Installing ocserv on nixOS latest

This tutorial will guide you step by step on how to install ocserv on nixOS latest. Ocserv is an open-source implementation of the SSL VPN Protocol that provides secure remote access to a server.

Prerequisites

Before getting started, make sure that you have the following:

• A working instance of nixOS latest
• Root access to the system

Installation

1. Update the package list:

   nix-channel --update
   

2. Install ocserv:

   nix-env -iA nixos.ocserv
   

   This command will install the ocserv package from the nixos channel.

3. Generate an SSL certificate for ocserv:

   cd /etc/ocserv
   mkdir certs
   cd certs
   openssl req -new -x509 -keyout server.key -out server.crt -days 3650
   

   Enter the requested information, such as the domain name and contact email, when prompted.

4. Configure ocserv:

   Edit the /etc/ocserv/ocserv.conf configuration file as needed. Some important configuration options to consider:

   • auth: Specifies the type of authentication to use, such as PAM or a custom script.
   • tcp-port: The TCP port number that ocserv listens to.
   • udp-port: The UDP port number that ocserv listens to.
   • route: Defines the routing table that clients should use.
   • cert-user-oid: The value of the user’s certificate OID attribute.

   For more details, see the ocserv documentation.

5. Start ocserv:

   sudo systemctl start ocserv
   

   This command will start the service and you should be able to connect to the VPN server.

6. Verify that the service is running:

   sudo systemctl status ocserv
   

   This command should indicate that the service is running and there are no errors.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, you have learned how to install and configure ocserv on nixOS latest. You can now use ocserv to access your server from a secure remote location.

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