The first reason I think Open VPN should be used by anyone seeking to make their own server is because you can’t beat the price tag. While there are many other packages online that my costs 100 or more dollars, Open VPN is available totally free. Furthermore, you get everything you could possibly need also it still costs absolutely nothing. Looking to set up a server where you verify VPN accounts with a different username and password? Or perhaps you prefer to use your verification file or certificate for each individual user. This is just a brief look at what options and features Open VPN offers. Hopefully this free software package can actually do a lot and still costs absolutely nothing.

Another added benefit is the fact that even though you might set your VPN server on a Ubuntu based server your clients can still access the server using Windows, Mac OSx, or even their mobile phone. Ubuntu is great for setting up servers on but you that most ordinary people use either Windows or Mac OSx. This means you don’t have to worry about teaching people how to use Ubuntu if they want to use your VPN server. You can setup your VPN and then share it with your family or friends with very little difficulty.

The final the other good thing that Open VPN has for it is that it can be installed on just about every kind of Ubuntu operating-system available today. However, with that said I strongly recommend when you are setting up your personal VPN for the very first time then you should go with ubuntu since it is the easiest one to configure. You’ll find that most VPN software today can be challenging and time-consuming to get installed and running. However, Open VPN is extremely easy to get up and running. Knowing what to do your find that the entire software can be set up, installed, and running in less than 10 to 15 minutes. This will make it an obvious option for anyone who was only starting out with VPN servers and really wants to find the best way to get your personal wine up and running with very little hassle as possible.

Probably the main reason why recommend open VPN is because it is absolutely free. Normally when it comes to software free is actually a bad thing because it means that the program is usually limited or crippled in some way. Open VPN is anything but limited or crippled, because it provides everything you need when it comes to setting up a VPN. There are several different ways to verify clients, such as username and password or using special certificates for different accounts, and the client software is also available for many different types of operating systems. This means that you can set your VPN up on a LINUX server, and then access your VPN using Windows, Mac OSx, or even with your cellphone. Obviously there’s a lot more features than just this, but this is a sample of how much you can get from this completely free software.

Besides being free, the other reason you should seriously consider open VPN is because with the right instructions you can have the server setup configured and running in literally minutes. Most LINUX based VPN servers come with many options and a very thick instruction manual. While this is also true for open VPN, the good news is that once you know your way around the program it’s actually very simple and straightforward to set up. This is really good for anyone who is not very familiar with LINUX and the type of commands and instructions that usually come with LINUX based programs.

There are a lot of LINUX VPN server packages out there, but open VPN provides you with everything you could possibly need. It doesn’t matter if you’re just starting out or have years of experience with LINUX servers, there’s bound to be something in there that is just right for you and your needs. Open VPN allows you to create a LINUX based VPN server which can be accessed by just about every other operating system available today. You’ll also be able to authenticate user accounts using various methods. All of this combined makes open VPN the absolute best and simple solution for all your VPN needs.

It should go without saying that you need to find a host for your VPN. Your VPN server is not hosted on your home computer, so you will need to find a company that can provide you with the right kind of hosting suitable for a private server. The good news is that there are plenty. There are several websites online that have forums dedicated entirely to hosting offers that you can browse over. Not only will you find more offers than you will ever need, but you’ll also have the option of setting up your server in another country if you so desire. Always be sure to ask your host if they allow VPNs, how many IPs they can give you and what location or countries they can setup servers in.

Once you’ve found a hosting package, the next thing you need to focus on is what VPN server software you will use. If you do a quick search online you will see that there are plenty of different companies all offering their own software packages. While you may want to play around and test each of these packages by yourself, you could save yourself a lot of time by just going with OpenVPN. OpenVPN is recommended because it allows you to encrypt the connection between the client computer and the server. This is important because it makes anything you do online with your VPN totally secure. No-one can read any of the information you transmit to and back from your VPN.

Setting up the server software is probably the most complex step involved and goes beyond the scope of what we can cover here. However, you will basically be creating user certificates that will allow your client to access the server. No username or password is required. Instead you simply copy the certificate files onto the client machine, install the client OpenVPN software and you are ready to go. This step is very easy to do and you can distribute the encrypted files out via email if you plan on sharing your VPN with others. Each client has a unique certificate so they don’t have to worry about other users somehow gaining access to what they do online with the VPN.

SSL is an acronym that stands for secure sockets layer. This technology essentially allows you to create an encrypted and totally secure tunnel between two points. Most people are familiar with this when they purchase or buy something online and notice that the URL address often changes to HTTPs instead of the common HTTP. The “s” here refers to the SSL mentioned above, and it simply means that any data transferred between your home computer and the website is encrypted and secure. If anyone managed to take a look at the data that was being transmitted, they would see nothing more than garbled text and letters due to the encryption. Hopefully now you can see why an SSL VPN server is important. Using one means that any data you send and receive from your home computer to the VPN is secure. It means that if your ISP or someone else takes a look at what you are sending and receiving, they will not be able to read it unless they decode the encryption.

