I’ve got a Linux server running Xubuntu at the moment (It was a media player first), and it also runs two Minecraft servers for the family. It has two network cards that are both connected to the internet. Is there a way to bind the VPN to one of the cards and use the other one for regular use?

I’ve got Surfshark as my VPN, and it doesn’t allow port forwarding under Linux. I’ve got some software that I want to keep behind the VPN, but the lack of port forwarding is stopping me from sharing the Minecraft servers, and when the VPN is active, it slows down the connection to some of my services like Plex.

I’ve tried to look it up, but I just don’t know enough to get myself anywhere. I’ve found results that talk about name spaces and routing tables, but they assume a level of knowledge that I just haven’t got yet.

I want to use the Arr suite and qBittorrent as the main programs behind the VPN, and Plex, Mylar (a comic manager), Syncthing, and Minecraft as the main programs without it. If I set up qBittorrent and the Arrs as Docker containers, can I use Gluetun to bind just them to the VPN? The VPN is using OpenVPN connections if that makes a difference.

Thanks in advance :)

  • bloodfart@lemmy.ml
    14·
    15 days ago

    Yes you can!

    As you said, it’s got everything to do with routing and you don’t know how to do that yet.

    Now’s a great time to learn!

    If you’re on a time crunch, go ahead and use network namespaces under network manager to set up something like what you want as another user suggested.

    If you have time to learn about the firewall and routing table rules, put on your wire rim sunglasses, pop a jungle cd in and crack open Linux Firewalls or some such book for nerds.

    • midnightblue@lemmy.caEnglish
      4·
      15 days ago

      If you’re on a time crunch, go ahead and use network namespaces under network manager to set up something like what you want as another user suggested.

      Is there a way to do this without NetworkManager?

    • Tippon@lemmy.dbzer0.comOPEnglish
      1·
      13 days ago

      If you’re on a time crunch, go ahead and use network namespaces under network manager to set up something like what you want as another user suggested.

      I’d love to, but I have no idea how >.< :D

      I have a vague idea of what they are and what they do, but everything I’ve found assumes a level of understanding that I don’t have yet. I’ve found this man page from searcing an example posted in another reply, and it’s helped, but I’m still confused :)

      https://manpages.ubuntu.com/manpages/trusty/man8/ip-netns.8.html

      • bloodfart@lemmy.ml
        1·
        13 days ago

        Yeah, there’s a baseline of network stack understanding that you gotta have in order to use some of the tools, even Theo es that are supposed to make it easier.

        What don’t you get? Maybe I can point you in the right direction.