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Multi-Gateway Connections

GateKey supports connecting to multiple VPN gateways simultaneously, allowing you to access resources across different networks without disconnecting and reconnecting.

How It Works​

Each gateway connection gets its own network interface:

gatekey connect us-east-1    # Gets tun0
gatekey connect eu-west-1    # Gets tun1

The routing table is updated automatically so traffic goes to the correct gateway based on destination.

Connecting to Multiple Gateways​

# Connect to first gateway
gatekey connect us-east-1
# Output: Connected to us-east-1 (tun0)

# Connect to second gateway
gatekey connect eu-west-1
# Output: Connected to eu-west-1 (tun1)

Checking Status​

gatekey status

Output:

Status: Connected to 2 gateways

  us-east-1:
    Status:    Connected
    Interface: tun0
    Duration:  2h15m30s
    Local IP:  10.8.0.5
    Routes:    10.0.0.0/8

  eu-west-1:
    Status:    Connected
    Interface: tun1
    Duration:  1h30m15s
    Local IP:  10.9.0.12
    Routes:    172.16.0.0/12

Disconnecting​

# Disconnect from a specific gateway
gatekey disconnect us-east-1

# Disconnect from all gateways
gatekey disconnect --all

Route Handling​

Routes are automatically managed:

  • Each gateway pushes its own routes based on your access rules
  • No route conflicts between gateways (different CIDR blocks)
  • Traffic is routed to the correct gateway based on destination

Best Practices​

  1. Don't overlap routes: Ensure each gateway routes to different networks
  2. Monitor connections: Use gatekey status to verify all connections
  3. Check logs: If issues occur, check gateway-specific logs: 
    cat ~/.gatekey/openvpn-us-east-1.log

Troubleshooting​

"Route conflict detected"​

Two gateways are trying to push the same route. Contact your administrator to review gateway route configurations.

"Interface allocation failed"​

Too many interfaces active. Disconnect some gateways first:

gatekey disconnect --all
gatekey connect us-east-1

DNS Issues​

When connected to multiple gateways, DNS may need manual configuration. Check which gateway should handle DNS resolution for your use case.