Setting up OpenVPN and Static IPs

[Physicsking]

I am following Spaceinvader One's new 2019 guide to installing OpenVPN (How to setup an OpenVPN-as Server on Unraid -- new 2019 guide). In the beginning (~2:40) he makes a comment that you should have your Unraid Server set as a static IP address. I started doing this on the Settings->Network settings, but was a little confused. I am still learning things and this is what i was thinking

 

IPv4 Address assignment: Automatic -> Static

IPv4 address: (grey) -> XXX.XXX.X.machine / 24 (where XXX.XXX.X refers to the LAN static address I set on my router)

IPv4 default gateway: (grey) -> xxx.xxx.x.x (router IP I set, non-common)

IPv4 DNS server (grey) -> ????? I don't know what to put here

 

Anyway, I was looking for tutorials for setting this but didn't come across anything that hit on it exactly. I found a few responses that said not to set Unraid to static IP but assign it an IP in your router via the mac address of the machine. I wasn't able to find this either in my router interface (DLink-655). 

 

My end goal is to be at my sister's house away from my LAN and drop in on my server to watch movies on my laptop. That video from Spaceinvader One is pretty good for setting up everything after this point because I followed it doing everything on my MacBook but got 2 errors.

 

"This computers apparent public IP address was not different after connecting to the client. It is still ###.###.#.# (ISP provided).

 

and 

 

"DNS Server address XXX.XXX.X.X is not a public address and is not being routed through the VPN." 

 

Any ideas where I went wrong? 

 

Thanks.

[Hoopster]

1 hour ago, Physicsking said:

IPv4 Address assignment: Automatic -> Static

IPv4 address: (grey) -> XXX.XXX.X.machine / 24 (where XXX.XXX.X refers to the LAN static address I set on my router)

IPv4 default gateway: (grey) -> xxx.xxx.x.x (router IP I set, non-common)

IPv4 DNS server (grey) -> ????? I don't know what to put here

Here's mine as an example:

 

 

Gateway is the router IP address.

 

You should enter the IP address of the DNS server(s) you want unRAID to use.  Popular third-party DNS are Google (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4) and Cloudflare (1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1) as well as others.  Some just set the DNS server to the router IP address which uses whatever the DNS server(s) are as designated by your ISP. 

 

FYI - if you end up setting up Pi-hole in the future, do not enter the Pi-hole IP address as the DNS for unRAID.  It could cause problems.  In your router, you will want to designate the Pi-hole IP address as the primary DNS, but, leave the unRAID DNS set as a third-party or router/ISP IP address.