OpenVPN

This guide outlines the steps to configure a Jetson device with an ARK M.2 LTE modem and a Ground Control Station (GCS) to connect through an OpenVPN Access Server on AWS.

Prerequisites

  • OpenVPN Access Server set up on AWS EC2 (refer to OpenVPN AWS EC2 Setup Guide).

  • Jetson device with ARK M.2 LTE modem for internet connectivity.

  • Ground Control Station running Linux with QGroundControl installed.

  • Internet access for both devices

OpenVPN Access Server setup

  1. Access the OpenVPN Admin Panel. Open a browser and login using your admin credentials. The default admin user is openvpn.

    https://<AWS-instance-public-IP>/admin

  2. Under Configuration -> VPN Settings -> Static IP Address Network section, set up the subnet:

    • Network Address: 172.27.17.0

    • Netmask Bits: 24

  3. Add the Subnet 172.27.17.0/24 to the Routing table:

  4. Create Jetson user and assign a static IP

    1. Under User Management -> User Permissions create new user jetson. Ensure Allow auto-login is selected for both jetson and openvpn users and click Save Settings.

    2. On the jetson user click More Settings and under IP Addressing select Use Static. Assign a static IP address in the subnet 172.27.17.0. For example 172.27.17.10

  5. Create user profiles for Jetson and GCS

    1. Under User Management -> User Profiles create a new profile for the openvpn and jetson users. Ensure Autologin is selected..

    2. After creating the profile, the .ovpn configuration file will download automatically. This will will only be downloaded once. You must delete and recreate the profile if you lose this file.

Configure OpenVPN clients

Perform these steps on both the Jetson and GCS, using the .ovpn file for each device. This will install OpenVPN and configure it to start automatically at boot using systemd.

  1. Install OpenVPN:

    sudo apt install openvpn -y

  2. Transfer the Jetson .ovpn file from the Host PC to the Jetson

    scp /path/to/jetson.ovpn jetson@jetson.local:/home/jetson/

  3. Move and rename the OpenVPN configuration:

    sudo mv ~/<config_file>.ovpn /etc/openvpn/client.conf

  4. Enable the service to start automatically on boot:

    sudo systemctl enable openvpn@client

  5. Start the OpenVPN Service:

    sudo systemctl start openvpn@client

  6. Verify VPN Connection:

    ip addr show tun0

Verify VPN Connection Between Jetson and GCS

You should now be able to ping the Jetsons VPN IP addresss from the GCS and vice versa:

  • On the Jetson:

    ping <gcs-vpn-ip>

  • On the GCS:

    ping <jetson-vpn-ip>

Troubleshooting

  • Connected but clients cant ping? Under VPN Settings - Routing, ensure clients are given access to the subnet.

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