Setting Up a Multi-Site IPsec VPN with strongSwan on Debian

Last updated: Jan 19, 2025

I've already detailed in a previous article how to set up a multi-site IPsec VPN combining Racoon and strongSwan here: How to set up a Multi-site IPsec VPN with Racoon and strongSwan. As Racoon is now deprecated, I will describe here how to set up a multi-site IPsec VPN architecture, but only with strongSwan.

The architecture presented in this guide consists of three routers on wich Debian and strongSwan are installed:
- The headquarters: the heart of the architecture, it comprises four networks, for users, IP phones, WiFi and application servers for internal users and those at other sites (branch office 1 and 2). It is also used as a VPN gateway for traffic between Branch Office 1 and Branch Office 2.
- Branch Office 1: consists of three networks: for users, IP phones and WiFi
- Branch Office 2: consists of three networks: for users, IP phones and WiFi

Before you begin:
- We could have added an IPsec tunnel between Branch Office 1 and Branch Office 2 instead of using the Headquarters as a VPN gateway. However, as the traffic between the two branches is not significant (only IP phone communications), I didn't opt for this option.

Network Diagram

Diagram illustrating a multi-site IPsec VPN setup with strongSwan on Debian, connecting headquarters and branch offices with VLANs for users, VoIP, WiFi, and servers. — Multi-Site IPsec VPN Configuration Diagram

Site 1 - Headquarters

Let's start with the main site configuration. As a reminder, this is the site that centralizes vpn connections for all other sites, and it's also the site that “authorizes” connections (the VoIP network in this configuration) between Branch Office 1 and Branch Office 2.

Prerequisites

Install the strongSwan package:

root@host:~# apt update && apt install strongswan

Enable nftables autostart:

root@host:~# systemctl enable nftables.service

nftables

The configuration of nftables is ultra-simplified here, allowing networks to access the Internet and communicate with each other. In a production environment, you may set up filtering between VLANs.

Edit the /etc/nftables.conf file:

#!/usr/sbin/nft -f

flush ruleset

table inet filter {
        chain input {
                type filter hook input priority 0; policy accept;
	}
        chain forward {
                type filter hook forward priority 0; policy accept ;
	}
	chain output {
                type filter hook output priority 0; policy accept;
        }
}

#NAT for outgoing traffic.
table ip my_nat {
        chain my_masquerade {
                type nat hook postrouting priority 100;
                ip daddr != { 10.1.0.1, 192.168.0.0/16 } oifname wan masquerade comment "output nat"
        }
}

Reload the nftables configuration:

root@host:~# nft -f /etc/nftables.conf

Network configuration

Configure Network Interfaces

Here, we set up our two interfaces: lan and wan (Read this article to find out how to rename network interfaces under Debian: Renaming Network Interfaces on Debian).

Edit the /etc/network/interfaces file:

# This file describes the network interfaces available on your system
# and how to activate them. For more information, see interfaces(5).

source /etc/network/interfaces.d/*

# The loopback network interface
auto lo
iface lo inet loopback

# The primary network interface
# This is an autoconfigured IPv6 interface
allow-hotplug wan
iface wan inet static
        address 10.1.0.1
        netmask 255.255.255.0
	gateway 10.1.0.254

allow-hotplug lan
iface lan inet static
        address 192.168.1.254
        netmask 255.255.255.0
        up /usr/local/sbin/ipconf.sh

Reboot or restart the networking service:

root@host:~# systemctl restart networking

Network script

The /usr/local/sbin/ipconf.sh script will be executed at startup. It is used to configure the VLAN interfaces.

Create a /usr/local/sbin/ipconf.sh file:

#!/bin/sh

#SETTING UP VLANs ON THE lan INTERFACE
ip link add link lan name users type vlan id 2
ip link add link lan name voip type vlan id 3
ip link add link lan name wifi type vlan id 4
ip link add link lan name servers type vlan id 5
ip link set users up
ip link set voip up
ip link set wifi up
ip link set servers up
#VLAN INTERFACE IP ADDRESS SETTINGS
ip addr add 192.168.2.254/24 dev users
ip addr add 192.168.3.254/24 dev voip
ip addr add 192.168.4.254/22 dev wifi
ip addr add 192.168.5.254/24 dev servers

#ENABLE ROUTING
sysctl net.ipv4.ip_forward=1

Modify the rights so that the /usr/local/sbin/ipconf.sh script is executable:

root@host:~# chmod +x /usr/local/sbin/ipconf.sh

strongSwan

ipsec.conf

Edit the /etc/ipsec.conf file and configure the connections between the sites. The aim is to enable VoIP networks at all sites to communicate with each other. We're also enabling users at Branch Office 1 and Branch Office 2 to access the Headquarters server network:

#####################################
#Headquarters to Branch Office 1 setup#
#####################################
conn hq-b1
        authby = secret
        auto = route
        type = tunnel
        keyexchange = ikev2
        ike = aes256-sha256-modp1024!
        esp = aes256-sha256-modp1024!

        #DPD
        dpdaction=restart
        dpddelay=300s
        dpdtimeout=60s
        
        #headquarters
        leftfirewall = yes
        leftid = 10.1.0.1
        left = 10.1.0.1
        leftsubnet = 192.168.1.0/24

        #Branch Office 1
        rightfirewall = yes
        rightid = 10.10.0.1
        right = 10.10.0.1
        rightsubnet = 192.168.10.0/24

#VoIP - Headquarters and Branch Office 1
conn hq-b1-voip
        also=hq-b1
        leftsubnet = 192.168.3.0/24
        rightsubnet = 192.168.13.0/24

#Servers/Headquarters and Users/Branch Office 1
conn hq-b1-servers
        also=hq-b1
        leftsubnet = 192.168.5.0/24
        rightsubnet = 192.168.12.0/24

#VoIP/Branch Office 1 - Headquarters - VoIP/Branch Office 2
conn b1-hq-b2-voip
        also=hq-b1
        leftsubnet = 192.168.23.0/24
        rightsubnet = 192.168.13.0/24

#####################################
#Headquarters to Branch Office 2 setup#
#####################################
conn hq-b2
        authby = secret
        auto = route
        type = tunnel
        keyexchange = ikev2
        ike = aes256-sha256-modp1024!
        esp = aes256-sha256-modp1024!

        #DPD
        dpdaction=restart
        dpddelay=300s
        dpdtimeout=60s

        #Branch Office 2
        rightfirewall = yes
        rightid = 10.20.0.1
        right = 10.20.0.1
        rightsubnet = 192.168.20.0/24
        
        #headquarters
        leftfirewall = yes
        leftid = 10.1.0.1
        left = 10.1.0.1
        leftsubnet = 192.168.1.0/24

#VoIP - Headquarters and Branch Office 2
conn hq-b2-voip
        also=hq-b2
        leftsubnet = 192.168.3.0/24
        rightsubnet = 192.168.23.0/24

#Servers/Headquarters and Users/Branch Office 2
conn hq-b2-servers
        also=hq-b2
        leftsubnet = 192.168.5.0/24
        rightsubnet = 192.168.22.0/24

#VoIP/Branch Office 2 - Headquarters - VoIP/Branch Office 1
conn b2-hq-b1-voip
        also=hq-b2
        rightsubnet = 192.168.23.0/24
        leftsubnet = 192.168.13.0/24

Configure the Preshared Key

We're going to set up our PSK (Pre-Shared Key), which will be used to authenticate the routers on the other sites.

Edit the /etc/ipsec.secrets file:

: PSK password_PSK4231

Restart the ipsec service to take account of changes:

root@host:~# systemctl restart ipsec.service

Site 2 - Branch Office 1

Let's move on to configuring the first of the branch office. The configuration is similar to that of the main site, since it also involves setting the network interfaces and the strongSwan service.

Prerequisites

Install the strongSwan package:

root@host:~# apt update && apt install strongswan

Enable nftables autostart:

root@host:~# systemctl enable nftables.service

nftables

As with the main site, nftables configuration is simplified here. We won't be doing any filtering.

Edit the /etc/nftables.conf file:

#!/usr/sbin/nft -f

flush ruleset

table inet filter {
        chain input {
                type filter hook input priority 0; policy accept;
	}
        chain forward {
                type filter hook forward priority 0; policy accept ;
	}
	chain output {
                type filter hook output priority 0; policy accept;
        }
}

#NAT for outgoing traffic.
table ip my_nat {
        chain my_masquerade {
                type nat hook postrouting priority 100;
                ip daddr != { 10.10.0.1, 192.168.0.0/16 } oifname wan masquerade comment "output nat"
        }
}

Reload the nftables configuration:

root@host:~# nft -f /etc/nftables.conf

Network Configuration

Configure Network Interfaces

We set up our two interfaces: lan and wan.

