A year ago I bought an ASUS laptop and removed MS and installed Ubuntu and have been detoured at every step because while I am watching tutorials I am not tech savvy, know no one who is doing the same and just really struggle. I want to create my own VPN SSL and VPS but don't even know how to find my IP address. Its not in my laptop settings under network and I don't where else to look. Please help
Cant find my IP address
- Thread starter Olson
- Start date
Brickwizard
Well-Known Member
Welcome to the forums
from the terminal, try ip address [it dosn't work with all distributions]
from the terminal, try ip address [it dosn't work with all distributions]
Condobloke
Well-Known Member
G'day Olson, Welcome to Linux.org
What Is My IP Address? IP Address Tools and More
IP address lookup, location, proxy detection, email tracing, IP hiding tips, blacklist check, speed test, and forums. Find, get, and show my IP address.
whatismyipaddress.com
D
Deleted member 108694
Guest
Another web site is - https://www.whatsmyip.org/
Thanks. I found the IP address
Condobloke
Well-Known Member
Keep yourself in check, Olson. Baby steps first.
You will always find someone here on Linux.org who is either attempting the same as you are....or have already done it.
Members here are always willing to share their experience and knowledge.
Is your laptop connected directly to the internet? If so, all of the above answers will work. Your laptop will have a public IP address, visible from the internet.
Many people have a router in their home which connects to the internet service provider (ISP). The router may also provide a WiFi or Ethernet connection for your laptop.
If so, then you have two separate IP addresses:
Allow me to point out that if you expose your laptop to the internet, hacker bots and others may notice and "test" your security. Is your firewall configured correctly? ...
Many people have a router in their home which connects to the internet service provider (ISP). The router may also provide a WiFi or Ethernet connection for your laptop.
If so, then you have two separate IP addresses:
- The router has the public IP address, which is shared by all of the devices in your home.
- This is the address you will see from those websites mentioned above, like whatismyipaddress.com and whatsmyip.org (or my personal favorite, ipchicken.com)
- The devices in your home have private ip addresses that can only be seen internally to your home. Nobody can see them from the internet.
- This is the address you will see when you type the "ip address" command in the terminal.
- Private IP addresses start with 192.168.x.x, or sometimes 10.x.x.x (and rarely, some addresses that start with 172. )
Allow me to point out that if you expose your laptop to the internet, hacker bots and others may notice and "test" your security. Is your firewall configured correctly? ...
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Going to create vps and VPN and WordPress.
I haven't configured anything yet. I wanted to create a VPN and VPS which I have tutorials for. I found my private ip address through terminal after having had tried those web sites and getting different IP address. I do not have a router and currently use my Hotspot for internet service on my laptop. I'm on the road as a driver so it's very challenging
TL;DR: Skip to the bottom of this post, where you can find my recommendations.I haven't configured anything yet. I wanted to create a VPN and VPS which I have tutorials for. I found my private ip address through terminal after having had tried those web sites and getting different IP address. I do not have a router and currently use my Hotspot for internet service on my laptop. I'm on the road as a driver so it's very challenging
We may have some terminology and basic understanding issues here. Let me start with some definitions, and then I will follow with additional explanations and issues with what you are trying to do, followed with some basic recommendations of how to accomplish what you want.
VPS is a virtual private server. It is a server somewhere on the internet. A virtual private server can offer many kinds of services. You can choose one, choose some, choose many, or choose all of them at once. Here are some example services that a VPS can provide:
- Web Server - Host websites and display web pages.
- VPN Server - Your VPS can be a VPN server. See below for more.
- Game Server - Play games with your friends.
- Mail Server - Host email. This one is harder than it seems, because the big players tend to drop email to or from small private mail servers.
- File Server - Store files and backups etc. Share files with your friends (legal files, of course!).
- Streaming video or audio,
- Hosting your blog or podcast or whatever.
- If you can offer it on the internet, then your VPS can serve it.
Note: You can also create virtual machines on your laptop. That makes more sense to me. I do that all the time.
VPN is a virtual private network. Typically, you establish an encrypted (scrambled) connection from your computer to a VPN server somewhere on the internet. All of your internet activity is encrypted between your computer and the VPN server. The VPN server decrypts the communications and puts them out on the internet in the clear. Because your connection to the VPN server is encrypted, the people around you cannot "sniff" or see your internet activities like web surfing, email, etc. This protection is useful when you are accessing the internet from a hotel, a coffee shop, or other shared internet access. If you are at a private residence, then it keeps your internet service provider from monitoring your activities. If you are in an oppressed country that restricts your internet activities, a VPN may let you get access to websites that would otherwise be blocked, and the authorities will not know which websites you visit.
ISSUES WITH WHAT YOU ARE PROPOSING
Remember from above: A VPS is a type of server on the internet. A VPN is a kind of service that a server may provide. That VPN server could be a VPS or some other server.
