Accessing unRAID remotely via OpenVPN on Router - Static vs Dynamic IP?

[limefrog]

Hi,

 

I just enabled OpenVPN on my ASUS RT-N66U router and have installed Tunnelblick on my Mac OS. I am able to VPN into my router and access unRAID remotely by typing the IP address of unRAID (192.168.1.197).

 

My question is that unRAID is setup to obtain an IP automatically. It seems to make sense to make it a static IP so that I always know the unRAID IP ends in "197."

 

My questions are:

1) are there any security risks to having a static IP?

2) What is the best way to assign a static IP? Through my router settings or through unRAID settings?

3) How do I access the unRAID GUI remotely by simply typing "unraid.local" like I do when I access unRAID locally?

 

Thanks for your help!

[tr0910]

Using a static IP is the only way to access your server remotely. I am using the open VPN plugin by Peter here. When coming in remotely I have to know the unRaid servers IP. It doesn't work remotely by name.

 

It is easy to say up in the unRaid GUI. Just uncheck dynamic IP and type in your desired IP ending in .197 and you are done.

 

[trurl]

I give every device on my LAN a static IP by letting each device use DHCP and then having my router reserve IPs for each device by their MAC address. I have that same router. Doing it this way means you only have to maintain this in one place, the router.

[gundamguy]

Hi,

 

I just enabled OpenVPN on my ASUS RT-N66U router and have installed Tunnelblick on my Mac OS. I am able to VPN into my router and access unRAID remotely by typing the IP address of unRAID (192.168.1.197).

 

My question is that unRAID is setup to obtain an IP automatically. It seems to make sense to make it a static IP so that I always know the unRAID IP ends in "197."

 

My questions are:

1) are there any security risks to having a static IP?

2) What is the best way to assign a static IP? Through my router settings or through unRAID settings?

3) How do I access the unRAID GUI remotely by simply typing "unraid.local" like I do when I access unRAID locally?

 

Thanks for your help!

 

Answers:

 

1) A static IP address isn't any more risky then a dynamic IP address as far as I am aware.

2) I suggest doing it via your router settings, so that you can manage it all in one place and avoid conflicts as much as possible.

3) Local DNS prob won't work (I'm not exactly sure why, or if you can make it work somehow... this is the part of networking that gives me nightmares...) so what you might have to do instead is use the IP Address (LAN Address 192.168.1.197 in this example).

 

If there is a way to mess with your VPN such that you can use local name resolution I'd love to implement that....

[limefrog]

Thanks everyone, y'all answered my questions and more. I'll assign static IPs via my router.

[htpcnewbie]

Get a domain name with duckdns and install the duck dns docker. The ip will be autoupdated  to the duckdns domain name that you can use externally.

 

Thanks everyone, y'all answered my questions and more. I'll assign static IPs via my router.

[trurl]

Get a domain name with duckdns and install the duck dns docker. The ip will be autoupdated  to the duckdns domain name that you can use externally.

 

Thanks everyone, y'all answered my questions and more. I'll assign static IPs via my router.

Your ASUS router provides free DDNS through ASUS, no docker required, nothing else to buy.