====== OpenVPN Bridges ======
{{ :user_guide:apdesk:openvpn_bridge.png?nolink |}}
===== Introduction =====
  * We are very exited about a new feature which is now part of  **MESHdesk** as well as **APdesk**.
  * With this feature you can bridge one or more of the entry points (or SSIDs) with a OpenVPN tunnel that can sit any place on the Internet.
  * I can now for instance connect to a SSID in South Africa while it will appear that I am browsing from an IP Address that is located somewhere in Europe or North America.
  * This feature opens up the door to so many new possibilities but those we leave to your own creative powers.
  * Our tests have proven that there is not reason for a dramatic drop on bandwidth while going this route, in fact, depending how and where you connect, you might even experience an increase in available bandwidth!
  * We are sure by now you are in a dire need to check out this feature. Unfortunately the initial setup can be quite involved, but once everything is in place it should run like a Swiss watch.
  * We will follow a divide and conquer rule and break the tasks up into categories in order to accomplish our goal.

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===== Our Setup =====
For this document we will configure the following setup.
==== The Hardware ====
    * One Ubuntu 18.04 server with two Ethernet cards and one public IP Address.
      * Eth1 will have the Public IP Address (198.27.111.78)
      * Eth0 will be segmented using VLANs.
      * We will **not** need any VLAN capable switches.
    * Another server (can be the same) running the latest SVN of RADIUSdesk
    * An Access Point with Internet access, running the latest build from SVN of the MESHdesk firmware.

<WRAP center round info 90%>
== Only one Ethernet port? ==
  * If your server has only one Ethernet port it is not a train smash!
  * We offer an alternative which will use the **dummy** module to mimick a real Ethernet port.
</WRAP>


==== Segmenting Using VLANs ====

  * We will use VLANs configured on Eth0 as follows:
    * VLAN 101 will have Address range 10.101.0.0/16.
    * VLAN 102 will have Address range 10.102.0.0/16.
    * VLAN 103 will have Address range 10.103.0.0/16.
  * These VLANs will each be bridged on the one side with a VLAN on eth0.
    * br0.101 are bridged with eth0.101.
    * br0.102 are bridged with eth0.102.
    * br0.103 are bridged with eth0.103.

==== The VPNs ====

  * The other side of the bridge is a VPN tunnel. 
    * We will create three instances of OpenVPN in server mode.
    * Each of these instances will be bound to a common IP Address (198.27.111.78) but it will have a unique port to ensure uniqueness.

==== The Captive Portals ====

    * Each of the bridges will have a Coova Chilli captive portal running. 
      * The IP Address range of each of these Coova Chilli instances will be such that it can provide enough IP Addresses but also in such a manner that the OpenVPN server will be able to provide up to 100 Clients with IP Addresses and the RADIUSdesk server should provide another 100 Clients with IP Addresses without a conflict.
      * The IP Address range should also reflect that which was assigned to the VLAN.

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 ===== Steps Involved =====
  * [[user_guide:openvpn_bridges_prep_os|Prepare the hardware and OS]]
  * [[user_guide:openvpn_bridges_prep_openvpn|Install and configure OpenVPN]] 
  * [[user_guide:openvpn_bridges_prep_coova|Install and configure CoovaChilli]]
  * [[user_guide:openvpn_bridges_prep_radiusdesk|Configure RADIUSdesk, MESHdesk and APdesk]]


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