What is VPN FIT good for?
VPN FIT may be used for several purposes:
- provide direct encrypted channel to local FIT network (very useful when public unencrypted WiFi is used),
- provide access to Windows server (Fik and Aja, file services are blocked at faculty firewall for security reasons),
- provide IPv6 connectivity for users who can get either no IPv6 or just over unreliable IPv6 tunnel.
Remeber to use FITlogin and FITpassword to connect to VPN FIT
Windows configuration
- Download installation package from https://openvpn.net/ (community downloads) and change nothing during installation.
Or you can use https://openvpn.net/client/ instalation package which is avalable for more systems including OSX on Apple Silicon. - Start the OpenVPN GUI (by default it starts automatically after login).
- Right-click the icon in the notification area and select Import from Access Server.
If you check Autologin, the VPN will also be the default gateway - suitable for services that are only available from the BUT network.- To use OpenVPN Connect, follow the instructions for Android below.
- Right-click again and select Connect. Enter the login name and password, you may check to remember the values.
- If the connection is established (the icon in systray is green) you may check your connection by listing routing table, running tracert/traceroute kazi.fit.vutbr.cz (should go through 100.65.8x.yy), tracert6/tracert -6/traceroute6 ipv6.google.com or open Web Fit (right on the bottom should be an address 2001:67c:1220:a14::xx:yy).
Linux configuration
Verified in Ubuntu, Debian and Fedora distributions. So it really should work! However there is no OpenVPN Connect client for Linux so the configuration is a bit more complicated.
- Install current openvpn package (Ubuntu/Debian: sudo apt install openvpn)
- Download configuration file https://vpn.fit.vutbr.cz/FIT.ovpn
wget https://vpn.fit.vutbr.cz/FIT.ovpn
- Open Connection manager. Add VPN, type OpenVPN. At the bootom of menu is button for import configuration file.
- Import previously downloaded FIT.ovpn and you are ready to go.
Android configuration
- Go to Google Play and install a client - OpenVPN Connect and run the application
- In the Import Profile section in the VIA URL tab, add vpn.fit.vutbr.cz
- In the next step, enter the login, password and possibly check "Import autologin profile" - then the VPN will work as the default gateway.
To use this you may need file manager which can access files over network, e.g. ES File Explorer.
iOS/iPadOS
- Use AppStore to install OpenVPN Connect client
- Follow description for Android
Configuration in OSX
- Download the current OpenVPN Connect V3 installation package from https:// openvpn.net/client-connect-vpn-for-mac-os/ and install.
- Follow description for Android
FAQ
- What is VPN (OpenVPN)?
- See Open Virtual Private Network
- Can I use OpenVPN over NAT/CGNAT?
- Yes if the gateway does not block UPD traffic.
- Why there is a TUN driver in configuration file while there is a TAP driver in Windows?
- OpenVPN for Windows uses TAP driver (ethernet bridge) in TUN emulation mode. Server runs in point-to-multipoint TUN mode.
- Can I use VPN FIT to access web pages limited to IPv4 addresses of BUT?
- Yes, you need to check Autologin checkbox when importing configuration.
- I can't connect to Samba/CIFS (\\kazi, \\eva, \\fik, \\aja), I don't see Windows servers of FIT in Network Neighborhood
- Try to use fully qualified domain names (FQDN) - \\aja.fit.vutbr.cz, \\eva.fit.vutbr.cz etc.
Any comments to this page should be sent to michal@fit.vut.cz