@@ -2712,6 +2712,34 @@ to the module initialization function.  Multiple

 plugin modules may be loaded into one OpenVPN

 process.

+The

+.B module-pathname

+argument can be just a filename or a filename with a relative

+or absolute path.  The format of the filename and path defines

+if the plug-in will be loaded from a default plug-in directory

+or outside this directory.

+

+.nf

+.ft 3

+.in +4

+.B \-\-plugin path\ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ Effective directory used

+====================================================

+ myplug.so            DEFAULT_DIR/myplug.so

+ subdir/myplug.so     DEFAULT_DIR/subdir/myplug.so

+ ./subdir/myplug.so   CWD/subdir/myplug.so

+ /usr/lib/my/plug.so  /usr/lib/my/plug.so

+.in -4

+.fi

+

+DEFAULT_DIR is replaced by the default plug-in directory,

+which is configured at the build time of OpenVPN.  CWD is the

+current directory where OpenVPN was started or the directory

+OpenVPN have swithed into via the

+.B\-\-cd

+option before the

+.B\-\-plugin

+option.

+

 For more information and examples on how to build OpenVPN

 plug-in modules, see the README file in the

 .B plugin

@@ -235,7 +235,23 @@ plugin_init_item(struct plugin *p, const struct plugin_option *o)

     p->handle = NULL;

-    if (!absolute_pathname(p->so_pathname))

+    /* If the plug-in filename is not an absolute path,

+     * or beginning with '.', it should use the PLUGIN_LIBDIR

+     * as the base directory for loading the plug-in.

+     *

+     * This means the following scenarios are loaded from these places:

+     *    --plugin fancyplug.so              -> $PLUGIN_LIBDIR/fancyplug.so

+     *    --plugin my/fancyplug.so           -> $PLUGIN_LIBDIR/my/fancyplug.so

+     *    --plugin ./fancyplug.so            -> $CWD/fancyplug.so

+     *    --plugin /usr/lib/my/fancyplug.so  -> /usr/lib/my/fancyplug.so

+     *

+     * Please note that $CWD means the directory OpenVPN is either started from

+     * or the directory OpenVPN have changed into using --cd before --plugin

+     * was parsed.

+     *

+     */

+    if (!absolute_pathname(p->so_pathname)

+        && p->so_pathname[0] != '.')

     {

         char full[PATH_MAX];