By Dan Moren

November 3, 2015 12:24 PM PT

Setting up OS X Server VPN on El Capitan

Note: This story has not been updated for several years.

A few months back I ran through using OS X Server on your Mac to set up a VPN, which allows you not only to access computers on your local network while you’re out and about, but also enables forwarding of all Internet traffic through the VPN connection. (Great if you want to make sure that you maintain a secure connection while on public Wi-Fi.)

My guide through that process was an excellent walkthrough hosted by Macminicolo and authored by Rusty Ross. Now the two have joined forces once again to update the guide for El Capitan.

I’d been having some minor problems with the VPN since updating to 10.11, so I walked back through these steps to see if I could isolate the problems. I found one specific issue–the /etc/pf.anchors/com.apple file had been returned to its default version–and also restarted the VPN service, and everything seems to be working well once again. If you’ve run into problems with VPNs since El Cap, I’d advise you to run a check and see if you’ve encountered the same problems.

[Dan Moren is the East Coast Bureau Chief of Six Colors, as well as an author, podcaster, and two-time Jeopardy! champion. You can find him on Mastodon at @dmoren@zeppelin.flights or reach him by email at dan@sixcolors.com. His next novel, the sci-fi adventure Eternity's Tomb, will be released in November 2026.]

If you appreciate articles like this one, support us by becoming a Six Colors subscriber. Subscribers get access to an exclusive podcast, members-only stories, and a special community.