how to install softether vpn on centos 8

What you will read?

1 Step 1: Update Your System
2 Step 2: Install Required Packages
3 Step 3: Download the Latest SoftEther VPN Source Code
4 Step 4: Compile the SoftEther VPN Server
5 Step 5: Configure the VPN Server
6 Step 6: Enable SoftEther VPN Server on Boot
7 Step 7: Create and Configure a Virtual Hub
8 Step 8: Configure Firewall and Open Required Ports
9 Step 9: Optional – Enable OpenVPN Support
10 Step 10: Verify Everything Is Working

The first thing you need to do before installing any package is update your CentOS 8 system to the latest version.

Step 1: Update Your System

Open your terminal and run the following commands:

sudo dnf update -y
sudo dnf install epel-release -y

SoftEther VPN might require certain dependencies, and it’s always a good idea to have everything up to date before proceeding.

Step 2: Install Required Packages

Before we compile and install SoftEther VPN, let’s install the necessary tools and libraries. These will help us compile the SoftEther source code without any errors.

sudo dnf groupinstall "Development Tools" -y
sudo dnf install ncurses-devel readline-devel openssl-devel -y

This will take a few moments. Once completed, your system is ready to compile from source.

Step 3: Download the Latest SoftEther VPN Source Code

Head over to the official SoftEther VPN GitHub repository and grab the latest release. You can clone it directly using git:

cd /usr/local/src
sudo git clone https://github.com/SoftEtherVPN/SoftEtherVPN.git
cd SoftEtherVPN

Then checkout the latest stable release (you can replace the tag with the latest one if needed):

sudo git checkout stable

Step 4: Compile the SoftEther VPN Server

Now let’s compile SoftEther. This step can take a few minutes depending on your server specs.

sudo ./configure
sudo make
sudo make install

When the compilation is done, you’ll see a successful build message. This means SoftEther VPN Server is now installed on your CentOS 8 system.

Step 5: Configure the VPN Server

After installation, let’s initialize and configure the server.

First, navigate to the installation path and start the VPN server:

cd /usr/vpnserver
sudo ./vpnserver start

Now set permissions to make sure the binaries are executable:

sudo chmod 600 *
sudo chmod 700 vpnserver
sudo chmod 700 vpncmd

You can then start the configuration tool:

sudo ./vpncmd

Choose the first option (1 – Management of VPN Server or VPN Bridge) and press Enter. When prompted for a hostname, just hit Enter again to use localhost.

Now set the admin password:

ServerPasswordSet

Enter your desired password and hit Enter.

Step 6: Enable SoftEther VPN Server on Boot

To make sure the VPN server starts on boot, let’s create a systemd service.

Create a new file:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/vpnserver.service

Paste the following content:

[Unit]
Description=SoftEther VPN Server
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=forking
ExecStart=/usr/vpnserver/vpnserver start
ExecStop=/usr/vpnserver/vpnserver stop
ExecReload=/usr/vpnserver/vpnserver restart
Restart=on-failure

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Save the file and then reload systemd:

sudo systemctl daemon-reexec
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable vpnserver
sudo systemctl start vpnserver

Verify it’s running:

sudo systemctl status vpnserver

If all is green, the server is active and working.

Step 7: Create and Configure a Virtual Hub

Once the server is running, you need to set up a Virtual Hub. Go back into the vpncmd tool:

sudo /usr/vpnserver/vpncmd

Inside the tool:

HubCreate VPN
Hub VPN
UserCreate yourusername
UserPasswordSet yourusername
SecureNatEnable

This will set up a basic hub with SecureNAT (acts like a NAT gateway).

Step 8: Configure Firewall and Open Required Ports

By default, CentOS 8 runs firewalld. You’ll need to open these ports:

443 (SSL VPN)
992 (VPN over HTTPS)
1194 (OpenVPN)
5555 (SoftEther VPN)

Run:

sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=443/tcp
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=992/tcp
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=1194/udp
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=5555/tcp
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

You can verify if the ports are open:

sudo firewall-cmd --list-all

Step 9: Optional – Enable OpenVPN Support

If you want OpenVPN compatibility for connecting with standard OpenVPN clients:

OpenVpnEnable

You can also download the configuration file for OpenVPN:

cd /usr/vpnserver
sudo ./vpncmd

Inside the tool:

Hub VPN
OpenVpnMakeConfig openvpn_config.zip

Extract and use the .ovpn file in your OpenVPN client.

Step 10: Verify Everything Is Working

Use the vpncmd to run this:

StatusGet

Also, from your local machine, try connecting using SoftEther VPN Client Manager. Enter your server’s public IP, port 443, and the username/password you set.

You’re now good to go with a fully working SoftEther VPN Server on CentOS 8.