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SoftEther VPN Manual
SoftEther VPN Manual
Installing SoftEther VPN Client

Installing SoftEther VPN Client

This chapter describes the detailed procedure for installing SoftEther VPN Client on a client computer.

Before installation

System requirements

Minimum requirements:

CPU: Intel/AMD processor 500 MHz or higher

RAM: 64 MB or more

Free disk space: 50 MB

Network connection: any (Ethernet, WiFi, mobile)

Recommended requirements:

CPU: Multi-core processor 1 GHz or higher

RAM: 512 MB or more

Free disk space: 200 MB

Supported operating systems

Windows:

  • Windows 11 (all editions)
  • Windows 10 (all editions)
  • Windows 8.1/8
  • Windows 7 SP1
  • Windows Server 2019/2016/2012

Linux:

  • Ubuntu 18.04 LTS and newer
  • Debian 9 and newer
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7+
  • CentOS 7+
  • SUSE Linux Enterprise

Checking user privileges

Installing and using the VPN Client requires administrator privileges: Windows:

  • Local administrator privileges Or membership in the “VPN Users” group

Linux:

  • root privileges for installation
  • sudo privileges for managing network interfaces

Installation on Windows

Downloading the software

  1. Go to https://www.softether.org/
  2. Download SoftEther VPN Client for Windows
  3. Choose the appropriate architecture (x86 or x64)

Installation process

  1. Run the installer as administrator
  2. Choose the installation language
  3. Accept the license agreement
  4. Select the “SoftEther VPN Client” component
  5. Choose the installation folder (default: C:\Program Files\SoftEther VPN Client)
  6. Wait for the installation to complete

Installed components

After installation, the following will be created in the system:

  • SoftEther VPN Client Service - the core service
  • SoftEther VPN Client Manager - the GUI management utility
  • vpncmd.exe - the command-line utility
  • Virtual network adapters - created as needed

First launch

  1. Launch “SoftEther VPN Client Manager”
  2. Connect to “localhost” (the local VPN Client Service)
  3. If necessary, set a password for local management

Installation on Linux

Preparing the system

Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install build-essential -y

CentOS/RHEL:

sudo yum update -y
sudo yum groupinstall "Development Tools" -y

Downloading and compiling

# Create a working directory
cd /opt
sudo mkdir softether-client
cd softether-client

# Download the source code
sudo wget https://github.com/SoftEtherVPN/SoftEtherVPN_Stable/releases/download/v4.XX-XXXX-stable/softether-vpnclient-v4.XX-XXXX-stable-linux-x64-64bit.tar.gz

# Extract the archive
sudo tar xzf softether-vpnclient-*.tar.gz
cd vpnclient

# Compile (accept the licenses: 1-1-1)
sudo make

# Set access permissions
sudo chmod 600 *
sudo chmod 700 vpnclient vpncmd

Creating a systemd service

sudo vi /etc/systemd/system/softether-vpnclient.service

File contents:

[Unit]
Description=SoftEther VPN Client
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=forking
User=root
ExecStart=/opt/softether-client/vpnclient/vpnclient start
ExecStop=/opt/softether-client/vpnclient/vpnclient stop
KillMode=process
Restart=on-failure

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Starting the service

# Reload systemd
sudo systemctl daemon-reload

# Enable autostart
sudo systemctl enable softether-vpnclient

# Start the service
sudo systemctl start softether-vpnclient

# Check the status
sudo systemctl status softether-vpnclient

Configuring the first VPN connection

Creating a virtual adapter

Windows (via GUI):

  1. Open SoftEther VPN Client Manager
  2. Select “Add VPN Connection”
  3. Create a new virtual network adapter

Linux (via vpncmd):

cd /opt/softether-client/vpnclient
sudo ./vpncmd localhost /client

# Create a virtual adapter
NicCreate "VPN Connection"

Configuring the VPN connection

Via GUI (Windows):

  1. In SoftEther VPN Client Manager, click “Create New Connection”

  2. Fill in the connection parameters:

    • Connection Name: “Company VPN”
    • Host Name: vpn.company.com
    • Port Number: 443
    • Virtual Hub Name: CORPORATE
    • User Name: your_username

Via vpncmd:

