OpenVPN / OpenVPN/openvpn

warn on use of `dhcp-option` and `dns` on a server config

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#1,062 0 comments 0 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub

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DNS enhancement
Dominant language
C
Stars
14.6k
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Description

Prompted by #1060 - use of dhcp-option or dns in a --server config is quite likely an error, and the intent really is "push these settings toward the clients". So @ordex suggested to make OpenVPN error-out if such a scenario is encountered.

I would not go there (because it will break existing-if-wrong server configs on upgrade, and breaking VPN servers is especially bad) - but having a clear warning along the lines of

WARNING: --dns option discovered in server config.  To propagate DNS information to clients, use "push dns..." instead

or maybe not.

Recording the discussion here so we can decide either way, and record the result.

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start with issue #1060 and the handling of server configurations containing --server, dhcp-option, and dns. Resolve the recorded alternatives in the issue discussion first; done means the project has a documented decision and an agreed behavior for this configuration.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
c
Domain
networking
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Needs clarification
Newbie friendliness
30/100

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