 
> use _two_ tun interfaces on the server instead of one, with all received 
> traffic coming into one of them and all outbound traffic going out the 
> other? This would alleviate the need for OpenVPN to do routing/bridging 
> at all (the host OS could still do it), but still keeps the number of 
> interfaces down. It also allows the host to do filtering between the 
> connected clients, without needing an interface for each connected client.

I don't think this would solve the problem because OpenVPN would still need to
route outbound traffic from one tun/tap interface to a potentially large set
of clients.  The need for OpenVPN to internally route or bridge doesn't go
away unless you have a one-to-one correspondence between clients and tun/tap
interfaces on the server, like you do with 1.x.

In fact in think this one-to-one correspondence is a key feature of OpenVPN,
and that many people who want fine-grained control over every client may not
want to use the new 2.0 features.  I see the 2.0 multi-client server as being
a way to handle large numbers of clients which are mostly treated the same
with regards to routing and firewalling.  Running hundreds of clients through
a single tun/tap interface, you can firewall off the interface in a way that
treats the entire client cloud as a group.  And that's really the whole point
of the 2.0 exercise -- to give admins the ability to handle a large number of
road-warrior-type dynamic clients with a simple config file on both server and
client.

James


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