TomatoUSB

I need openvpn on port 53, why can't I start the service on port 53? what is the work around to get it to start on port 53?

I don't run any webserver, I will be just using the VPN on this router.

thanks.

Here is my Log:
Oct 25 15:20:04 unknown daemon.err openvpn[2493]: TCP/UDP: Socket bind failed on local address [undef]:53: Address already in use
Oct 25 15:20:04 unknown daemon.notice openvpn[2493]: Exiting

Because by default DNS lives on port 53.

So DNSMasq will already be using port 53 and in that case OpenVPN will be unable to.

You would need to disable dnsmasq on your router in order to have openvpn on port 53 (or have one on TCP and the other on UDP)

DNS does use port 53. When I tried to connect to my home VPN from my local library which blocked most ports, I found that the following iptables rule worked to redirect incoming traffic from 53 to 1194. And it did not interfere with DNS. The server is set to use port 1194 and the client is set to use port 53.

iptables -t nat -I PREROUTING -p udp -i $(nvram get wan_ifname) --dst $(nvram get wan_ipaddr) --dport 53 -j REDIRECT --to-ports 1194

Hi karog, that worked great on TomatoUSB but i switched to tomato-K26USB-1.28.7486.4MIPSR2-Toastman-RT-VPN+NOCAT becouse its more up to date…

I put all my details back in for my VPN and it works on other ports like 443 … however the iptables command that you gave me above will no longer work… i'm not sure what I can do to make it work, could you please give me some guidance to get it working again? I'm not sure what kind of changes the new Toastman has that the old Tomatousb dident..

feel free to ask questions, i'll do everything you say to get it working with this new setup

best regards.

Sorry, I have not upgraded to Toastman or Shibby builds as I haven't had the need. So I don't know what might have changed. I would direct the question to Toastman if I were you.

do you know where I can find him? or is he on this forum? Toastman are you out there LOL ?:)

never mind I sent him a privet message

Hope I am not hijacking this thread. I too want to connect the VPN server on my WNR3500 from my local library but is blocked. In the log of my router, I found

Nov  4 11:04:00 WNR3500 daemon.info dnsmasq[9788]: reading /etc/resolv.dnsmasq
Nov  4 11:04:00 WNR3500 daemon.info dnsmasq[9788]: using nameserver <IP address>#53
Nov  4 11:04:00 WNR3500 daemon.info dnsmasq[9788]: using nameserver <IP address>#53
Nov  4 11:04:00 WNR3500 daemon.info dnsmasq[9788]: using nameserver <IP address>#53

Can I really use port 53 for OpenVPN?

How do I find out what ports are not blocked at my local library?
Thanks.

toolbox123, those log messages are just telling you what DNS servers you have configured and are normal.

I have successfully used port 53 as described above. You run the VPN server on the standard 1194, create the iptables rule which redirects incoming packets for port 53 to 1194, and have the client try to connect on port 53 which means it sends to port 53 (thus not getting blocked) and when it reaches the router, 53 is changed to 1194 and then goes to the VPN. This is done in this context because the library most likely does not block port 53 but may block 1194. This is a workaround.

To find which ports are not blocked at your library, you will have to find someone at the library who knows. It is of course library dependent.

Karog, thank you for the iptables command. Too bad my local library block port 53, too. When I did a google search about my local library's settings, it seems they block everything except port 80.
The command works great when I use it at Starbucks.