OPNsense 23.1.6 - openvpn widget missing virtual address display

[Flamez]

Looks like this fix below is missing in the latest update (OPNsense 23.1.6-amd64). I may be wrong, but it's not showing on my box after updating.


A hotfix release was issued as 23.1.5_4:

o openvpn: fix typo in widget missing virtual address display

[franco]

I don't want to speculate on changelog entries. I'd rather see screenshots from 23.1.5_4 and 23.1.6 side to side.

Yes there were more changes (for byte counters and sorting specifically) but there was no (intentional) change to revert something. The development version code is now the same as stable so if there is something wrong it would be a regression.

The different modes OpenVPN runs in and reports on in different ways is hard to manage without reliable user input.


Thanks,
Franco

[Flamez]

I just noticed this patch will fix the issue i was reporting.  Applied it and it resolved my issue.

https://github.com/opnsense/core/commit/8a3040fecdd93bd9bf457c281b7994e92c166ede

I will do better next time and provide screenshots. 

-Flamez

[benyamin]

Also this post still on page one of the forum here: https://forum.opnsense.org/index.php?topic=33677.0

It was the remote address and not the virtual address, although it is somewhat ambiguous in how they are represented in the widget.

[AES777GCM]

Hi Franco,

there is still the same phenomenon with 23.1.6 and OpenVPN. By random
a) the Dashboard entries for OpenVPN (Widget) becoming empty/red and
b) under Services the OpenVPN entry shows the red stop symbol...

suggest OpenVPN not running; in fact it is.
You'll se it in Gateway Section; OVPN ist still running.

This annoying behaviour is to be seen since transformation from 22.x to 23.x
Maybe somebody can fix it?

However - thx for all of your work and giving the world this great firewall.

Best regards,
Udo

[franco]

The widget issue is:

https://github.com/opnsense/core/commit/14fbf4302f18

# opnsense-patch 14fbf4302f18

But I'm not sure about the other?


Cheers,
Franco

[AES777GCM]

I have to revise my previous post; it's worse. The fact is that the indicator in the widget goes to red (after "sometime") and under Services the OpenVPN button goes to Stop.

The VPN connection may or may not still work then. In any case, restarting the service from the GUI is not possible. A "Restart all services" from the ROOT MENU in the shell does nothing and also a reboot may not cleanly restart the OpenVPN service.

The only reliable thing is a manual KILL of the process, which you have determined with PGREP before. Afterwards the service can be started again via the GUI. And the game starts again.

As it is now I cannot recommend OPNSENSE 23.1.6. I will go back to 22.7.x this weekend.

[franco]

I think the more you look the more you think it's worse and I have to say that I've only heard of cosmetic issues which got fixed in a timely manner.

If you want to insist on saying it's all bad I suggest you bring the traceable evidence and then we can even work on a fix which is our traditional way to settle problems going forward.


Cheers,
Franco

[AES777GCM]

Hi Franco,

first of all I have absolute appreciation for you, you guys and the great product called OPNsense. And I don't want the impression that I'm looking for a mistake here to make myself important.

I had from mid 2021 to late 2022 a Fritz Box downstream OPNSENSE as a sub-distributor of my LAN and to separate the IOTs from the PC core network absolutely satisfied with a permanent connection to my VPN provider (OVPN) operated. With 22.7.1 there was briefly a hickup, but you had then repaired by hotfix.

With update to 23.1 began for me the trouble. I don't know the internals, but you must have changed more than just cosmetics; I think the switch to MVC is a certain factor.

My evidence now is that I have currently ripped the OPNSENSE out of my LAN and only run it in the lab, because I don't want to do to my family that the VPN needs a manual restart every 2-5 days.

Therefore - my admission. And therefore my return to 22.7.11

[franco]

Thanks, I'd simply try to understand why posting to a widget thread issue expanding the scope like that. I'm assuming it's about OpenVPN so my confusion about "MVC" situation is big because we haven't rolled out any OpenVPN MVC conversion that actively does something with OpenVPN. Status pages (minus the stop/start) are read only and impact is highly limited. So again I'd just like to understand what happened in your situation that others are not seeing and how 23.1 vs. 22.7 is involved... it would also help to pinpoint the issue to a specific 23.1.x release, but again unsure what we are looking for here.


Cheers,
Franco

[benyamin]

@AES777GCM, it might pay to start a new topic with your particular issue, perhaps titled "OpenVPN client intermittently hangs and refuses to restart", or similar.

Although likely unrelated, this post might give some insight and ideas regarding troubleshooting. I note that at the time of posting, the OP has not responded to indicate whether they had resolved the issue.