How to Configure IPSec Host to Site Tunnel with Certificate

How to Configure IPSec Host to Site Tunnel with Certificate

Version 0.1 (02 May 2018)

Overview

Host to Site configurations are very similar to Host to Host configurations, especially the authentication methods are the same. Added changes to the configurations are the values for rightsourceip and rightsubnets. These values will expose the listed subnets to the IPSec tunnel and will allows clients in these subnets to communicate with the host (west) node and will allow the west node to allow to communicate with clients in the listed subnets.

In case rightsourceip is used the communication between the 2 nodes will not be encrypted only communication between the west node and the subnet would be encrypted. If a value is defined, then all communication between the East and the west host will use the defined IP Address.


Figure 12: Host to Site Configuration Example Details

Host to Site with Certificate

  1. Prepare both nodes (see: How to Prepare a Nodegrid Node for IPSec)
  2. Get the required Certificate File for both nodes (see: How to Create Certificates for IPSec).
    1. Root CA certificate as .crt file
    2. Certificate for both nodes in .crt format
    3. Certificate and private key for both nodes in pkcs#12 format

    Example:

    • zpeca.crt
    • ng-east.crt
    • ng-west.crt
    • ng-east.p12
    • ng-west.p12
  3. Import the Root Certificate
    Note: Example executed on the west node.
  4. Format:

    certutil -A -i  -n "" -t "CT,," -d sql:/etc/ipsec/ipsec.d/

    Example:

    root@ng-west:~# certutil -A -i zpeca.crt -n "zpeca" -t "CT,," -d sql:/etc/ipsec/ipsec.d/
  5. Import Intermediate Certificate Authorities if that exist
  6. Format:

    certutil -A -i  -n "" -t ",," -d sql:/etc/ipsec/ipsec.d/

    Example:

    root@ng-west:~# certutil -A -i euzpeca.crt -n "euzpeca" -t "CT,," -d sql:/etc/ipsec/ipsec.d/
  7. Import the private key and certificate specific to this node
  8. Format:

    certutil -A -i  -n "" -t "P,," -d sql:/etc/ipsec/ipsec.d/

    Example:

    root@ng-west:~#  ipsec import ng-west.p12 -n ng-west -d sql:/etc/ipsec/ipsec.d/
    Enter password for PKCS12 file:
    pk12util: PKCS12 IMPORT SUCCESSFUL
  9. Import the remote node certificates
  10. Format:

    certutil -A -i  -n "" -t "P,," -d sql:/etc/ipsec/ipsec.d/

    Example:

    root@ng-west:~# certutil -A -i ng-east.crt -n "ng-east" -t "P,," -d sql:/etc/ipsec/ipsec.d/
  11. Create connection configuration file in /etc/ipsec/ipsec.d/ directory as root user
  12. Fields
    Values
    Comments
    Connection name
    <String>
     
    leftid
    %fromcert
    The leftid will be populated from the certificate
    left
    <IP or FQDN> of the West/Left host
    Additional to an actual IP address can the following values be used. These are resolved when the service starts.
    %defaultgateway
    %eth0
    leftrsasigkey
    %cert
    Uses the RSA key of the Certificate
    leftcert
    <IDENTIFIER>
    Certificate Identifier
    rightid
    %fromcert
    The rightid will be populated from the certificate
    right
    <IP or FQDN> of the East/Right host
    Additional to an actual IP address can the following values be used. These are resolved when the service starts.
    %defaultgateway
    %eth0
    rightsourceip
    <INTERNAL IP TO BE USED>
    IP address if the east node which should be used for the tunnel communication. This IP should belong the rightsubnet.
    rightsubnets
    <LIST OF SUBNETS>
    One or multiple subnet can be defined, for each subnet a individual tunnel will be created
    rightrsasigkey
    %cert
    Uses the RSA key of the Certificate
    rightcert
    <IDENTIFIER>
    Certificate Identifier
    auto
    start
    The setting regulates when the IPSec tunnel will be established. Following values are accepted: add (manual start), start (starts with the service), ondemand (will be established if traffic exists), ignore (connection will be ignored and not used)
    connaddrfamily
    ipv4
    Possiable values are ipv4 or ipv6

    Format:

    conn 
         connaddrfamily=ipv4
          auto=
    
          leftid=%fromcert
          left=FQDN>
          leftrsasigkey=%cert
          leftcert=
          
          rightid=%fromcert
          right=FQDN>
          rightsourceip=
          rightsubnet=MASK>
          rightrsasigkey=%cert
          rightcert=

    Example /etc/ipsec/ipsec.d/host-to-site-cert.conf

    conn host-to-site-cert
            connaddrfamily=ipv4
            auto=start
    
            leftid=%fromcert
            left=192.168.50.4
            leftrsasigkey=%cert
            leftcert=ng-west
    
            rightid=%fromcert
            right=192.168.58.4
            rightsourceip=192.168.60.4
            rightsubnet=192.168.60.0/24
            rightrsasigkey=%cert
            rightcert=ng-east
  13. Copy the configuration file only to the other node. The Secret File does not need to be copied in this case
  14. Restart IPSec service on both nodes
  15. root@ng-west:~# ipsec restart
    Redirecting to: /etc/init.d/ipsec stop
    Shutting down pluto IKE daemon
    002 shutting down
    
    Redirecting to: /etc/init.d/ipsec start
    Starting pluto IKE daemon for IPsec: .
    root@ng-west:~#
  16. Confirm that the tunnel was established
    1. Short information
    2. root@ng-west:/etc/ipsec/ipsec.d# ipsec whack --trafficstatus
      006 #4: "host-to-site-cert", type=ESP, add_time=0, inBytes=252, outBytes=252, id='C=US, ST=California, L=Fremont, CN=ng-east'
      006 #3: "host-to-site-cert", type=ESP, add_time=1524106315, inBytes=0, outBytes=0, id='C=US, ST=California, L=Fremont, CN=ng-east'
    3. More Detailed Information
    4. root@ng-west:~# ipsec whack --status |grep host-to-site-cert
      ……………. 
      000 #4: "host-to-site-cert":500 STATE_QUICK_I2 (sent QI2, IPsec SA established); EVENT_SA_REPLACE in 27850s; newest IPSEC; eroute owner; isakmp#1; idle; import:admin initiate
      000 #4: "host-to-site-cert" esp.8f05c62c@192.168.58.4 esp.33385f41@192.168.50.4 tun.0@192.168.58.4 tun.0@192.168.50.4 ref=0 refhim=0 Traffic: ESPin=252B ESPout=252B! ESPmax=4194303B
      000 #1: "host-to-site-cert":500 STATE_MAIN_I4 (ISAKMP SA established); EVENT_SA_REPLACE in 2409s; newest ISAKMP; lastdpd=-1s(seq in:0 out:0); idle; import:admin initiate
      000 #3: "host-to-site-cert":500 STATE_QUICK_R2 (IPsec SA established); EVENT_SA_REPLACE in 28316s; isakmp#2; idle; import:not set
      000 #3: "host-to-site-cert" esp.759f48b6@192.168.58.4 esp.62dcc0e@192.168.50.4 tun.0@192.168.58.4 tun.0@192.168.50.4 ref=0 refhim=0 Traffic: ESPin=0B ESPout=0B! ESPmax=4194303B
      000 #2: "host-to-site-cert":500 STATE_MAIN_R3 (sent MR3, ISAKMP SA established); EVENT_SA_REPLACE in 3116s; lastdpd=-1s(seq in:0 out:0); idle; import:not set

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