The script that starts my VPN stays on the screen until it's finished, which is all of the time we are connected. The only way I know to shut it down is to shut town the VPN. Is there a way to hide the script? This is the script:

#!/bin/bash
sudo openvpn --config /etc/openvpn/littlejoe_darkwirevpn.com_USCA.ovpn

adding the ampersand only makes it hang, because it requires a password. gksu has a similar effect.

If the script needs to remain active then it will show on the desktop. Putting it into the background is a good idea but you say you cannot background it because you need to answer a password. So you want it to be on the foreground and at the same time invisible. This is the classic case of have the pudding and eat it at the same time.

Anyway, I am wondering how you ended up in this situation. Debian install OpenVPN and adds a startup script. The startup script takes care of automatic startup at boot time. Both server and client.

So what did you do to disable this mechanism, and why. The OpenVPN startup script uses a config file in a standard location with a standard name. No need to create your own startup script. And why didn't you use the standard key scheme as explained in the OpenVPN HowTo?

jlinkels

At first I tried oneclickvpn from the internet. They have 'free install/free trial' offer. But I couldn't get it to working. Tried off and on for a long time. Then a friend of mine who lives a long way away, offered to help by means of BOMGAR. He also had a hard time with it. finally got it working with said script, But had to go on family business.

I'd guess that if there was a scriipt or setting in some config file, I probably deleted it or messed it up trying to get rid of the files installed by oneclickvpn

I really don't need to have that VPN up and running all the time. I pay for it by the Gb, so it would be nice to be able to turn it off when I don't need it - which I can do by rebooting.

Now connected with Darkwirevpn.

Store your script somewhere eg /usr/local/sbin/openvpn then (still as root user) create a file called /etc/sudoers.d/openvpn with this content:

I tried it as you said,NevemTeve, but it doesn't have any effect on the behavior of the system. I inserted the file exactly named, and copied by 'cut-&-paste' and then deleted 'password' and inserted my password. Then I reset the permissions to 440.

When it didn't work, I went to the directory mentioned in the script, and discovered that /usr/local/sbin And that is an empty directory. There is no openvpn at that address. I wonder if mint17 put it somewhere else, - or if I should build it, or move it from some place else.

I have a hard feeling that you don't understand what you're doing. You should have a basic knowledge about unix before you could solve this problem.

First, create a script with name /usr/local/sbin/openvpn, owner=root, rights=0755, content:
Done?

Then create a file by /etc/sudoers.d/openvpn content (replace 'littlejoe5' with your username):
Done?

Now try this (as littlejoe5 user):
It should work without asking for password.

Works?

Still requires the password, but now won't even work with the password.

Set the rights of sudoer file to 0440 (do it as root):
then try sudo /usr/local/sbin/openvpn again

I have done exactly as you said here. Sure enough I had the permissions set wrong, but I have double and triple checked the wording of each file and it's permissions.

And It still will not even connect to the VPN. It's a weekend. Perhaps I can connect with Darkwirevpn in the morning and see what they say. The problem could be on their end.

In one of your messages you ask for the results of the command:
ls -ld /usr/local/sbin/openvpn /etc/sudoers.d /etc/sudoers.d/openvpn;
here it is after I corrected the permissions of:/etc/sudoers.d/openvpn

drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Dec 20 23:37 /etc/sudoers.d
-r--r----- 1 root root 53 Dec 21 23:20 /etc/sudoers.d/openvpn
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 83 Dec 21 00:30 /usr/local/sbin/openvpn

It's just occurred to me that we might have created a recursion... Correct /usr/local/sbin/openvpn like this:

I messed up somewhere here. After making the edit you suggest I run the script (as below) and get the immediate message below that. (running as user). (Tried running from administrative prompt, e.g. "# /usr/local/sbin/openvpn" and got the same result)
_______________________________
sudo /usr/local/sbin/openvpn
/usr/local/sbin/openvpn: 2: exec: /usr/sbin/openvpn: Permission denied
______________________________

here is a copy of /usr/sbin/openvpn
_____________________________
/usr/sbin/openvpn: ELF 64-bit LSB shared object, x86-64, version 1 (SYSV), dynamically linked (uses shared libs), for GNU/Linux 2.6.24,BuildID[sha1}=c9a4cb73d2d1c4c574aeac11d3b39cda59cba521, stripped
____________________________
at one point I got an error box (don't know for sure what I did to get it) with the message: Warning /usr/sbin/openvpn:no symbols

Hmmm... it's like as if 'sudo' didn't have any effected... compare the output of these two commands:
(for more evidence you might insert command 'id -a' into the middle of /usr/local/sbin/openvpn')

Running as user:
__________________
/usr/local/sbin/openvpn
/usr/local/sbin/openvpn: 2: exec: /usr/sbin/openvpn: Permission denied
_____________________
still as user:
___________________
sudo /usr/local/sbin/openvpn
[sudo] password for m17:
/usr/local/sbin/openvpn: 2: exec: /usr/sbin/openvpn: Permission denied

The content of your /etc/sudoers.d/init.d file should be: