push (EN)

Definition

Push is an OpenVPN command that allows the server to send configuration instructions to clients as soon as they establish a connection. These push instructions override local client settings and enable centralized configuration management. Commonly used push commands are 'redirect-gateway' to redirect all traffic through the VPN and 'dhcp-option' to provide DNS servers to the clients. The push functionality is particularly important in client-to-site configurations to inform clients of the correct network routes and settings.

Data Flow

sequenceDiagram     participant C as Client     participant S as OpenVPN-Server     participant R as Routing-Tabelle          C->>S: Verbindungsaufbau     S->>C: Push-Anweisung (redirect-gateway)     C->>R: Gateway-Eintrag aktualisieren     S->>C: Push-Anweisung (dhcp-option)     C->>R: DNS-Server-Eintrag hinzufügen     C->>S: Bestätigung     S->>C: Verbindung bestätigt 

In Context

• Typically used together with 'client-config-dir'
• Related to: OpenVPN configuration, VPN tunnel, network routing
• Example use case: Corporate VPN with centrally managed DNS settings