Adding Users to OpenVPN Access Server

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Introduction

This document provides an overview of setting up authentication, creating users, and downloading OpenVPN Connect, which are all essential parts of launching your VPN.

Setting up authentication

Configure your server’s authentication before adding any user accounts. The default authentication method is local, where the authentication resides on your server. If you choose this authentication method, you can skip forward to adding new users.

For other authentication options, refer to these document links for your scenario:

Add new users in Admin Web UI

To add users, sign in to your Access Server’s Admin Web UI and navigate to User Management > User Permissions. We provide a detailed guide for this procedure in our user manual: Adding and Configuring Users.

When creating new users, enter their username, assign them to a group, choose whether to grant admin privileges, allow auto-login for the profile, and click on More Settings to define a password and enter optional configuration settings. You can find details about this procedure in our user manual: User Management: User Permissions.

Groups provide you with another layer of access control. To create new groups, access the User Management section in the Admin Web UI and click Group Permissions. You can find details about this concept in our user manual: User Management: Group Permissions.

Download OpenVPN Connect from Client Web UI

Once you've set up your users, they can log in to your Access Server Client Web UI and download either a preconfigured OpenVPN Connect client or a profile file. If you’ve already set up a hostname, your users can navigate to that hostname in a browser, such as vpn.example.com. If you aren’t using a hostname, your users must go to the IP address of your server. On the Client Web UI, users sign in with their credentials and then choose which app they want to download for their OS.

Your users can also download OpenVPN Connect directly from our website. After download, the users install and launch the app, click to add a new connection, enter the Client Web UI URL with their credentials, and import their profile.

Purchasing a Subscription for more connections

OpenVPN Access Server provides you with two free connections. You can test out your network setup prior to making any commitments or purchases. When you’re ready to add more devices, you can purchase a subscription.

You can find details about pricing here: Access Server Pricing.

What’s Next?

We’ve provided a general overview of the user setup for your VPN connections.

Have you already set up your hostname for your server? If not, go to Setting up your OpenVPN Access Server Hostname.

Have you already set up your network configuration? If not, go to VPN Settings Guide.

You can find additional details for final steps here: