I've been using ProtonVPN now for about two weeks (paid account). I have my router connect to their servers and everything works but is slow. I have been trying to get their protonvpn_cli application to work directly on my Slackware box but no joy so far. It installs fine with pip3, initializes without a hitch but when I try to connect it just says that it encountered an "error" and to check my internet connection (which is fine). After a connection attempt using the protonvpn app I lose all ability to access dns servers. Browser(s) just say that they can't resolve the address. All is fine after rebooting. Their help desk people and documentation are all apt-get centric. Of their prerequisites the only one that I didn't get was network-manager-openvpn-gnome so, fingers crossed I installed NetworkManager-openvpn from Slackbuilds.

So, I'm curious if anyone has gotten protonvpn_cli to run on a Slack64-current box??? If so I'd like to know how. Many thanks if you have experience.

Starting from scratch it took me 10 minutes to get it to work using the free account on this slackware64-current laptop. Did you use pip3 as su or as an ordinary user (I used su)? Did you log into your protonVPN account at the protonVPN website to get your openvpn user name & password? They are different than your protonmail email username and password and you need them to use protonvpn_cli. You are allowed to customize them to something you can memorize (the initial ones are long random strings). The free server is pretty fast (throttled to 100Mbit/sec).

Thanks for the response. I used pip3 although on my machine pip is a link to pip3. Yes, I got the UN/PW correct.

biker_rat, when you use protonvpn_cli to connect does it modify your /etc/resolv.conf?? When I do and when my dns resolution has gone in the toilet my resolv.conf has been changed to

and all of the normal entries have been commented out.

It did not modify my /etc/resolv.conf. /etc/resolv.conf still points to my router.
-Edit, the above is wrong. While it is running it points at 10.50.0.1, same as yours. It goes back to the original (pointing at router) when I disconnect.

I was able to connect to protonVPN using the openvpn configuration files available in the protonVPN account page and NetworK Manager applets native openvpn gui as well. You can write a bash script to create a killswitch using the ufw program. You just have to remember to call the command ufw allow out to x.x.x.x were x.x.x.x is the DNS server that appears in /etc/resolv.conf after the vpn connection is made and your kill switch script is run so that DNS will work.

Which specific openvpn config file did you pick?

Netherlands free server #1 udp.

Hi 3rensh,

1. did you install with full root path? i.e.: su -

2. you must be have the full root path (i.e. su -) when you call protonvpn, otherwise it will bork when it in turn calls openvpn. Sudo will not suffice.

3. the above resolv.conf reported by you is the correct behaviour; however, in your case the script is not completing leaving you with the protonvpn dns but no vpn. Calling "protonvpn d" will take you back to your normal dns servers in the same way as you would disconnect from a successful vpn session.

4. the program has a killswitch built in: see "protonvpn configure"

5. It's a great vpn service. I've been using the paid basic tier for over a year now and I don't notice any significant lag.

I hope this is clear, helpful and you find success.

Thank you biker_rat and ceed. I just put on my dunce cap. The problem was I hadn't cleared my iptables and the port was blocked. Clearing them allowed a connection. Oh yeah, tut mir leid. I had shut down my shorewall FW but didn't clear the iptables. I guess now I need to figure out how to configure shorewall to allow protonvpn but that's another story. Probably just open port 1194. Thanks again for your input.