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NAS 322

Connecting Your NAS to a VPN

Connect your ASUSTOR NAS to a VPN network

2023-11-21

COURSE OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of this course you should be able to:
1. Have a basic understanding of VPN
2. Be able to connect to your ASUSTOR NAS to a VPN network

PREQUISITES
Course Prerequisites:
None
Students are expected to have a working knowledge of:
N/A

OUTLINE
1. Introduction to VPN
2.1 Connecting to a VPN server via PPTP

1. Introduction to VPN
1.1 What is a VPN?
A VPN, or virtual private network, is a solution designed to meet the need for secure access
over the Internet to resources on a private network. By using encryption and other security mechanisms, a VPN is able to provide a secure and reliable private connection between computer networks over the Internet. By using a VPN, employees of a business will be able to safely access and use their company intranet over an existing Internet connection as if they were directly connected to the network. Individual users will be able to use a VPN to safely access their home network remotely while away from home.
Your ASUSTOR NAS can act as a VPN client which can then connect to VPN servers via PPTP or OpenVPN protocols allowing you to gain access to different virtual private networks. ASUSTOR NAS also supports the creation of multiple VPN connection profiles allowing you to easily switch connections between different VPN networks.

 

2. Connecting your NAS to a VPN server
2.1 Connecting to a VPN server via PPTP
In the following example, we will guide you through the process of connecting your ASUSTOR NAS to a VPN server via PPTP protocol.

 

STEP 1

  • Log in to ADM using your Web browser.
  • Select [Settings] > [Network] > [Add] > [Create VPN].


STEP 2
Select the [PPTP] radio button and then click [Next].


STEP 3

Fill out the required fields and then click on [Finish] once you are done.



Note: You also have the option of clicking on the [Advanced] button to make additional configurations.
After clicking on the [Advanced] button, you will be given options to configure different types of authentication, encryption and whether or not you want to reconnect if the VPN connection is lost.

For authentication you will be given the following choices to protect the VPN client’s password during authentication:

 

PAP: The password will not be encrypted.
CHAP: The password will be encrypted using CHAP.
MS CHAP: The password will be encrypted using Microsoft CHAP version 1.
MS CHAP v2: The password will be encrypted using Microsoft CHAP version 2.

If you choose MS CHAP or MS CHAP v2 for authentication, you will then be given the choice of choosing one of the following options for encryption:

 

No MPPE: The VPN connection will not be protected with any encryption mechanism.

MPPE (40/128 bit): The VPN connection will be protected with a 40-bit or 128-bit encryption mechanism.

Maximum MPPE (128 bit): The VPN connection will be encrypted with a 128-bit encryption, providing the highest level of security.

 

Click [OK] once you are done.


STEP 4

The VPN configuration that you have just set up will now be visible in the configurations list. Make sure that it is selected and then select [Action] > [Connect] to start the connection.


2.2 Connecting to a VPN server via OpenVPN
In the following example, we will guide you through the process of connecting your ASUSTOR NAS to a VPN server via OpenVPN protocol.

STEP 1

  • Log in to ADM using your Web browser.
  • Select [Settings] > [Network] > [Add] > [Create VPN].


STEP 2

Select the [openVPN] radio button and then click [Next].

 

STEP 3

Select the [General Settings] radio button and then click [Next].


STEP 4

Fill out the required fields and then click on [Finish] once you are done. You can click on [browse] to import the certificate (ca.crt) exported from the OpenVPN server.


Note: You also have the option of clicking on the [Advanced] button to make additional configurations.
After clicking on the [Advanced] button, you will be given options for the cipher, authentication, enabling compression on the VPN link, routing all client traffic through the VPN server and reconnecting when the VPN connection is lost.


Click [OK] once you are done.


 

STEP 5

The VPN configuration that you have just set up will now be visible. Make sure that it is selected and then select [Action] > [Connect] to start the connection.




2.3  Connecting to a VPN server via WireGuard VPN
This section guides you through the process of connecting your ASUSTOR NAS to a WireGuard VPN server.

STEP 1
Log in to ADM using your web browser
Select Settings
Click Network
Press Add
Choose Create VPN



STEP 2
WireGuard VPN requires the installation of ADM Kernel Extensions, which can be installed by clicking on the hyperlink to App Central.



STEP 3
Install ADM Kernel Extensions.





STEP 4
Select WireGuard VPN and press Next.





STEP 5
Fill in the various fields as needed and press finish. The WireGuard VPN settings are stored in the connection list.


If needed, additional options can be found by clicking on Advanced to make additional changes. Advanced offers options for the listen port, a peer’s preshared key, allowed IP addresses and interval adjustment of persistent keepalive requests.

Click OK once done.




STEP 6
The new VPN connection will now be visible. Select it, press action and then connect to connect to your preferred VPN server or service.




2.4 Connecting to a VPN Service Provider with WireGuard VPN

Select the WireGuard protocol service in the VPN service provider's interface.


Select “I have a key pair”


Enter a name for this connection


Enter the name of the new WireGuard VPN connection and click "Generate Keypair"


Copy the generated public key and paste it into the designated field of the VPN service provider.


Choose a VPN server provided by the service provider. Some VPN service providers instead provide either the current fastest server currently or the closest server. Depending on your provider, you usually are able to choose your own server.


Each server will have a corresponding configuration file available for download.

Use a basic text editor like Notepad to open the configuration file and edit following fields:  [Interface] 1. Address
[Peer] 2. PublicKey 3. Endpoint.


Paste the newly made information into the WireGuard VPN connection fields in ADM as follows:


Press Finish to complete configuration.

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