How can I host my server while on a VPN?

Question

How can I route the traffic of the TeamSpeak server so that it will work when connected to VPN?

I am currently hosting a TeamSpeak server at home and intend to have that server connected to a VPN at all times; however, when connected to the VPN, no one can connect to the TeamSpeak server.

• I'm using VPN service Private Internet Access, using their application to connect (can also use OpenVPN), which offers port forwarding on certain servers; however, this method will not work for me as my choice of VPN servers is limited

Answer 1

If Port Forwarding is Possible:

• From the information you've shared, it sounds like they may be handing you a dynamic IP, or some sort of configuration that is ever changing. Although PIA supports port forwarding as you've said, that doesn't help if the users do not know where the server lives [your VPN IP address].
  • In this scenario, simply have UDP 9987 forwarded as usual, but you may want to use a dynamic IP service such as No-IP; they have clients that can update the DNS entry yourhost.no-ip.tld from the machine that is running your VPN and Teamspeak 3 server.
• To eliminate any strange behavior, it would be generally advised to use the OpenVPN client if possible; this permits you to see what kind of configuration they are enforcing to a reasonable extent.
  
  

If Port Forwarding is Not Possible:

• You might be SOL for running this through this particular VPN service; from what I've been able to uncover, their system to permit port forwarding is very strange and hit-and-miss from user experiences.
• There are potential options for getting this to still work, such as inquiring with PIA as to whether or not they permit split-tunneling, for which some data can go through the VPN interface while others go out your hardware/normally expected interface.
• Despite these potential workarounds, I would highly recommend simply using a VPN provider that actually supports port forwarding without a huge hassle to save yourself from this headache. I personally have used nVpn.net in the past, which permits port forwarding (with no hassle!) despite handing out dynamic IPs.
  
  

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Resources

• User Experiences
• Reasonable VPN Provider for Hosting
• Suggested Dynamic DNS (DDNS) Provider
• General Information & Vendors for DDNS

Answer 2

The website for your VPN service says that it acts at the "TCP/IP interface level" so it affects all applications. That would include your TeamSpeak server.

The fact that your users can't connect implies that TeamSpeak clients connect directly to the server, and NOT through an intermediary server in the cloud.

The fact that Private Internet Access even offers a port forwarding option implies that it shares IP addresses between clients. Unfortunately that means that a dynamic IP service like No-IP still wouldn't work.

It seems you have two options, neither one being exactly what you're asking for:

1. Replace Your VPN Service - either find one that allows you to use port forwarding, or find one that provides dedicated IP's to each client (which would negate the need for forwarding in the VPN service, and )

2. Split Your Servers - move either your VPN connection OR the TeamSpeak service to another server. You could do this physically, or using virtual machine(s) on your existing server.