Edit the /etc/network/interfaces file:

# This file describes the network interfaces available on your system
# and how to activate them. For more information, see interfaces(5).

source /etc/network/interfaces.d/*

# The loopback network interface
auto lo
iface lo inet loopback

# The primary network interface
# This is an autoconfigured IPv6 interface
allow-hotplug wan
iface wan inet static
        address 10.10.0.1
        netmask 255.255.255.0
	gateway 10.10.0.254

allow-hotplug lan
iface lan inet static
        address 192.168.10.254
        netmask 255.255.255.0
        up /usr/local/sbin/ipconf.sh

Network script

The /usr/local/sbin/ipconf.sh script will be executed at startup. It is used to configure the VLAN interfaces.

Create a /usr/local/sbin/ipconf.sh file:

#!/bin/sh

#SETTING UP VLANs ON THE lan INTERFACE
modprobe 8021q
ip link add link lan name users type vlan id 2
ip link add link lan name voip type vlan id 3
ip link add link lan name wifi type vlan id 4
ip link set users up
ip link set voip up
ip link set wifi up
#VLAN INTERFACE IP ADDRESS SETTINGS
ip addr add 192.168.12.254/24 dev users
ip addr add 192.168.13.254/24 dev voip
ip addr add 192.168.14.254/22 dev wifi

#ENABLE ROUTING
sysctl net.ipv4.ip_forward=1

Modify the rights so that the /usr/local/sbin/ipconf.sh script is executable:

root@host:~# chmod +x /usr/local/sbin/ipconf.sh

strongSwan

ipsec.conf

Edit the /etc/ipsec.conf file:

#####################################
#Branch Office 1 to Headquarters setup#
#####################################
conn b1-hq
        authby = secret
        auto = route
        type = tunnel
        keyexchange = ikev2
        ike = aes128-sha1-modp1024!
        esp = aes128-sha1-modp1024!

        #DPD
        dpdaction=restart
        dpddelay=300s
        dpdtimeout=60s

        #Branch Office 1
        leftfirewall = yes
        left = 10.10.0.1
        leftid = 10.10.0.1
        leftsubnet = 192.168.10.0/24

        #headquarters
        rightfirewall = yes
        rightid = 10.1.0.1
        right = 10.1.0.1
        rightsubnet = 192.168.1.0/24

#VoIP - Branch Office 1 and Headquarters
conn b1-hq-voip
        also=b1-hq
        leftsubnet = 192.168.13.0/24
        rightsubnet = 192.168.3.0/24

#Users/Branch Office 1 and Servers/Headquarters
conn b1-hq-servers
        also=b1-hq
        leftsubnet = 192.168.12.0/24
        rightsubnet = 192.168.5.0/24

#VoIP/Branch Office 1 - Headquarters - VoIP/Branch Office 2
conn b1-hq-b2-voip
        also=b1-hq
        leftsubnet = 192.168.13.0/24
        rightsubnet = 192.168.23.0/24

Configure the Preshared Key

We'll use the same PSK (Pre-Shared Key) as for the main site.

Edit the /etc/ipsec.secrets file:

: PSK password_PSK4231

Restart the ipsec service to take change into consideration:

root@host:~# systemctl restart ipsec.service

Site 3 - Branch Office 2

Prerequisites

Install the strongSwan package:

root@host:~# apt update && apt install strongswan

Enable nftables autostart:

root@host:~# systemctl enable nftables.service

nftables.conf

Edit the /etc/nftables file:

#!/usr/sbin/nft -f

flush ruleset

table inet filter {
        chain input {
                type filter hook input priority 0; policy accept;
	}
        chain forward {
                type filter hook forward priority 0; policy accept ;
	}
	chain output {
                type filter hook output priority 0; policy accept;
        }
}

#NAT for outgoing traffic.
table ip my_nat {
        chain my_masquerade {
                type nat hook postrouting priority 100;
                ip daddr != { 10.20.0.1, 192.168.0.0/16 } oifname wan masquerade comment "output nat"
        }
}

Reload the nftables configuration:

root@host:~# nft -f /etc/nftables.conf

Network Configuration

Configure Network Interfaces

Here again, we set up our two interfaces (lan and wan).

