How to Install Tinc on Arch Linux

Introduction

Tinc is a free and open-source VPN daemon that uses tunnelling and encryption to create a secure private network between hosts. In this tutorial, we will learn how to install Tinc on Arch Linux.

Prerequisites

Before we begin the installation, ensure that you have the following:

  • A running Arch Linux system
  • sudo privileges or root access
  • Internet connection

Step 1: Install Tinc

To install Tinc, run the following command:

sudo pacman -S tinc

Step 2: Create Tinc Configuration Directory

Next, create a Tinc configuration directory that Tinc will use to store its configuration files:

sudo mkdir /etc/tinc

Step 3: Create Tinc Network Directory

Create a Tinc network directory where the Tinc network configuration files will be stored:

sudo mkdir /etc/tinc/<network-name>

Replace with the name of the network you want to create, for example, myvpn.

Step 4: Generate Tinc RSA Keys

Tinc uses RSA key pairs to encrypt and decrypt its data, so we need to generate RSA keys for Tinc. To generate the Tinc RSA keys, run the following command:

sudo tincd -n <network-name> -K4096

Replace with the name of the network you created in Step 3.

Step 5: Create Tinc Configuration File

Create a Tinc configuration file in the /etc/tinc// directory using your favourite editor. For example, using nano:

sudo nano /etc/tinc/<network-name>/tinc.conf

Add the following lines to the tinc.conf file:

Name = <hostname>
AddressFamily = ipv4
Interface = tun0

Replace with the hostname of the local machine.

Step 6: Configure Tinc Hosts

Create a host configuration file for each host that will be part of the Tinc network. To create a host configuration file, create a new file in the /etc/tinc// directory using your favourite editor.

For example, to create a host configuration file for a host named host1, run the following command:

sudo nano /etc/tinc/<network-name>/hosts/host1

Add the following lines to the host configuration file:

Subnet = <host1-ip-address>/32

Replace with the IP address of host1.

Step 7: Open Firewall Ports

Tinc uses UDP port 655 and TCP port 655 to communicate between hosts. Ensure that these ports are open in your firewall.

Step 8: Start Tinc

To start Tinc, run the following command:

sudo tincd -n <network-name> -D --logfile=/var/log/tinc.log --pidfile=/run/tinc.pid

Replace with the name of the network you created in Step 3.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, you learned how to install Tinc on Arch Linux, generate RSA keys, create a Tinc configuration file, configure Tinc hosts, open firewall ports, and start Tinc. You should now be able to use Tinc to create secure private networks between hosts.