The Configuration of OpenVPN is mostly similar for the different versions of windows.

We will document here a method of installation which features the official OpenVPN GUI from the OpenVPN Project. As it is the nature of most free software projects, there are other methods/Clients available, you are free to use them as you see fit, as long as you will not disrupt our services in any way.

You are of course encouraged to read the OpenVPN documentation, which is located at the official OpenVPN Project Site.

Before being able to connect to our VPN Service, you will need your retrieve your personal OpenVPN configuration profile, which will contain all necessary client settings and your personal identification in form of a user certificate. Please read this page for more information how to obtain this profile:

How to obtain OpenVPN profiles

First you have to download the client software. You can find it on this page:

OpenVPN Project Site - Downloads

Always choose the most recent package which fits your personal windows version. The package contains everything you will need. Install the package using the default settings.

Now start the OpenVPN GUI via the start menu. If you are using OpenVPN for the first time, the Client will present you with the following informational dialog - which you can safely disregard, as we will address the mentioned issue in the next step and the client continues to run afterwards.

You will find a new icon in the system tray in direct proximity to the system clock in the lower right of your screen. right-click on it and click on “Import”:

Select the profile with your connection data in the following file selection dialog. then, search the icon in the taskbar again, klick it with the right mousebutton and select “connect” in the popup-menu:

Now the connection window will open, presenting to you the logged events of the connection attempt. During this process, a dialog will pop up and ask for your password. Just use the same password there you used to login to the user management interface while obtaining your profile:

If you used the correct password, the connection will be established, turning the icon in the system tray first yellow, then green:

If anything goes wrong, please send us the log file of the last connection along with a general description of the problem you have encountered to sgbit@bit.uni-bonn.de. You can access the last log file through right clicking the OpenVPN GUI icon in the system tray and selecting “Log Information”.