The good news is that there is a wide range of software vendors that all come with the ability to setup an SSL VPN server. One that comes highly recommended is known as OpenVPN, simply because it is flexible, powerful and completely free. Setting up a VPN server that uses SSL is as simple as creating certificates for each client or user and then installing those certificates on the client’s computer. Provided you have the certificates, then you will be able to access and use the VPN without a problem. All data sent and received is encrypted, and encrypted at such a high level that it is basically impossible for anyone to break it.

If you are yet to setup your own VPN or are looking at setting up a new one, then seriously consider taking a look at what OpenVPN can do for you with a SSL VPN server configuration. Setting these servers up is no more difficult than setting up a standard server, but they offer you the added ability to encrypt and protect any information you send while online. This is obviously important if you are using a VPN for personal, business or just anything that you don’t want others to know about. You can even create different SSL certificates for each client or user on your server, so they aren’t worried about others somehow gaining access to their account.

Firstly, OpenVPN offers client software for a wide range of different operating systems. The standard Mac OS X and Windows, there are also packages available for Android cell phones. The beauty of this is that you can setup a VPN server and then access it using a number of ways. With Android cell phones becoming increasingly popular, it is handy to know that you or your clients can access your VPN from their cellphone if out on the road.

Another added benefit of the OpenVPN server software is that clients can authenticate themselves via several different methods. The most basic is preshared secret key, where users all access the VPN using a shared key. This is obviously the easiest way to get a server up and running so you can use it. The common username and password configuration is also available. However, the most powerful feature here is the ability to use certifcates. Certificate files are created for each user, and they are extremely secure. Regardless of which one you choose, OpenVPN gives you the ability to setup a server using a wide variety of authentication methods making it extremely flexible.

Cost is another final area where OpenVPN can’t be beat. While there may be cases where paying for software is the best thing to do, this just isn’t true when it comes to software for your VPN server. The reason for this is because there’s nothing this free server software can’t do that commercial packages can. In actual fact, you may find that commercial vendors actually offer you software that isn’t as powerful or as flexible as the free OpenVPN software is.

Feel free to try out any of the other software vendors you see around online, but you’ll soon discover that the smartest thing to do is to use OpenVPN. There’s nothing it can’t do, but at the same time it offers you possible the highest level of encryption and safety you can find online with a VPN. With the added benefit of the entire package being completely free, it is no wonder that I personally recommend and more and more people are deciding to get with this software when setting up their own virtual private network server.

There are plenty of hosting companies around and the most common kind of hosting account they offer is the standard website hosting. This hosting is very cheap and cheerful. Besides paying your bill, not much else is required to get this hosting up and running. The problem here is that website hosting is meant for just that, websites. They are extremely low-end and often have many features disabled to save on resource power. What this means for anyone who wants to setup a VPN server is that it won’t work. You may be able to install the software, but you’ll find that many functions or features found on the hosting server have been disabled. You’ll probably get half way through configuring your server only to find out that you can’t go any further. This is why website hosting simply won’t work.

If you want to setup a VPN then you are going to need what is commonly known as a VPS. VPS here stands for “Virtual Private Server”. Don’t let the name fool you into thinking this is some kind of complex and expensive dedicated server. As you may have already guessed from the name, a VPS is very similar to a dedicated server. However, the main difference here is that it is virtual. Several of these setups are installed on a dedicated server, and this basically allows hosts to provide customers like you who want a powerful server without the high costs usually associated with dedicated servers. A VPS has all the kind of features and software required that make setting up a VPN possible. This also means that you can get a VPS for next to nothing, around $5 – $10 USD per month.

There are plenty of hosts around that can provide you with the right kind of hosting to get your VPN up and running with. Don’t make the common mistake that so many people do when they attempt to setup their first VPN by picking the wrong kind of hosting. Only a VPS will do and nothing less. The good news is that many hosts can even have your VPS account setup and running in a matter of minutes, literally. All that remains now once you’ve got your hosting account is to setup your VPN server.

The first thing you need to keep in mind when trying to find a fast server to use is what country is the server located in? If you are on one side of the planet and your server is on the other, then you should expect a slight delay. This is common because it takes time for data to travel back and forth from your vpn. If you want to speed up your connection then make sure you pick a VPN that is as close as possible to your home country as you can. This is often easier said than done because sometimes you need an IP on your server from a specific country, and if that country is far away from where you live then you have very little choice. However, this is a great little tip for anyone who just wants to unblock the internet and isn’t concerned about the kind of IPs they get on their server.