Most hotspots (hotel, coffee shop, etc.) assign you a private IP address. You do not control their routers, so there is no way for your VPS or VPN users to access your laptop.
Even if you could get a public IP address from the hotspot, you face other issues:
Servers must be at a stable IP address on the internet. That's how others will find your VPS or your VPN. Each hotspot will have different IP addresses. How will your users find your VPS and VPN servers?
Most users expect VPSs and VPNs to be available whenever they need to use their services. How will your VPS and/or VPN users know when they can connect to your laptop, and when you are driving?
... you get the idea.
BASIC THOUGHTS
I wonder whether you really want to run VPS and VPN servers on a laptop that moves around and connects to the internet using hotspots? It is virtually impossible to do, and I explained why in the paragraphs above.
Could you be thinking of installing a virtual machine on your laptop for testing, development, learning, or some other purpose? This virtual machine would be like a separate computer on your laptop, but for your own use, not as a server on the internet. That's not a VPS, but you could configure it as a server to learn more about how to configure and operate them. You would be the only one who could access it.
Maybe what you are asking for is how to access a VPS from your laptop as you travel around. Could that be it?
Could you be thinking of installing the tools you need to access a VPN somewhere on the internet from your laptop? That could give you privacy when you are using hotspots.
RECOMMENDATIONS
- Consider installing virtual machine software on your laptop. You can create and destroy as many virtual Linux systems as you want so you can learn, play, configure servers or VPNs, or do anything, really. All in a safe "playpen" environment on your laptop. The well-known free software for virtual machines is "VirtualBox": https://www.virtualbox.org
- Find a VPS provider you like and rent a VPS on the internet. You can find VPSs for as little as a few dollars a month. Be careful when shopping at the low end. Your VPS could be configured to operate as a VPN - it is a popular use of VPSs. This is a great way to learn about Linux servers and Linux in general.
- Find a commercial VPN provider and pay for their VPN services. Install their recommended VPN client to connect to it. It would save you the time and trouble to configure your own.
Condobloke
Well-Known Member
So am I !!...phew !
Omg thank you for taking the time
Sorry I wasn't more specific. I am very simple and don't even realize sometimes what I'm leaving out. It's been years since I worked administratively
Not trying to add users at least for now any way
I would like to set up the VPN and VPS for privacy and security. Don't have anything clandestine or interesting going on lol but am tired of Google tracking and monitoring and monetizing etc. I simply want to be able to have a private VPN and VPS to add WordPress and create my own web pages
Thanks so much for your help. I'll have to look 8nto thecVPS as VPN. I hadn't heard that before
I just tried to private message you backbbut somehow this system considered it spam.
I am not sure if it's really a VPS if you own it and it's on hardware, I don't suppose. That's just a server. Well, I guess you could run it on virtual hardware (KVM or something) and it is technically private. VPS is usually a virtual server on hardware that houses many servers and the P is for Private, meaning your server is private in regards to the other servers on that hardware. That is, they act independently.
So, install your server. You'll also need to install PHP and a database - MySQL perhaps. Then, you'll want a mail server.
This will be a bit confusing, but you should be able to 'cheat' and install something like 'aaPanel' which will hopefully install all the extra bits during its installation. You can also try Vesta Control Panel, which I know will install all those goodies.
Which then leaves us with your VPN idea. If you're installing a VPN on your own devices on your same network, it'll have the same IP address you have with your other devices. To what end are you wanting the VPN?
And, finally, your ISP probably isn't going to let you have a public-facing web server. Some will, but most want you to have a business account before you can host things like a server. But, if you're just installing WordPress locally to develop for it, you can do that. You can even do it virtualized.
Omg thank you for taking the time
Sorry I wasn't more specific. I am very simple and don't even realize sometimes what I'm leaving out. It's been years since I worked administratively
Not trying to add users at least for now any way
I would like to set up the VPN and VPS for privacy and security. Don't have anything clandestine or interesting going on lol but am tired of Google tracking and monitoring and monetizing etc. I simply want to be able to have a private VPN and VPS to add WordPress and create my own web pages
Thanks so much for your help. I'll have to look 8nto thecVPS as VPN. I hadn't heard that before
As a new member, your PM may have been blocked. Don't worry about it.
A VPN does nothing regarding "Google tracking and monitoring and monetizing etc." Whether your connections come directly from the laptop or they pass through a VPN first, it is effectively the same. The only difference is which IP address that you seem to coming from - a hotspot or the VPN. Since you drive around and use different hotspots, your public IP address is changing anyway. That does not stop the tracking.
This is how a VPN works:
Your Laptop <-> [Encrypted] <-> VPN <-> [Not Encrypted] <-> internet websites, email, etc.
What a VPN does is hide the communications between your laptop and the VPN. After that, it all looks the same once it is on the internet. Those nosy websites will read and deposit the same cookies in your browser and do all the little nefarious things that they do to keep their tracking alive, whether you are coming directly from a hotspot or through a VPN.
