How to configure a DigitalOcean VPN server with UTunnel

Organizations are looking at VPN solutions as a powerful tool to protect their sensitive data resources from cyber threats and to enable secure access to resources, given the notable increase in the number of firms migrating to the cloud.

Developers, enterprises, and organizations can use an infrastructure-as-a-service platform from top cloud provider DigitalOcean. The most popular way is to use the classic open-source method to deploy a DigitalOcean VPN server. Beginner users are, however, at a disadvantage with this choice since it requires a certain amount of technical know-how and Linux understanding to set up the VPN server. With just a few clicks, novices and experts alike can quickly and simply set up a DigitalOcean VPN server thanks to UTunnel's simple-to-deploy VPN solutions.

Secure remote access solutions from UTunnel are adaptable and easily expandable to meet your needs. With user-friendly client apps, its elegant web-based console guarantees simple user and group management. In addition to many other features, it includes multi-factor authentication, site-to-site tunneling, end-to-end encryption, and single-sign-on.

You can set up your DigitalOcean VPN server with UTunnel using the integrated cloud option and Bring Your Own Server (BYOS)/On-Premise.

Integrated Cloud Option

The simplest method for creating a DigitalOcean VPN server with UTunnel is the integrated cloud option because it sets up the VPN server in minutes and eliminates the laborious server deployment process thanks to UTunnel's fully automated deployment process. These are the steps you must take to configure a DigitalOcean VPN server using the integrated cloud feature.

Signing Up With UTunnel: Start by navigating to the dashboard after logging onto your UTunnel account. You can register with UTunnel and create an individual or organization account if you don't already have one.

Creating The Server: On the dashboard, select the "Create Server" button situated in the upper right corner. Your billing address will need to be entered on the Create Server page that appears after you click the button. You can also choose to skip this entirely optional step by selecting the Skip button.

Configuring The Server: The server configuration page is where you may complete the next step, which is to configure your server. Based on your requirements, you can choose the Server Package to be Basic or Standard to begin setting up the server. As the server name, you can provide an easily recognizable name and set the server type to cloud. Next, pick DigitalOcean as your cloud provider and the location for your VPN server's deployment. Subsequently, you can decide which Instance Type best suits your server's requirements and how many VPN accounts you wish to use it to access.

After completing the server configurations, click the Proceed button to save them. Verify and confirm your server configuration data before proceeding with the payment.

Since the creation of the server commences automatically, you will be taken to the Server Creation page, where you may examine the different stages of the DigitalOcean VPN server creation process. You may see a brief summary of your newly built DigitalOcean VPN server on the Server Overview page, which will be displayed to you after the server creation process is finished.

Using the integrated cloud option, this is how you can quickly and easily set up a DigitalOcean VPN server with UTunnel. You may invite users to log in and begin using the VPN service.

Bring Your Own Server Option

For consumers who would rather have greater control and freedom over their VPN server, DigitalOcean often offers the Bring Your Own Server or On-Premise option for setting up a VPN server. Through its marketplace app, UTunnel makes it possible to build and operate DigitalOcean VPN servers without difficulty. By following these simple steps, users can bring in their Droplet or DigitalOcean VPS and quickly set up a VPN server:

Configuring & Deploying a Droplet: To begin, sign into your DigitalOcean account and select the "Get Started with a Droplet" option. After that, you'll be directed to the Create Droplets page, where you'll need to select an image before you can start creating Droplets. Navigate to the Marketplace tab and use the search box to find the UTunnel Marketplace app by typing UTunnel. From the list of search results, select UTunnel VPN and configure the server's size, location, and type to suit your requirements. Proceed with the DigitalOcean deployment, and once it's done, copy the IP address of the Droplet from the DigitalOcean dashboard.

Signing up With UTunnel: The next step in the process of setting up an on-premise DigitalOcean VPN is to log in to the UTunnel website and create an Individual or Organization account. When you've finished creating the account, sign in to your UTunnel dashboard and select the "Create Server" button located in the upper right corner of the screen.

Configuring The VPN Server: The Create Server page will open after you click the Create Server button, and you'll be prompted to enter your billing address there. You can also skip this step and directly proceed to the Server Configuration page by clicking on the Skip button.

You can proceed to configure the server settings according to your requirements on the Server Configuration page. You can choose from the Basic or Standard Server Package and set the Server Type to On-Premise. Proceed to enter the IP address of your DigitalOcean Droplet and provide a name for your server. Now you may choose how many VPN accounts you wish to access from this VPN server and input the coupon code if you have any. Click the Proceed button to navigate to the next page after you have finished configuring the server settings.

Reviewing Your Order & Payment: You can now review and confirm the server settings and specifications before moving forward to finish the payment. Click the Proceed button to finish the payment and launch the server creation.

Server Creation: After the server creation gets initialized, you will be directed to the Server Overview page, where you can view the server registration token. You are advised to copy this registration token, as you may need it later for server registration.

Connecting Server via SSH: You can now deploy the on-premise DigitalOcean VPN server by connecting to SSH and running the following commands:

You must have sudo access to perform the commands.

As the first step, you need to disable the default firewall rules

sudo systemctl stop ufw && systemctl disable ufw

After disabling the firewall rules, proceed to install UTUnnel by running the following commands:

sudo mkdir /utunnel && cd /utunnel sudo wget https://files.utunnel.io/production/deploy/install_bundle_20.tar sudo tar -xf install_bundle_20.tar

Now, to register the server, please run the command:

sudo /utunnel/bin/utnservice register YOUR_REG_TOKEN

You must replace YOUR_REG_TOKEN with the registration token you copied from the Server Overview page.

After registering the server you can run this code to start the UTunnel Service

sudo /utunnel/bin/utnservice start

You should also allow inbound connections to the following ports:

• TCP 443 and UDP 443 for OpenVPN connections

• UDP 4500 and UDP 500 for IPSEC connections

• TCP 38081 which is the UTunnel Services Management port

You have now successfully deployed an on-premise DigitalOcean VPN server.