Ansible Role openvpn_server

This role installs and configures OpenVPN as a server. Currently, the only supported configuration is a multi-client server. A corresponding client config will be generated to /tmp/ on the ansible control node.

This role does not configure OpenVPN logging via log-append /var/log/openvpn.log. Instead it configures OpenVPN to use Journald, because there we get log entries including timestamps etc. To inspect the logs, use journalctl --unit=openvpn-server@server --follow for example.

Available since LFOps 2.0.0.

Dependent Roles

Any LFOps playbook that installs this role runs these for you. Optional ones can be disabled via the playbook’s skip variables.

• On RHEL-compatible systems, the EPEL repository must be enabled (role: linuxfabrik.lfops.repo_epel).

• Python 3 and the python3-policycoreutils module must be installed (required for the SELinux Ansible tasks) (role: linuxfabrik.lfops.policycoreutils).

Requirements

Manual steps:

• Create a certificate for the OpenVPN server and save it on the ansible control node as {{ inventory_dir }}/host_vars/{{ inventory_hostname }}/files/etc/openvpn/server/server.p12.

• Generate a certificate revocation list and save it on the ansible control node as {{ inventory_dir }}/host_vars/{{ inventory_hostname }}/files/etc/openvpn/server/crl.pem.

Tags

openvpn_server

• Installs and configures OpenVPN.

• Triggers: none.

openvpn_server:crl

• Deploys the certificate revocation list.

• Triggers: none.

openvpn_server:state

• Manages the state of the OpenVPN service.

• Triggers: none.

Mandatory Role Variables

openvpn_server__client_network

• The network in which the OpenVPN server should allocate client addresses, where openvpn_server__client_netmask will be used as the netmask.

• Type: String.

Example:

# mandatory
openvpn_server__client_network: '192.0.2.0'

Optional Role Variables

For details see man openvpn.

openvpn_server__client_configs

• List of dictionaries (client configs, „CCD“). Can be used to limit a client to a certain IP, which then can be used during firewalling.

• Subkeys:

  • name:

    • Mandatory. Name of the client’s X509 common name.

    • Type: String.

  • raw:

    • Mandatory. Raw config for this client.

    • Type: String.

  • state:

    • Optional. If the config should be present or absent.

    • Type: String.

    • Default: 'present'

• Type: List of dictionaries.

• Default: []

openvpn_server__client_netmask

• The netmask that will be used with openvpn_server__client_network to allocate client addresses.

• Type: String.

• Default: '255.255.255.0'

openvpn_server__crl_verify

• Check peer certificate against a Certificate Revocation List.

• Type: String.

• Default: '/etc/openvpn/server/crl.pem'

openvpn_server__crl_verify_skip_deploy

• If false (the default), it expects the file {{ inventory_dir }}/host_vars/{{ inventory_hostname }}/files/etc{{ openvpn_server__crl_verify }} on the Ansible control node and will copy that file to the remote host. If true, it expects this file to already exist on the remote host in the specified location.

• Type: Bool.

• Default: false

openvpn_server__dh

• File containing Diffie Hellman parameters in .pem format (required for --tls-server only). The file will be created automatically.

• Type: String.

• Default: '/etc/openvpn/dh2048.pem'

openvpn_server__dh_skip_deploy

• Skip the creation of the Diffie Hellman file.

• Type: Bool.

• Default: false

openvpn_server__pkcs12

• Specify a PKCS #12 file containing local private key, local certificate, and root CA certificate. This option can be used instead of --ca, --cert, and --key. Not available with mbed TLS.

• Type: String.

• Default: '/etc/openvpn/server/server.p12'

openvpn_server__pkcs12_skip_deploy

• If false (the default), it expects the file {{ inventory_dir }}/host_vars/{{ inventory_hostname }}/files{{ openvpn_server__pkcs12 }} on the Ansible control node and will copy that file to the remote host. If true, it expects this file to already exist on the remote host in the specified location.

• Type: Bool.

• Default: false

openvpn_server__port

• TCP/UDP port number or port name for both local and remote (sets both --lport and --rport options to given port). The current default of 1194 represents the official IANA port number assignment for OpenVPN and has been used since version 2.0-beta17. Previous versions used port 5000 as the default.

• Type: Number.

• Default: 1194

openvpn_server__pushs

• A list of options that will be pushed to the connected clients. Can be used to set routes.

• Type: List.

• Default: []

openvpn_server__raw

• Raw (user-defined) OpenVPN Config. Will be placed at the end of the /etc/openvpn/server/server.conf file.

• Type: String.

• Default: unset

openvpn_server__service_enabled

• Enables or disables the openvpn-server@server service, analogous to systemctl enable/disable --now.

• Type: Bool.

• Default: true

Example:

# optional
openvpn_server__client_configs:
  - name: 'user1@example.com'
    raw: |-
      ifconfig-push 192.0.2.250 255.255.255.0
    state: 'present'
openvpn_server__client_netmask: '255.255.255.0'
openvpn_server__crl_verify: '/etc/openvpn/server/crl.pem'
openvpn_server__crl_verify_skip_deploy: false
openvpn_server__dh: '/etc/openvpn/dh2048.pem'
openvpn_server__dh_skip_deploy: false
openvpn_server__pkcs12: '/etc/openvpn/server/server.p12'
openvpn_server__pkcs12_skip_deploy: false
openvpn_server__port: 1194
openvpn_server__pushs:
  - 'route 192.0.2.0 255.255.255.0'
openvpn_server__raw: |-
  plugin /usr/lib64/openvpn/plugins/openvpn-plugin-auth-pam.so "openvpn login USERNAME password PASSWORD pin OTP"
openvpn_server__service_enabled: true

Troubleshooting

TASK [linuxfabrik.lfops.openvpn_server : Generate DH Parameters with 2048 bits size]
An exception occurred during task execution. To see the full traceback, use -vvv. The error was: SyntaxError: future feature annotations is not defined
fatal: [host1]: FAILED! => changed=false
  module_stderr: |-
    Traceback (most recent call last):
    ...
    SyntaxError: future feature annotations is not defined

This occurs when running against a host with Python <=3.6, which is not supported in community.crypto >=3.0.0 (see their CHANGELOG). As a workaround the collection can be downgraded: ansible-galaxy collection install --force 'community.crypto:<3.0.0'

License

The Unlicense

Author Information

Linuxfabrik GmbH, Zurich