OpenVPN - Overview

Overview

OpenVPN is a free, open-source protocol that creates secure connections between devices over the internet. It’s used to create virtual private networks (VPNs).

This integration enriches and ingests the following events:

• Authentication Events: Represents user login attempts, including successful and failed authentications.
• Connection Events: Represents instances when a client establishes or disconnects a VPN session.

This integration seamlessly collects all of the above listed logs, channeling them into Datadog for analysis. Leveraging the built-in logs pipeline, these logs are parsed and enriched, enabling effortless search and analysis. The OpenVPN integration provides insight into authentication and connection events through the out-of-the-box dashboards. Additionally, it includes ready-to-use Cloud SIEM detection rules for enhanced monitoring and security.

Setup

Installation

To install the OpenVPN integration, run the following Agent installation command and the steps below for log collection. For more information, see the Integration Management documentation.

Note: This step is not necessary for Agent version >= 7.65.0.

Linux command:

sudo -u dd-agent -- datadog-agent integration install datadog-openvpn==1.0.0

Configuration

Log collection

1. Collecting logs is disabled by default in the Datadog Agent. Enable log collection in your datadog.yaml:

   logs_enabled: true
   

2. Add this configuration block to your openvpn.d/conf.yaml file to start collecting your OpenVPN logs.

   See the sample openvpn.d/conf.yaml for available configuration options. The appropriate protocol (either TCP or UDP) should be chosen based on the OpenVPN syslog forwarding configuration.

   logs:
    - type: tcp/udp
      port: <PORT>
      service: openvpn
      source: openvpn
   

   Note:

   • PORT: Port should be similar to the port provided in Configure syslog message forwarding from openvpn server.
   • It is recommended not to change the service and source values, as these parameters are integral to the pipeline’s operation.

3. Restart the Agent.

Configure Syslog Message Forwarding from OpenVPN Server

• Please follow provided link steps to configure syslog over OpenVPN: Configure syslog over OpenVPN

Validation

Run the Agent’s status subcommand and look for openvpn under the Checks section.

Data Collected

Logs

The OpenVPN integration collects Authentication Events and Connection Events.

Metrics

The OpenVPN integration does not include any metrics.

Events

The OpenVPN integration does not include any events.

Service Checks

The OpenVPN integration does not include any service checks.

Troubleshooting

OpenVPN

Permission denied while port binding:

If you see a Permission denied error while port binding in the Agent logs, see the following instructions:

1. Binding to a port number under 1024 requires elevated permissions.

   • Grant access to the port using the setcap command:

     sudo setcap CAP_NET_BIND_SERVICE=+ep /opt/datadog-agent/bin/agent/agent
     

   • Verify the setup is correct by running the getcap command:

     sudo getcap /opt/datadog-agent/bin/agent/agent
     

     Example of the expected output:

     /opt/datadog-agent/bin/agent/agent = cap_net_bind_service+ep
     

     Note: Re-run this setcap command every time you upgrade the Agent.

2. Restart the Agent.

Data is not being collected:

Make sure that traffic is bypassed from the configured port if the firewall is enabled.

Port already in use:

If you see the Port <PORT-NO> Already in Use error, see the following instructions. The example below is for PORT-NO = 514:

On systems using Syslog, if the Agent listens for events on port 514, the following error can appear in the Agent logs: Can't start UDP forwarder on port 514: listen udp :514: bind: address already in use.

This error occurs because Syslog listens on port 514 by default. To resolve it, use one of the following steps:

• Disable Syslog.
• Configure the Agent to listen on a different, available port.

Troubleshooting OpenVPN Logs Not Appearing in Datadog

If OpenVPN logs are not appearing in Datadog after setup, try restarting openvpnas and rsyslog services.

• Run the following command to restart openvpnas service:

  service openvpnas restart
  

• Run the following command to restart rsyslog service:

  service rsyslog restart
  

For any further assistance, contact Datadog support.