OpenVPN

OpenVPN is a system that enables secure connections either between two points or between sites in a virtual private network.

You can consult the OpenVPN documentation for more details.

Please note that these instructions are intended for Linux and MacOS systems only.

To get started first follow the steps below:

• Install
• Root access
• Verify the required port is open

Older versions can be found here 7, 6, 5

The configuration file below is pre-configured to send data to your Logit.io Stack.

Copy the configuration file below and overwrite the contents of the Filebeat configuration file typically located at /etc/filebeat/filebeat.yml

# ============================== Filebeat inputs ===============================
filebeat.inputs:

- type: filestream

  enabled: true

  paths:
  - 

  fields:
     type: 
  fields_under_root: true
  encoding: utf-8
  ignore_older: 12h

# ================================== Outputs ===================================
output.logstash:
    hosts: ["your-logstash-host:your-ssl-port"]
    loadbalance: true
    ssl.enabled: true

If you’re running Filebeat 7.10 or older, change the type as shown below.

- type: log

It’s a good idea to run the configuration file through a YAML validator to rule out indentation errors, clean up extra characters, and check if your YAML file is valid. Yamllint.com is a great choice.

If you have issues starting in the next step, you can use these commands below to troubleshoot.

Let's check the configuration file is syntactically correct by running directly inside the terminal. If the file is invalid, will print an error loading config file error message with details on how to correct the problem.

deb/rpm

sudo  -e -c /etc//.yml

macOS

cd <EXTRACTED_ARCHIVE>
sudo ./ -e -c .yml

Windows

cd <EXTRACTED_ARCHIVE>
.\.exe -e -c .yml

Start or restart to apply the configuration changes.

Now you should view your data:

View my data

If you don't see logs take a look at How to diagnose no data in Stack below for how to diagnose common issues.

If you don't see data appearing in your Stack after following the steps, visit the Help Centre guide for steps to diagnose no data appearing in your Stack or Chat to support now.

OpenVPN is a well-known open-source VPN solution that offers secure and encrypted connectivity for remote sites and users. To effectively monitor and analyze OpenVPN activity, it is crucial to have a dependable and efficient log management solution.

OpenVPN generates logs that record important information about system activity, connection attempts, and client behavior. To efficiently manage these logs, organizations can utilize Filebeat, which is an open-source log shipper, to send OpenVPN logs to various destinations such as Elasticsearch, Logstash, or OpenSearch.

Filebeat is widely used because of its compatibility and ease of use for sending logs from OpenVPN to different destinations. To ship OpenVPN logs to Filebeat, organizations can configure OpenVPN to write logs to a specific location, and then Filebeat can collect and forward the log data to other destinations like OpenSearch.

Having a robust log management solution in place enables organizations to gain valuable insights into OpenVPN activity and take proactive steps to ensure optimal system performance and security. By utilizing tools like the Elastic Stack and Filebeat, organizations can analyze data from various sources and have a better understanding of VPN connectivity and user behavior.

If you need any further assistance with shipping your log data to Logit.io we're here to help you get started. Feel free to get in contact with our support team by sending us a message via live chat & we'll be happy to assist.