Check your OpenVPN client log, in case for some reason the client is failing to connect, and immediately trying again rather than wait the usual couple of seconds.
No, it is not that. The log shows an immediate and held connection.
After a few seconds I am unable to use the router interface and it crashes. I am forced to disconnect and reconnect to the router interface.
The logs for a 1 minute (approx) connection:
Openvpn client:
Sun Aug 09 11:57:36 2015 OpenVPN 2.3.8 x86_64-w64-mingw32 [SSL (OpenSSL)] [LZO] [PKCS11] [IPv6] built on Aug 4 2015
Sun Aug 09 11:57:36 2015 library versions: OpenSSL 1.0.1p 9 Jul 2015, LZO 2.08
Enter Management Password:
Sun Aug 09 11:57:53 2015 UDPv4 link local: [undef]
Sun Aug 09 11:57:53 2015 UDPv4 link remote: [AF_INET]xx.xxx.xx.xxx:1194
Sun Aug 09 11:57:53 2015 WARNING: this configuration may cache passwords in memory -- use the auth-nocache option to prevent this
Sun Aug 09 11:57:54 2015 [RT-AC68U] Peer Connection Initiated with [AF_INET]192.168.2.1:1194
Sun Aug 09 11:57:56 2015 do_ifconfig, tt->ipv6=0, tt->did_ifconfig_ipv6_setup=0
Sun Aug 09 11:57:56 2015 open_tun, tt->ipv6=0
Sun Aug 09 11:57:56 2015 TAP-WIN32 device [Ethernet 2] opened: \\.\Global\{B2C97252-5730-4943-90CB-DEF4D7FB9968}.tap
Sun Aug 09 11:57:56 2015 Set TAP-Windows TUN subnet mode network/local/netmask = 10.8.0.0/10.8.0.2/255.255.255.0 [SUCCEEDED]
Sun Aug 09 11:57:56 2015 Notified TAP-Windows driver to set a DHCP IP/netmask of 10.8.0.2/255.255.255.0 on interface {B2C97252-5730-4943-90CB-DEF4D7FB9968} [DHCP-serv: 10.8.0.254, lease-time: 31536000]
Sun Aug 09 11:57:56 2015 Successful ARP Flush on interface [29] {B2C97252-5730-4943-90CB-DEF4D7FB9968}
Sun Aug 09 11:58:01 2015 Initialization Sequence Completed
Sun Aug 09 11:58:51 2015 SIGTERM[hard,] received, process exiting
Server:
Aug 9 11:57:54 openvpn[8338]: 192.168.2.33:59691 TLS: Initial packet from [AF_INET]192.168.2.33:59691, sid=555fe8ac 98a09955
Aug 9 11:57:54 openvpn[8338]: 192.168.2.33:59691 VERIFY OK: depth=1, C=TW, ST=TW, L=Taipei, O=ASUS, CN=RT-AC68U, emailAddress=
me@myhost.mydomain
Aug 9 11:57:54 openvpn[8338]: 192.168.2.33:59691 VERIFY OK: depth=0, C=TW, ST=TW, L=Taipei, O=ASUS, CN=client, emailAddress=
me@myhost.mydomain
Aug 9 11:57:55 openvpn[8338]: 192.168.2.33:59691 PLUGIN_CALL: POST /usr/lib/openvpn-plugin-auth-pam.so/PLUGIN_AUTH_USER_PASS_VERIFY status=0
Aug 9 11:57:55 openvpn[8338]: 192.168.2.33:59691 TLS: Username/Password authentication succeeded for username 'newhp'
Aug 9 11:57:55 openvpn[8338]: 192.168.2.33:59691 Data Channel Encrypt: Cipher 'AES-256-CBC' initialized with 256 bit key
Aug 9 11:57:55 openvpn[8338]: 192.168.2.33:59691 Data Channel Encrypt: Using 160 bit message hash 'SHA1' for HMAC authentication
Aug 9 11:57:55 openvpn[8338]: 192.168.2.33:59691 Data Channel Decrypt: Cipher 'AES-256-CBC' initialized with 256 bit key
Aug 9 11:57:55 openvpn[8338]: 192.168.2.33:59691 Data Channel Decrypt: Using 160 bit message hash 'SHA1' for HMAC authentication
Aug 9 11:57:55 openvpn[8338]: 192.168.2.33:59691 Control Channel: TLSv1.2, cipher TLSv1/SSLv3 DHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384, 1024 bit RSA
Aug 9 11:57:55 openvpn[8338]: 192.168.2.33:59691 [client] Peer Connection Initiated with [AF_INET]192.168.2.33:59691
Aug 9 11:57:55 openvpn[8338]: client/192.168.2.33:59691 MULTI_sva: pool returned IPv4=10.8.0.2, IPv6=(Not enabled)
Aug 9 11:57:55 openvpn[8338]: client/192.168.2.33:59691 MULTI: Learn: 10.8.0.2 -> client/192.168.2.33:59691
Aug 9 11:57:55 openvpn[8338]: client/192.168.2.33:59691 MULTI: primary virtual IP for client/192.168.2.33:59691: 10.8.0.2
Aug 9 11:57:57 openvpn[8338]: client/192.168.2.33:59691 PUSH: Received control message: 'PUSH_REQUEST'
Aug 9 11:57:57 openvpn[8338]: client/192.168.2.33:59691 send_push_reply(): safe_cap=940
Aug 9 11:57:57 openvpn[8338]: client/192.168.2.33:59691 SENT CONTROL [client]: 'PUSH_REPLY,route 192.168.2.0 255.255.255.0,route-gateway 10.8.0.1,topology subnet,ping 15,ping-restart 60,ifconfig 10.8.0.2 255.255.255.0' (status=1)
Aug 9 11:58:52 miniupnpd[11377]: upnp_event_recv: recv(): Connection reset by peer
Aug 9 12:00:02 openvpn[8338]: client/192.168.2.33:59691 [client] Inactivity timeout (--ping-restart), restarting
Aug 9 12:00:02 openvpn[8338]: client/192.168.2.33:59691 SIGUSR1[soft,ping-restart] received, client-instance restarting
I have installed the same client version and am using the same .ovpn file on a windows 7 machine. That connects without problem albeit I don't have the same firewall or antivirus on there yet. I will duplicate everything on windows 7 to try to prove/disprove win 8.1 is the devil..
I am also having problems connecting with Ubuntu, I get an 'undef'' connection but that story will be left for another time.