OpenVPN using Windows

Geschäftsbereich IT
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Ownership | Business Function IT, Charité | Networks Dept. | Tel. +49 30 450 575 444 | Fax +49 30 450 570 962 | [email protected] | Rev. 2.0 | Latest update: 1/2017 | Translation: Farina Boltersdorf
OpenVPN using Windows (10, 8, 7)
The Charité VPN service is based on the OpenVPN that is available for a multitude of operating systems. The following instructions take you through the installation and start-up phase of the software system using Windows 10. Older versions of Windows (i.e. Vista or XP) are no longer supported.
Downloading the Programme and Installation
After your VPN request has been processed, you will
receive a confirmation mail with various links to
software and documentation. Users without a Charité mail account will first have to set a password
in the password front end (https://zugang.charite.de).
Only then can you use the VPN service.
You can not install OpenVPN by yourself on
Charité’s centrally administered PCs. Call the IT
Helpdesk and request assignment of the OpenVPN
software.
At first download the the most recent version of
OpenVPN software onto your computer.
Use your favorite web browser (Internet Explorer,
Firefox or Chrome) to open the OpenVPN page http://
Fig. 1 OpenVPN Homepage
www.openvpn.net, fig 1. Click the area named Com-
munity. From the navigation menu choose the link
Downloads. On the download page you will find
various versions, the latest is at the top of the list.
Select the most recent version (current in Feb. 2017:
OpenVPN 2.4) and download Installer Windows Vista
or later, fig. 2. Click Ausführen (Run) to confirm
to continue. The installation follows directly after
downloading.
Fig. 2 Load OpenVPN software
CHARITÉ - UNIVERSITÄTSMEDIZIN BERLIN
Eine gemeinsame Einrichtung der Freien Universität Berlin und der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
OpenVPN using Windows (10, 8, 7)
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Geschäftsbereich IT
You will first receive a warning from the User Account Control (UAC) that is
to be answered with Ja (Yes), fig.3.
Ownership | Business Function IT, Charité | Networks Dept. | Tel. +49 30 450 575 444 | Fax +49 30 450 570 962 | [email protected] | Rev. 2.0 | Latest update: 1/2017 | Translation: Farina Boltersdorf
Fig. 3 User account control warning
Setup Wizard is activated and will lead you through the installation steps, fig. 4. Another warning for the installation of the
device driver will pop up which you have to confirm by clicking Installieren (Install), fig. 5. Attention: by default Installieren
(Install) is not selected.
Fig. 5 Warning for TAP device driver installation
Fig. 4 OpenVPN Install Wizard
To complete the installation you have to install the configuration file, which also includes your personal certificate, for the
Charité connection. You received the file in a separate email from the VPN staff. Store the attachment on the desktop. Use the
Explorer to move the file from the desktop
into a folder already created by OpenVPN.
The path to the folder is
C:\Programme\OpenVPN\config.
Once you have dragged the file to the
config folder it should correspond to
fig. 6.
Fig. 6 OpenVPN config folder
OpenVPN using Windows (10, 8, 7)
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Geschäftsbereich IT
Ownership | Business Function IT, Charité | Networks Dept. | Tel. +49 30 450 575 444 | Fax +49 30 450 570 962 | [email protected] | Rev. 2.0 | Latest update: 1/2017 | Translation: Farina Boltersdorf
Setting Up OpenVPN / Working with the Charité Network
The OpenVPN GUI can be started using the Windows start menu or the link on the desktop which was created during the installation process. In contrast to earlier versions you
don’t have to explicitely start OpenVPN by Programm als Administrator ausführen (Run as
administrator). This is now default.
The resulting programme start is really quite unspectacular; simply an icon showing a
grey screen with a lock appears in the taskbar, fig. 7. Attention: sometimes the icon is
hidden behind a collection symbol, the triangle.
To connect to the Charité net right click on the icon in the taskbar and then on Verbinden (Connect) in the drop-down menu, fig. 8. Should the item be absent in the drop-
Fig. 7 OpenVPN GUI Symbol im
Infobereich oder ausgeblendet
Fig. 8 OpenVPN GUI verbinden
down menu, the configuration file is not found in the config folder – as shown in fig. 6.
The Aktueller Status (Current State) window opens and displays the connection steps. This is the most important information for the VPN advisors
([email protected]) in case of problems. In addition, the Benutzer Authentifizierung (User Authentication) window opens where you enter your user
name (as received per e-mail) and password (Charité mail passwort resp.
as defined in the password portal), fig. 9. During the login process the VPN
icon in the taskbar is yellow; if your login is accepted an information popup shortly appears and the color of the icon changes to green, fig. 10.
The Aktueller Status (Current State) window can be directly opened to check
the successful connection, or in the case of an error, copied and sent as an
Fig. 9 OpenVPN Benutzername und Passwort
e-mail to the VPN advisors. To do this, right click on the OpenVPN icon in
the taskbar and then click on Log Information in the drop-down menu.
After establishing the connection you should check all settings done correct.
https://vpntest.charite.de provides a one-stop
web service to check if the VPN connection is working properly. Three green dots
indicate a fully operational VPN, fig. 11.
In case of errors you’ll bei given hints on
what might be wrong and how to fix it.
Users without a Charité mail account
will in general get a red dot on test #3 due
to their missing authorization for using
Charité proxy.
Fig. 10 Verbindungsaufbau und Fertigmeldung
Fig. 11 Webseite http://vpntest.charite.de
OpenVPN using Windows (10, 8, 7)
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Geschäftsbereich IT
Using the Charité proxy while connected via OpenVPN
Ownership | Business Function IT, Charité | Networks Dept. | Tel. +49 30 450 575 444 | Fax +49 30 450 570 962 | [email protected] | Rev. 2.0 | Latest update: 1/2017 | Translation: Farina Boltersdorf
Please remember you have to use the Charité Proxy –as long as there
is an OpenVPN connection. Current Windows versions will search for a
proxy by default, so test #3, fig. 11, will be successful.
Important hint: The browser is retrieving the autmatic proxy
configuration on startup only. This means that you need to restart
the browser after connecting or disconnecting from the VPN!
Fig. 12 Windows Settings
If the option automatic proxy connection is yet not configured, proceed as follows:
Open Settings from the Windows menu, fig. 12. In the Settings window
choose the category Netzwerk und Internet (Network & Internet). Then
click Ethernet and choose Internetoptionen (Internet options) on the
right, fig. 13. When the next window appears, fig. 14, click LAN Einstellungen (LAN settings) and check the box Einstellungen automatisch
erkennen, fig. 15. All other options should be unchecked.
If you use Mozilla Firefox, the corresponding option is Die ProxyEinstellungen für dieses Netzwerk automatisch erkennen and can be
found in the Extras menu under Einstellungen ➙ Erweitert➙ Netzwerk ➙ Verbindung
Fig. 13 Network & Internet
Fig. 14 Internet options
Fig. 15 LAN settings

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