NetworkManager-openvpn issue
 

Hi

I link to internet mostly through openvpn service .
I used for that NetworkManager, but recently NM allows connect only once after switching ON system or reboot.
If I disconnect VPN using NM-applet next time switching ON VPN does not work .
Using CLi pure openvpn client works flawlesly OFF and ON.
I suppose something happens from routing, and bringing UP tun0 interface but I do not know the cause.
This is snippet after first succesfull connection:

When I switch off VPN using NM go down tun0 interface and routes goes back to default but there is log error from NM that tell something goes wrong.

If I try reconnect after that logs says that there is something like connection ????? but interface tun0 is down and routing went to eth0 like it should be.

after several attempts in the end either links VPN or not. If links logs says OK.....


.......but there is another error about routing
and there is no tun0 in routing table but nm-applet shows connection.Route command shows that tunnel is assembled from eth0 and there is no tun0 interface.
I do not know what to say. I revert back NM to that from slackware 14.1 that works but in current do not work previous like a newest.
Something goes wrong with NM but cli openvpn works like expected without issue.

All working fine and as expected here on 64-current: /var/log/packages/NetworkManager-1.0.8-x86_64-1 /var/log/packages/NetworkManager-openvpn-0.9.8.4-x86_64-1_SBo

Which versions are you running?

(looks like my openvpn is a bit out-of-date, but hey! It works!)

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Pete

Not for me. Work only once per sesion for the first time .Next work only after reboot.

Wersion 0.9.10.2 is even more verbose on second , third .... attempt.

Is the tun module loading?
If you are running the standard kernel, you may need to be root to do lsmod.

That final "0" should become "2" when you open an openvpn link.

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Pete

Is OK.I repeat.

1. if I conect via openvpn cli

connections and reconnections are OK.
2.if I connect via NM-openvpn applet only works for the first attempt after boot or reboot.
second,third... attempts after connection OFF produces this errors. Interface tun0 is not raised like it was for the first time and 1 more route path is added to eth0 interface. NM-applet visually shows that there is tunnel but shows wrong.

I send bug info to NM maintainers too, but maybe it's the misconfigured server .I am only a client.

OK, but I'm wondering if the cli is correctly loading the module while the gui isn't. In which case it could be some kind of configuration error on your machine. All I can say is that it works fine here - I can open and close the vpn as many times as I like without issues - which is why I wonder about configuration issues.

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Pete

That's the question.

If it was misconfiguration for my side /client/ it would not be connection at all, but it is for the first time.
Maybe server side but it's my VPN provider matter.

Even with this bad connection is created tun0 virtual interface in /sys/devices/virtual/net/ directory but it is not raised and routing does not create the proper path to it because it can not.


Finally downgrade NM-openvpn to 0.9.8.4 from 1.0.8 and 0.9.10.2 and it seems work properly as in you but not every time :-(
It's better .
It must be something wrong in those later versions, or may be in slack after this big updates.

Thanks

Well if the tun0 device exists, then the only other thing I can think of is a permissions issue. Have you checked the permissions of tun0 both when its working and when it isn't?

One other thing I notice is in your 3rd code snippet in your original post. It says that authorisation failed because you are already logged in. Could it be that when you log out, it is not dropping the connection properly?

Finally, I would try disabling ipv6 on your vpn connection, if it is enabled. I have had ipv6 cause me all sorts of grief in the past, although it seems to be much better these days. Could ipv6 be keeping your login open and stopping you from logging in again?

I'm reaching the limits of my experience here, but since no-one else has chipped in..........

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Pete

pchristy

Permissions are and were OK.
Authorisation was OK. I wanted to turn on and off too quickly. Server has some latency so I got failure on your own wish :-)
IPV6 - I do not use from the beginning in the configuration I have disabled.

It turned out that recompile kernel solved the problem.

I do not use the original karnel from Slackware.
Compile alone since the beginning of 2.4. Recently I used 3.18.18 I patched to the latest version 3.18.24 and OK for now. Sure there was some regression or one little thing: CONFIG_NETLINK_DIAG option. I had compiled it as a module. Now I have built a permanent in a monolith.
Which helped? Does not matter . Works now.

Thanks any way.

Like you, I'm not using the stock kernel - I'm currently running 4.3.0. I prefer to have a kernel "tuned" for my system, removing all the unnecessary stuff. This isn't a criticism of the stock kernel in any way. That has to be able to run on a wide variety of hardware, much of which won't exist on any individual machine.

But back to the main point: Which version of network-openvpn ended up working for you? I ask, because having noticed that my version was still back at 0.9.8.4, I tried upgrading to both 1.0.8 and 1.0.6, and both failed to connect with a "timeout" error! Re-installing 0.9.8.4 restored normal operation!

I'm puzzled!

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Pete

1.0.8 works too.

from 1.0.6 you have to create nm-openvpn user.


Hope it helps.

Ah! I'll give that a try! Thanks!

Where did you find that little gem of Information?

P.S. Tried it and it works! :-D

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Pete

I read it from the official patch for 1.0.6 version :-)

NM implementation directive "user" and "group" from openvpn configuration file .

I'm glad it works for you.