# Create the connection
AccountCreate "Company VPN" /SERVER:vpn.company.com:443 /HUB:CORPORATE /USERNAME:your_username /NICNAME:"VPN Connection"

# Set the password
AccountPasswordSet "Company VPN" /PASSWORD:your_password /TYPE:standard

Configuring additional parameters

# Enable compression and encryption
AccountSet "Company VPN" /USECOMPRESS:yes /USEENCRYPT:yes

# Configure Keep-Alive
AccountSet "Company VPN" /KEEPALIVE:yes

# Automatic reconnection
AccountRetrySet "Company VPN" /NUM:10 /INTERVAL:15

Managing connections

Connecting to the VPN

GUI:

  1. Select a connection from the list
  2. Click “Connect”
  3. Enter the credentials if required

Command line:

# Connect
vpncmd localhost /client /cmd:AccountConnect "Company VPN"

# Check the status
vpncmd localhost /client /cmd:AccountStatusGet "Company VPN"

Disconnecting from the VPN

# Disconnect
vpncmd localhost /client /cmd:AccountDisconnect "Company VPN"

Automatic connection

# Enable auto-connect on startup
vpncmd localhost /client /cmd:AccountStartupSet "Company VPN" /ENABLE:yes

Advanced configuration

Configuring a proxy server

If your network uses a proxy server:

# HTTP proxy
AccountProxySet "Company VPN" /TYPE:http /SERVER:proxy.company.com:8080 /USERNAME:proxy_user /PASSWORD:proxy_pass

# SOCKS proxy  
AccountProxySet "Company VPN" /TYPE:socks /SERVER:socks.company.com:1080

Configuring certificates

For certificate-based authentication:

# Add a client certificate
CertAdd /CERTFILE:client.crt /KEYFILE:client.key

# Configure certificate-based authentication
AccountSet "Company VPN" /AUTH:cert /CERT:client.crt

Configuring for use with NAT/Firewall

# Disable UDP to traverse NAT
AccountSet "Company VPN" /USEUDP:no

# Enable firewall bypass mode
AccountSet "Company VPN" /DISABLEUDPACCELERATION:yes

Diagnostics and troubleshooting

Checking connection status

# Detailed connection information
vpncmd localhost /client /cmd:AccountGet "Company VPN"

# Session statistics
vpncmd localhost /client /cmd:SessionGet "Company VPN"

Enabling logging

# Enable detailed logging
LogEnable packet /SWITCH:yes

# Viewing logs (Windows)
# Logs are located in the installation folder: log/

# Viewing logs (Linux)
sudo tail -f /opt/softether-client/vpnclient/log/vpn_*.log
Checking network settings

Windows:

# Check virtual adapters
ipconfig /all

# Check routes
route print

# Check DNS
nslookup google.com

Linux:

# Check interfaces
ip addr show

# Check routes
ip route show

# Check DNS
dig google.com

Multi-profile configuration

Creating multiple connections

# Create additional adapters
NicCreate "Home VPN"
NicCreate "Office VPN"

# Create connections
AccountCreate "Home Connection" /SERVER:home.vpn.com:443 /HUB:HOME /USERNAME:home_user /NICNAME:"Home VPN"
AccountCreate "Office Connection" /SERVER:office.vpn.com:443 /HUB:OFFICE /USERNAME:office_user /NICNAME:"Office VPN"

Switching between connections

# Disconnect from one VPN
AccountDisconnect "Home Connection"

# Connect to another VPN
AccountConnect "Office Connection"

Client security

Setting a local password

# Set a password for local management
PasswordSet localpassword

Blocking unauthorized access

# Restrict IP addresses for management
IPsecEnable no /L2TP:no /L2TPRAW:no /ETHERIP:no

Uninstallation

Windows

  1. Go to “Control Panel” → “Programs and Features”
  2. Find “SoftEther VPN Client”
  3. Click “Uninstall”
  4. Follow the instructions

Linux

# Stop and disable the service
sudo systemctl stop softether-vpnclient
sudo systemctl disable softether-vpnclient

# Remove the service files
sudo rm /etc/systemd/system/softether-vpnclient.service
sudo systemctl daemon-reload

# Remove the program files
sudo rm -rf /opt/softether-client

# Clean up virtual adapters (if there are problems)
sudo modprobe -r tun
Reviewed by OpenNix LLC · Last updated on
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