VPN

Access HLRS compute service using VPN

Access to HLRS compute platforms requires a registration of the clients IP address in the firewall. If the IP address is not static a connection via VPN is recommended.

To use this feature, please contact your project supervisor and ask him to add the vpn-hww resource in the HLRS user database. Install the Fortigate software on your laptop. The Software can be downloaded at

 https://www.forticlient.com (Windows, Mac)
 https://github.com/adrienverge/openfortivpn (Linux and Mac)

On Fedora, OpenSUSE, and latest Ubuntu openfortivpn is available via packet manager.

On Mac OSX openfortivpn can also be installed via Homebrew or Macports.

Configuration of Fortinet VPN client on Windows

Using the VPN on Windows

Type your login and password to connect. If this works, you are able to login on the frontend servers using ssh e.g.

  ssh -l <your_login> hawk.hww.hlrs.de

Configuration of openfortivpn on Linux

# config file for openfortivpn
host = rmgw.hww.hlrs.de
port = 443
username = your username
# trusted-cert = 5338851771baa67d1a29fa8df7d49ddbd83cbbd517c78e032bf5ab305eaba3f8
# ca-file = /usr/share/ca-certificates/mozilla/Deutsche_Telekom_Root_CA_2.crt

A user certificate is not required. If your Openssl library is configured correctly and your certificate bundles are installed properly it should neither be necessary to explicitly set up the ca certificate. The vpn gateway uses a DFN certificate which is issued below the root ca tree of the German Telekom, one of the CA's trusted by most browsers, the trusted-cert is the digest of the server's certificate which is subject to change every couple of years.