I have followed the tutorial at https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-set-up-and-configure-an-openvpn-server-on-ubuntu-20-04 but when I get to the bottom of Chapter 10, my server is not running. Any suggestions. Server status is below.
dave@ubuntu-1gb-lon1-01:~$ sudo systemctl start openvpn-server@server.service
dave@ubuntu-1gb-lon1-01:~$ sudo systemctl status openvpn-server@server.service
● openvpn-server@server.service - OpenVPN service for server
Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/openvpn-server@.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled)
Active: activating (auto-restart) (Result: exit-code) since Fri 2021-01-29 11:25:46 GMT; 1s ago
Docs: man:openvpn(8)
https://community.openvpn.net/openvpn/wiki/Openvpn24ManPage
https://community.openvpn.net/openvpn/wiki/HOWTO
Process: 3521 ExecStart=/usr/sbin/openvpn --status /run/openvpn-server/status-server.log --status-version 2 --suppress-timestamps --config server.conf (code=exited, status=1/FAILURE)
Main PID: 3521 (code=exited, status=1/FAILURE)
Status: "Pre-connection initialization successful"
Jan 29 11:25:46 ubuntu-1gb-lon1-01 systemd[1]: openvpn-server@server.service: Main process exited, code=exited, status=1/FAILURE
Jan 29 11:25:46 ubuntu-1gb-lon1-01 systemd[1]: openvpn-server@server.service: Failed with result 'exit-code'.
dave@ubuntu-1gb-lon1-01:~$
Are there any logs files that I can send to assist in resolving this issue?
I have rebooted the droplet and also gone over the instructions with a fine tooth comb. I did omit most of the options marked as ‘optional’ in the tutorial.
This textbox defaults to using Markdown to format your answer.
You can type !ref in this text area to quickly search our full set of tutorials, documentation & marketplace offerings and insert the link!
Accepted Answer
Hello there
I’ve just setup a droplet using the one click install for the OpenVPN Access Server and everything is working normal:
https://marketplace.digitalocean.com/apps/openvpn-access-server
Could you please make sure that you’re accessing the page with https:// included? The admin URL login is provided at the end of the installation process:
Initial Configuration Complete!
You can now continue configuring OpenVPN Access Server by
directing your Web browser to this URL:
https://IP:943/admin
Login as "openvpn" with the same password used to authenticate
to this UNIX host.
During normal operation, OpenVPN AS can be accessed via these URLs:
Admin UI: https://IP:943/admin
Client UI: https://IP:943/
The port will be 943 if you haven’t changed it during the install process.
Let me know how it goes. Regards, Alex
Can you post your server.conf file with the cert and key info removed?
I know it is an old post, but I believe I had the same error following the same guide for Ubuntu 22.04.
Please run this command to check the logs of OpenVPN service:
sudo journalctl -u openvpn-server@server.service
I had the following error:
failed to find GID for group nobody
Just run this to add a nobody group:
sudo groupadd nobody
Hope this will help someone :)
Become a contributor for community
Get paid to write technical tutorials and select a tech-focused charity to receive a matching donation.
DigitalOcean Documentation
Full documentation for every DigitalOcean product.
Resources for startups and SMBs
The Wave has everything you need to know about building a business, from raising funding to marketing your product.
The developer cloud
Scale up as you grow — whether you're running one virtual machine or ten thousand.
Get started for free
Sign up and get $200 in credit for your first 60 days with DigitalOcean.*
*This promotional offer applies to new accounts only.