Edit the /etc/network/interfaces file:

# This file describes the network interfaces available on your system
# and how to activate them. For more information, see interfaces(5).

source /etc/network/interfaces.d/*

# The loopback network interface
auto lo
iface lo inet loopback

# The primary network interface
allow-hotplug wan
iface wan inet static
        address 10.0.10.12
        netmask 255.255.255.0

allow-hotplug lan
iface lan inet static
        address 192.168.21.254
        netmask 255.255.255.0
        up /usr/local/sbin/ipconf.sh

Network script

The /usr/local/sbin/ipconf.sh script will be executed at startup. It is used to configure the VLAN interfaces.

Create a /usr/local/sbin/ipconf.sh file:

#!/bin/sh

#SETTING UP VLANs ON THE lan INTERFACE
modprobe 8021q
ip link add link lan name users type vlan id 2
ip link add link lan name voip type vlan id 3
ip link add link lan name wifi type vlan id 4
ip link set users up
ip link set voip up
ip link set wifi up
#VLAN INTERFACE IP ADDRESS SETTINGS
ip addr add 192.168.22.254/24 dev users
ip addr add 192.168.23.254/24 dev voip
ip addr add 192.168.24.254/22 dev wifi

#ENABLE ROUTING
sysctl net.ipv4.ip_forward=1

Modify the rights so that the /usr/local/sbin/ipconf.sh script is executable:

root@host:~# chmod +x /usr/local/sbin/ipconf.sh

strongSwan

ipsec.conf

Edit the /etc/ipsec.conf file:

#####################################
#Branch Office 2 to Headquarters setup#
#####################################
conn b2-hq
        authby = secret
        auto = route
        type = tunnel
        keyexchange = ikev2
        ike = aes128-sha1-modp1024!
        esp = aes128-sha1-modp1024!

        #DPD
        dpdaction=restart
        dpddelay=300s
        dpdtimeout=60s

        #Branch Office 2
        leftfirewall = yes
        left = 10.20.0.1
        leftid = 10.20.0.1
        leftsubnet = 192.168.20.0/24

        #headquarters
        rightfirewall = yes
        rightid = 10.1.0.1
        right = 10.1.0.1
        rightsubnet = 192.168.1.0/24

#VoIP - Branch Office 2 and Headquarters
conn b2-hq-voip
        also=b2-hq
        leftsubnet = 192.168.23.0/24
        rightsubnet = 192.168.3.0/24

#Users/Branch Office 2 and Servers/Headquarters
conn b2-hq-servers
        also=b2-hq
        leftsubnet = 192.168.22.0/24
        rightsubnet = 192.168.5.0/24


#VoIP/Branch Office 2 - Headquarters - VoIP/Branch Office 1
conn b2-hq-b1-voip
        also=b2-hq
        leftsubnet = 192.168.23.0/24
        rightsubnet = 192.168.13.0/24

Configure the Preshared Key

We use the same PSK (Pre-Shared Key) as for other sites.

Edit the /etc/ipsec.secrets file:

: PSK password_PSK4231

Restart the ipsec service to take change into consideration:

root@host:~# systemctl restart ipsec.service

Troubleshooting

Ping from Headquarters:

root@host:~# ping 192.168.21.254 -I 192.168.1.254

Ping from Branch Office 1:

root@host:~# ping 192.168.5.254 -I 192.168.12.254

Ping from Branch Office 2:

root@host:~# ping 192.168.13.254 -I 192.168.23.254

Check logs:

root@host:~# journalctl --grep "ipsec|charon"

Check IPsec connections and security associations (SA):

root@host:~# ipsec status root@host:~# ipsec statusall

Computing

Music

Misc

Setting Up a Multi-Site IPsec VPN with strongSwan on Debian

Network Diagram

Site 1 - Headquarters

Prerequisites

nftables

Network configuration

Configure Network Interfaces

Network script

strongSwan

ipsec.conf

Configure the Preshared Key

Site 2 - Branch Office 1

Prerequisites

nftables

Network Configuration

Configure Network Interfaces

Network script

strongSwan

ipsec.conf

Configure the Preshared Key

Site 3 - Branch Office 2

Prerequisites

nftables.conf

Network Configuration

Configure Network Interfaces

Network script

strongSwan

ipsec.conf

Configure the Preshared Key

Troubleshooting