It makes little sense to have a VPN on your laptop, other than for practicing how to configure one. If you want a VPN that makes sense, you must either pay a commercial VPN service or get your own server, then install the VPN software and configure it yourself. There are several options for VPN software if you choose to host it on your own server. A VPS would be a good choice for a personal VPN server. It is one of the most common uses of VPSs. (If you are thinking about running your own VPN service from your VPS for many users, the provider may object to the amount of bandwidth you use. That is not a typical issue for strictly personal use.)
The same applies to your Wordpress-based website. If you are the only person viewing it, then sure, put the server on the laptop and practice with it. If you want a real Wordpress-based website that others can see, you will need a server (web server) on the internet. Again, this is a very common use for a VPS. An alternate commercial solution is shared hosting, where the provider runs the server, and you focus on your website. Shared hosting means that many websites share the provider's server, but they are separate accounts and cannot see each other. That's easier than configuring and managing your own VPS.
You can host the website(s) and run a VPN server from a single VPS, but I would not recommend it. Considering your lack of experience, I urge you to sign up for separate VPSs and use one for the website and the other one for the VPN. Keeping the web server and website secure has its own learning curve, and you may not want to expose the VPN part to the risks. Obviously you must keep both VPSs secure.
Repeating what I said above:
In addition to acquiring a couple of VPSs on the internet, consider installing virtual machine software on your laptop. You can create and destroy as many virtual Linux systems as you want so you can learn, play, configure servers or VPNs, or do anything, really. All in a safe "playpen" environment on your laptop. The well-known free software for virtual machines is "VirtualBox": https://www.virtualbox.org
Virtual machine software let you take "snapshots" of a virtual machine, so you can try out something, see what happens, and then revert back. You can save multiple snapshots.
I hope this helps.
For others:
I sent a PM to @Olson with recommendations of websites that are centered around low cost VPSs.
DANGER! WARNING!
I made it very clear that those websites are somewhat "sketchy", and told Olson to lurk without posting. There are lots of scam offers, so do your homework and carefully research any provider before you sign up. Some members deliberately mislead new users. The websites have strong male-dominant cultures. They can be abusive and openly hostile. The off-topic discussions have no restraint. Still, they are a good place to find bargain VPSs, so I told him about them with all of those warnings attached.
Edit:
Against my better judgement, I will name the sketchy websites: LowEndBox and LowEndTalk operate together and are owned by the same person. LowEndSpirit was spun off by people who had issues with LowEndTalk. Many of the same people are on both and frequently the same thread starts up at the same time on both. You have been warned to be cautious.
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I have video instruction on setting up a VPN and signing up for VPS space to communicate between the two to set up web pages of my own while keeping my personal IP private while using a SSL. I have not heard of these other options and confused why what I'm saying isn't translating lol
I have video instruction on setting up a VPN and signing up for VPS space to communicate between the two using a SSL to set up web pages of my own while keeping my personal IP address private etc
Also I was under the impression that by using Linux it hides your identity of any tracking and you can sandbox in the other things that are connected to tracking to keep it from your information
I removed MS from the ASUS laptop and only have Ubuntu on it and do not use Google and social media on it
I read these comments carefully several times. I am sorry, but I do not understand them. They do not make sense to me. Can you share which video instruction you are referring to?
Linux is an operating system, like Windows or macOS (or many other ones). Most versions of Linux do not hide your identity from tracking any better than other operating systems.
There a special, unusual version of Linux that is focused on privacy. It might be worth your time to look into it. I have known about it for a long time, but do not have much experience with it. That version of Linux is called "Tails". Tails does not rely on VPSs or VPNs. See:
https://tails.boum.org
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tails_(operating_system)
When I did a web search, I found websites listing several other privacy-oriented versions of Linux, but I know nothing about them other than Tails. Here are the first two articles that popped up in my web search. There may be better websites, but at least it is a start:
https://www.techradar.com/news/best-linux-distro-privacy-security
https://proprivacy.com/privacy-service/guides/which-linux-distro-best-for-privacy
A General Comment:
With sincere respect, you seem to lack an understanding of the basics that you need, while attempting to accomplish a complex goal that you have difficulty describing. Imagine someone asking questions about a video related to calculus, but they have not mastered basic arithmetic. There is nothing wrong with that, but the solution is, "First learn arithmetic, algebra, geometry, functional analysis, ... and then you will ready to learn about calculus and ask questions about it."
Please do some more learning about Linux in general, as well as VPSs and VPNs. I promise it will help.
Okay I'll try this one more time
I want to create a VPN server on a VPS.
Create and manage VPS via secure shell SSH and install wordpress to create websites
I want to host my own web server, email server, and cloud server.
I want to do this all again using a secure shell where as an ISP provider or anyone else cant view any data transmittal. Therefore I'm free from data
mining and my work, communications and browsing sessions are private.
However what I am hearing is that its not possible to do anything in private or protect my data with FOSS and have digital freedom
