StrongSwan is an open-source VPN solution that provides secure connections between two devices, regardless of the operating system they run on. In this tutorial, we'll go through the steps to install StrongSwan on MXLinux latest.
Before we begin, ensure that the following prerequisites are met:
Step 1: Update the System
Before installing any new software on your server, it is always a good idea to update the system first. To do so, execute the following command in the terminal:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade
Step 2: Install StrongSwan
To install the StrongSwan package, run the following command in the terminal:
sudo apt-get install strongswan
Step 3: Configure StrongSwan
Once the strongSwan package has been installed, you will need to configure it according to your requirements. The configuration file for StrongSwan is located at /etc/ipsec.conf.
Open the file with your preferred text editor:
sudo nano /etc/ipsec.conf
In this file, you can add your desired configuration. For instance, if you want to set up a VPN between two devices, you can add the following:
conn myvpn
left=%defaultroute
leftsubnet=192.168.1.0/24
leftid=@mxlinux
right=203.0.113.2
rightsubnet=192.168.2.0/24
rightid=@device2
authby=secret
auto=start
Step 4: Start StrongSwan
Once you've finished configuring StrongSwan, you can start it by running the following command in the terminal:
sudo systemctl restart strongswan
Step 5: Verify the Installation
You can verify whether StrongSwan has been installed successfully by running the following command in the terminal:
sudo systemctl status strongswan
In this tutorial, we went through the steps to install StrongSwan on MXLinux latest. We also covered how to configure the StrongSwan configuration file and start the StrongSwan service. By following this tutorial, you should now have a basic understanding of how to set up a simple VPN communication between two devices using StrongSwan.
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