OpenVPN howto documentation typos - sudo/no sudo, wrong dirs

[GavinC]

Binary package hint: ubuntu-docs

in this page:
https://help.ubuntu.com/9.10/serverguide/C/openvpn.html

There are several (of what appear to be) errors.

it reads:
"sudo mkdir /etc/openvpn/easy-rsa/
sudo cp -r /usr/share/doc/openvpn/examples/easy-rsa/2.0/ /etc/openvpn/"

This makes a directory "2.0" inside the /etc/openvpn directory. Yet, below, the docs then say:
"Next, edit /etc/openvpn/easy-rsa/vars adjusting the following to your environment:"

There is no file to edit, because that file has been created in /etc/openvpn/2.0/vars, not in /etc/openvpn/easy-rsa/vars as suggested.

Further, the guide states:
" Enter the following to create the server certificates:

cd /etc/openvpn/easy-rsa/easy-rsa
source vars
./clean-all
"

Unfortunately, even after you move the "2.0" directory contents into the "easy-rsa" directory and edit the vars file, because this instruction doesn't tell you to be either doing these actions via sudo or root, you get a perms error:
"gavin@funkay:/etc/openvpn/easy-rsa$ ./clean-all
mkdir: cannot create directory `/etc/openvpn/easy-rsa/keys': Permission denied"

So, becoming root, it is possible to create the server cert.

[GavinC (gavin-cowie)]

More issues on this doc:
Doc reads:

"The VPN client will also need a certificate to authenticate itself to the server. To create the certificate, enter the following in a terminal:

cd /etc/openvpn/easy-rsa/
source vars
./pkitool hostname"

That's fine, and running it (as root again, see issue above) works.

But then the docs say:

" Copy the following files to the client:

    * /etc/openvpn/easy-rsa/hostname.ovpn
 "
and several others.

Those files are actually located in /etc/openvpn/easy-rsa/keys/

G

[Adam Sommer (asommer)]

Hello,

Thanks for reporting this bug, and helping make Ubuntu better.

The OpenVPN section has been updated for Ubuntu 10.04, can you test the development version found here: http://doc.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/serverguide/C/openvpn.html and see if the issues are resolved?

Thanks again.

[GavinC (gavin-cowie)]

Oh. Yeah, that update is good.

Thanks!

Maybe change link at https://help.ubuntu.com/community/OpenVPN to new updated version.

[Adam Sommer (asommer)]

Great, thanks for testing.

We can update the like in the wiki once Lucid is out and the website is updated. Usually the website is updated within a week or two of release.

[pete (ubuntubugs-5-pete-l)]

> Maybe change link at ....

It's probably worth promoting the fixed documentation to
https://help.ubuntu.com/9.10/serverguide/C/openvpn.html
as well, since this is entitled "Official Documentation"

BTW, it would be nice to qualify the instruction that says to "Copy the following files to the client: "
and say where on the client they should be copied - or if the location doesn't matter, just to note that, too.