The second thing you can do to check the speed between your home computer and the server is to use a common command called “ping”. What “ping” does is test how long it takes for information to reach the server. Using a DOS command box in any kind of Windows operating system, just type “ping” followed by the IP of your vpn server. You’ll see that it shows how many milliseconds the data takes to reach the server. I would strongly recommend that you go for anything that is around 250ms or less. Again, a catch here is the further away your server is from your home country the higher the ping will be, but using this command you can compare vpn servers in the same country and pick the one which as the best speed. This is really easy to do and is one of the best ways to check how fast or slow servers are.

If you want to make sure your virtual private network server is as fast as possible, then take the time to do a little homework. Using the “ping” command is one of the best ways to measure the speed of any server, but also remember to try and pick a server that is a close as possible to where you live. This is easy to do especially when you are setting up your own vpn server. Being able to setup your own server means that you have complete control over it and can ensure that you do everything possible to make sure you have as fast a server as you possibly can.

China is notorious for it’s “Great Firewall”, and this is one of the main reasons people in China use a VPN on the internet. The “Great Firewall” acts much like a normal firewall does, but it affects the entire country. All internet activity is monitored and tracked in China. What does this mean for you? It means that even things like Facebook and Twitter can be blocked, if the authorities wish to do so. Of course there are “local” versions that Chinese citizens use, but since they are all in Chinese it means that any foreigners living in China either need to learn how to read Chinese or find some way to access the blocked sites that are overseas. It makes sense that most foreigners in China would prefer to use any accounts they have already created on sites like Youtube and Twitter, instead of creating news one on the local Chinese versions. To do this you’ll need a vpn server of your own, because you have to unblock the internet. VPNs make this possible because the government has no idea that you are using the VPN to surf the internet with. This doesn’t mean they can’t see your connect to the virtual private network server, it just means they don’t know what you are doing with it.

The above was just an example of the kind of problems you’ll face living in other countries. It can be a huge mistake to assume that you’ll enjoy the same kind of freedom on the internet in a country like China as you would in the USA. Sadly, most people don’t realize how bad internet censorship can be until they actually arrive and by that time it is too late. Finding or getting access to a VPN if you are already in China can be difficult, it is a much better idea to setup your own private server before you actually go. VPN servers are very easy to setup once you know how. The added benefit of setting up your own means that not only does it save you money in the long run, but it means that you don’t have to worry about being stuck in a country with blocked internet access anymore.

It is now very common to find public access points at airports, coffee shops and a number of other public places. These access points provide Internet access and obviously are very popular as many people find it very convenient to check their mail or transmit documents while on the go or taking a break. Hackers can use special software that sniffs or spies on data that people transmit and receive at these hot spots. Most people have their computers setup to send raw data while using a hot spot, and this means that it is very easy to see what you are sending and receiving online. How can you make this near impossible for hackers to do? A VPN server is the best way to stop hackers dead in their tracks and make it impossible for them to see your personal data.

VPN servers can stop hackers from spying on your data because everything that you send to and receive from the VPN is completely encrypted. This is just one of the many reasons why VPNs are so popular, because they are extremely safe and secure when compared to traditional ways of using the Internet. Each user on a VPN has a security certificate which is encrypted at such high levels that it would take thousands of years using today’s technology to break it. Put simply, hackers won’t waste time trying to gain access to your data as soon as they see that you are using a VPN server. So the next time you are at a public access point and about to get on the Internet, ask yourself how safe are you online? You may want to seriously consider using a virtual private network server if the kind of information you are about to transmit is of importance.

Preventing hackers from sniffing any data you send at access points is just one of the many advantages that a VPN server offers. They also make it possible for you to be anonymous while actually surfing the internet, and also allow you to easily change and hide your real IP. Virtual private networks are the most effective and secure way for you to protect yourself and your private data on the Internet today.

Virtual private networks make you anonymous because they give you a new IP. This IP is one that is located on the VPN server that you connect to, and while you are surfing the internet your IP will be reported as that of the one on the VPN. Websites and webmasters have no way of tracking beyond the VPN. The server is as far as they can see, and this means that wherever the VPN server is, then that is where you will appear to be from. VPNs often also come with multiple IPs, and this means that with a click of a button you can rotate or change your IP to something completely different. This adds to the level of anonymity they offer, because it means that you can avoid leaving any traces by using an IP too frequently on any website that you visit.

Why would you need this kind of anonymity offered by a VPN server? It is a known fact that websites log and track user activity. If you are someone who is concerned about your personal privacy, then it is important that you make it difficult for anyone, hackers or competitors, to know about your online activities. Using multiple IPs on a VPN means that webmasters may not be aware of when you visit, why you are visiting, where you are from and what kind of information you send or share online. This is important if you use multiple accounts and don’t want anyone knowing this.

A VPN server can be used for a variety of reasons, but one of the most beneficial is that of being anonymous. Changing your IP to one on the VPN and having access to several different ones means that it is extremely difficult for anyone to track what you do online. In the information age, information is king and protecting yourself online is something that everyone should be concerned about.