setup-ipsec-vpn/README.md

# IPsec/L2TP VPN Server Auto Setup Scripts <a href="https://travis-ci.org/hwdsl2/setup-ipsec-vpn"><img align="right" src="https://travis-ci.org/hwdsl2/setup-ipsec-vpn.svg?branch=master" alt="Build status" /></a>

*Read this in other languages: [English](README.md), [简体中文](README-zh.md).*

Scripts for automatic configuration of an IPsec/L2TP VPN server on Ubuntu 16.04/14.04/12.04, Debian 8 and CentOS 6 & 7. All you need to do is providing your own values for `IPSEC_PSK`, `VPN_USER` and `VPN_PASSWORD`, and let them handle the rest.

We will use <a href="https://libreswan.org/" target="_blank">Libreswan</a> as the IPsec server, and <a href="https://www.xelerance.com/services/software/xl2tpd/" target="_blank">xl2tpd</a> as the L2TP provider. 

#### <a href="https://blog.ls20.com/ipsec-l2tp-vpn-auto-setup-for-ubuntu-12-04-on-amazon-ec2/" target="_blank">Link to my VPN tutorial with detailed usage instructions</a>

## Table of Contents

- [Author](#author)
- [Features](#features)
- [Requirements](#requirements)
- [Installation](#installation)
  - [For Ubuntu and Debian](#for-ubuntu-and-debian)
  - [For CentOS and RHEL](#for-centos-and-rhel)
- [Next Steps](#next-steps)
- [Important Notes](#important-notes)
- [Upgrading Libreswan](#upgrading-libreswan)
- [Bugs & Questions](#bugs--questions)
- [Copyright and License](#copyright-and-license)

## Author

##### Lin Song   
- Final year U.S. PhD candidate seeking opportunities in the industry.   
- View my LinkedIn profile and contact me: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/linsongui" target="_blank">www.linkedin.com/in/linsongui</a>

## Features

- 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 <a href="https://aws.amazon.com/ec2/" target="_blank">Amazon EC2</a> instance, using these AMIs: (See <a href="https://blog.ls20.com/ipsec-l2tp-vpn-auto-setup-for-ubuntu-12-04-on-amazon-ec2/#vpnsetup" target="_blank">instructions</a>)
- <a href="https://cloud-images.ubuntu.com/locator/" target="_blank">Ubuntu 16.04 (Xenial), 14.04 (Trusty) or 12.04 (Precise)</a>
- <a href="https://wiki.debian.org/Cloud/AmazonEC2Image" target="_blank">Debian 8 (Jessie) EC2 Images</a>
- <a href="https://aws.amazon.com/marketplace/pp/B00O7WM7QW" target="_blank">CentOS 7 (x86_64) with Updates HVM</a>
- <a href="https://aws.amazon.com/marketplace/pp/B00NQAYLWO" target="_blank">CentOS 6 (x86_64) with Updates HVM</a>

**-OR-**

A dedicated server or KVM/Xen-based Virtual Private Server (VPS), with the following OS:   
&nbsp;(Note: Starting with a freshly installed system is recommended)
- Ubuntu 16.04 (Xenial), 14.04 (Trusty) or 12.04 (Precise)
- Debian 8 (Jessie)
- Debian 7 (Wheezy) &raquo; Not recommended. Requires <a href="https://gist.github.com/hwdsl2/5a769b2c4436cdf02a90" target="_blank">this workaround</a> to work.
- CentOS / Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 6 or 7

OpenVZ VPS users should instead try <a href="https://github.com/Nyr/openvpn-install" target="_blank">Nyr's OpenVPN script</a>.

<a href="https://blog.ls20.com/ipsec-l2tp-vpn-auto-setup-for-ubuntu-12-04-on-amazon-ec2/#gettingavps" target="_blank">**&raquo; I want to run my own VPN but don't have a server for that**</a>

:warning: **DO NOT** run these scripts on your PC or Mac! They should only be used on a server!

## Installation

### For Ubuntu and Debian:

First, update your system with `apt-get update && apt-get dist-upgrade` and reboot. This is optional, but recommended.

```bash
wget https://github.com/hwdsl2/setup-ipsec-vpn/raw/master/vpnsetup.sh -O vpnsetup.sh
nano -w vpnsetup.sh
[Edit and replace IPSEC_PSK, VPN_USER and VPN_PASSWORD with your own values]
sh vpnsetup.sh
```

### For CentOS and RHEL:

First, update your system with `yum update` and reboot. This is optional, but recommended.

```bash
yum -y install wget nano
wget https://github.com/hwdsl2/setup-ipsec-vpn/raw/master/vpnsetup_centos.sh -O vpnsetup_centos.sh
nano -w vpnsetup_centos.sh
[Edit and replace IPSEC_PSK, VPN_USER and VPN_PASSWORD with your own values]
sh vpnsetup_centos.sh
```

