algo

Local Installation

IMPORTANT: Algo is designed to create a dedicated VPN server. There is no uninstallation option. Installing Algo on an existing server may break existing services, especially since firewall rules will be overwritten. See AlgoVPN and Firewalls for details.

Requirements

Algo currently supports Ubuntu 22.04 LTS only. Your target server must be running an unmodified installation of Ubuntu 22.04.

Installation

You can install Algo on an existing Ubuntu server instead of creating a new cloud instance. This is called a local installation. If you’re new to Algo or Linux, cloud deployment is easier.

1. Follow the normal Algo installation instructions
2. When prompted, choose: Install to existing Ubuntu latest LTS server (for advanced users)
3. The target can be:
   • The same system where you installed Algo (requires sudo ./algo)
   • A remote Ubuntu server accessible via SSH without password prompts (use ssh-agent)

For local installation on the same machine, you must run:

sudo ./algo

Confirmation Prompt

Local installation displays a warning and requires you to type yes to proceed. This ensures you understand that Algo will modify firewall rules and system settings, and that there is no uninstall option.

For automated deployments or CI/CD pipelines, skip the confirmation with:

ansible-playbook main.yml -e "provider=local local_install_confirmed=true server=localhost endpoint=YOUR_IP"

Only use local_install_confirmed=true when you have already taken a backup and understand the risks.

Road Warrior Setup

A “road warrior” setup lets you securely access your home network and its resources when traveling. This involves installing Algo on a server within your home LAN.

Network Configuration:

• Forward the necessary ports from your router to the Algo server (see firewall documentation)

Algo Configuration (edit config.cfg before deployment):

• Set BetweenClients_DROP to false (allows VPN clients to reach your LAN)
• Consider setting block_smb and block_netbios to false (enables SMB/NetBIOS traffic)
• For local DNS resolution (e.g., Pi-hole), set dns_encryption to false and update dns_servers to your local DNS server IP

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