If unable to download via `wget`, you may alternatively open <a href="vpnsetup.sh" target="_blank">vpnsetup.sh</a> (or <a href="vpnsetup_centos.sh" target="_blank">vpnsetup_centos.sh</a>) 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. Search the web for instructions, e.g. <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=setup+l2tp+client" target="_blank">google.com/search?q=setup+l2tp+client</a>

Enjoy your very own VPN! :sparkles::tada::rocket::sparkles:

## Important Notes

For **Windows users**, a <a href="https://documentation.meraki.com/MX-Z/Client_VPN/Troubleshooting_Client_VPN#Windows_Error_809" target="_blank">one-time registry change</a> is required if the VPN server and/or client is behind NAT (e.g. home router). In addition, you must enable `CHAP` (and disable `MS-CHAP v2`) <a href="https://github.com/hwdsl2/setup-ipsec-vpn/issues/7#issuecomment-210084875" target="_blank">in the "Security" tab</a> of VPN connection properties.

**Android 6 (Marshmallow) users**: After install, edit `/etc/ipsec.conf` and append `,aes256-sha2_256` to both `ike=` and `phase2alg=`. Then <a href="https://libreswan.org/wiki/FAQ#Android_6.0_connection_comes_up_but_no_packet_flow" target="_blank">add a new line</a> `sha2-truncbug=yes`. Indent lines with two spaces. Finally, run `service ipsec restart`.

**iPhone/iPad users**: In iOS settings, choose `L2TP` (instead of `IPSec`) as the VPN type. In case you are unable to connect, edit `ipsec.conf` and replace `rightprotoport=17/%any` with `rightprotoport=17/0`. Then restart `ipsec` service.

If you wish to create multiple VPN users with different credentials, just <a href="https://gist.github.com/hwdsl2/123b886f29f4c689f531" target="_blank">edit a few lines</a> in the scripts.

Clients are configured to use <a href="https://developers.google.com/speed/public-dns/" target="_blank">Google Public DNS</a> when the VPN is active. To change, set `ms-dns` in `options.xl2tpd`.

For Amazon EC2 instances only: In the <a href="https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/using-network-security.html" target="_blank">security group</a>, open UDP ports 500 & 4500 and TCP port 22 (optional, for SSH).

If you configured a custom SSH port (not 22) or wish to allow other services, edit <a href="vpnsetup.sh#L279" target="_blank">IPTables rules</a> before using the scripts.

The scripts will backup your existing config files before making changes, to the same folder with `.old-date-time` suffix.

## Upgrading Libreswan

The additional scripts <a href="vpnupgrade_Libreswan.sh" target="_blank">vpnupgrade_Libreswan.sh</a> and <a href="vpnupgrade_Libreswan_centos.sh" target="_blank">vpnupgrade_Libreswan_centos.sh</a> can be used to periodically upgrade Libreswan to the latest version. Check the <a href="https://libreswan.org" target="_blank">official website</a> and update the `SWAN_VER` variable as necessary.

## Bugs & Questions

- Have a question? Please first search other people's comments <a href="https://gist.github.com/hwdsl2/9030462#comments" target="_blank">in this GitHub Gist</a> and <a href="https://blog.ls20.com/ipsec-l2tp-vpn-auto-setup-for-ubuntu-12-04-on-amazon-ec2/#disqus_thread" target="_blank">on my blog</a>.
- Ask Libreswan (IPsec) related questions <a href="https://lists.libreswan.org/mailman/listinfo/swan" target="_blank">on the mailing list</a>, or read these wikis: <a href="https://libreswan.org/wiki/Main_Page" target="_blank">[1]</a> <a href="https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/IPsec_L2TP_VPN_server" target="_blank">[2]</a> <a href="https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/L2TP/IPsec_VPN_client_setup" target="_blank">[3]</a> <a href="https://help.ubuntu.com/community/L2TPServer" target="_blank">[4]</a> <a href="https://wiki.strongswan.org/projects/strongswan/wiki/UserDocumentation" target="_blank">[5]</a>.
- If you found a reproducible bug, open a <a href="https://github.com/hwdsl2/setup-ipsec-vpn/issues" target="_blank">GitHub Issue</a> to submit a bug report.

## Copyright and License

Copyright (C) 2014-2016&nbsp;Lin Song&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/linsongui" target="_blank"><img src="https://static.licdn.com/scds/common/u/img/webpromo/btn_viewmy_160x25.png" width="160" height="25" border="0" alt="View my profile on LinkedIn"></a>    
Based on <a href="https://github.com/sarfata/voodooprivacy" target="_blank">the work of Thomas Sarlandie</a> (Copyright 2012)

This work is licensed under the <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/" target="_blank">Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License</a>  
Attribution required: please include my name in any derivative and let me know how you have improved it!