LinuxQuestions.org - Problem Setting Up PIA VPN (- but nordVPN works fine)

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Problem Setting Up PIA VPN (- but nordVPN works fine)

I have no problem configuring NordVPN in Slackware, but I just can't figure it out with PIA.
I get an error message that

"The file “CA Toronto.ovpn” could not be read or does not contain recognized VPN connection information.
Error: the plugin does not support import capability"

These openvpn files from PIA are not the same as nord's openvpn files, and I can't get it to work.

The files are called:
crl.rsa.2048.pem
ca.rsa.2048.crt
CA Toronto.ovpn

Can someone step through how I add this connection?

Do you use openvpn from terminal or NetworkManager-openvpn?
I know that NetworkManager-openvpn sometimes doesn't work even if everything is set up as it should, i then remove the password and leave it blank and let the connection ask for password and save that password.
I don't know why but that often makes an vpn connetion work in networkmanager.
Have you tested the .ovpn with openvpn command?

I started over, and downloaded the openvpn files into /etc/openvpn, and did the extraction thing. Had to edit some file names to take out spaces.
This time I tried adding an Openvpn connection, instead of the "saved VPN configuration", which is how the other VPN works.

Now I have a VPN connection, but it times out without connecting.

I'm sure there's a thread(s) on here that talks about this, but I can't find it - any ideas?

I use PIA and what I do is
1) install NetworkManager-OpenVPN from slackbuilds
2) extract the ovpn files to /etc/NetworkManager/PIA
3) use NetworkManger to add a connection
4) choose "import a saved VPN Configuration"
5) choose a file from "/etc/Networkmanager/PIA"
6) Enter my username/password
7) under "Advanced" I click "Use custom gateway port" and change it to 1198
8) That's it!

I think AlienBOB has a write up on how to do all this on his blog.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain Brillo (Post 6003607)

Try the password trick i mentioned in previous post.

BigTig: the files I got from PIA absolutely DO NOT WORK as a "saved VPN Configuration"

Where did you get the ones you have that work?

PIA is giving me these files:

Quote:

crl.rsa.2048.pem

ca.rsa.2048.crt

CA-Toronto.ovpn

and nothing else.
Also, I can't figure out what I would use to create an Openvpn connection, like the box wants me to.

Got any more ideas?

I downloaded a zip file called openvpn.zip from PIA (https://www.privateinternetaccess.co...pn/openvpn.zip)

Do you have NetworkManager-openvpn installed from slackbuilds? The easiest thing would be to use nm-applet:
Right click on applet, click edit connections, press the "+" sign, "Import a saved VPN Connection"NetworkManager-openvpn

HTH!

Once I get home from work, I can document my openvpn usage with PIA. I don't use NetworkManager, but for those that do, BigTig's recommendation of NetworkManager-openvpn would be the easiest route to go.

My /etc/openvpn/openvpn.conf contains the following:

Code:

client

dev tun

proto udp

remote ca-vancouver.privateinternetaccess.com 1198

resolv-retry infinite

nobind

persist-key

persist-tun

cipher aes-128-cbc

auth sha1

tls-client

remote-cert-tls server

auth-user-pass /etc/openvpn/login.txt

auth-nocache

comp-lzo

verb 1

reneg-sec 0

crl-verify /etc/openvpn/crl.rsa.2048.pem

ca /etc/openvpn/ca.rsa.2048.crt

disable-occ

script-security 2

route-noexec

mssfix 1430



up /etc/openvpn/iptables.sh

down /etc/openvpn/update-resolv-conf

The up/down portion are to make it so only a certain user will run on the vpn while everything else runs over the regular internet. I saved the certificates (the .crt and .pem files) provided by PIA in the /etc/openvpn directory and reference them in this conf file. My username/password are stored in a plaintext file (readable only by root) with the username and password each on their own line.

Been awhile since I used PIA; dropped them after routing issues occurred a year or so ago and my subscription was up. The script (it was never finalized) should set it up completely.

VPN is started with similar format function:
/usr/sbin/openvpn --daemon --config /etc/openvpn/PIA/piavpn.ovpn

Code:

#!/bin/bash# This script will install/configure the necessary OpenVPN configuration

# files for Private Internet Access.



# OpenVPN configuration directory

dVPN="/etc/openvpn"



# The directory where we'll download and store all the PIA configs

dPIA="$dVPN/PIA"



# The directory where the unedited *.ovpn configuration files from PIA are stored

dOVPN="$dPIA/servers"



# The final configuration & keys file full path & name

cOVPN="$dPIA/piavpn.ovpn"

cKEYS="$dPIA/login.info"



root_check() {

  # Continue with the script only if we are root.

  if [[ $EUID != 0 ]]; then

    echo "[ ABORT ]: This script will only run as root."

    echo ""

    exit 1

  fi

  return 0

}



pia_install() {

  # Install the necessary files and configure our first server for PIA

  echo "Installing the necessary OpenVPN configuration files for PIA."

  echo ""



  # Make sure we don't have an existing directory with data

  if [ -d $dPIA ]; then

    if [ "$(ls -A $dPIA)" ]; then

      echo "[ ABORT ]: '$dPIA' directory already exists!"

      echo "[ ABORT ]: This script requires an empty directory."

      echo ""

      exit 1

    fi

  else

    echo "Creating '$dPIA' directory."

    echo ""

    /usr/bin/mkdir -p $dPIA

  fi



  # Download the PIA OpenVPN configuration files and extract them.

  echo "Downloading the PIA OpenVPN configuration files."

  echo ""

  /usr/bin/wget -P $dPIA https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/openvpn/openvpn-strong.zip



  # Extract the contents of the zip file

  echo "Extracting the *.ovpn files to '$dOVPN'"

  echo ""

  /usr/bin/mkdir $dOVPN

  /usr/bin/unzip "$dPIA/openvpn-strong.zip" -d $dOVPN



  # Move the certificates to the parent directory

  /usr/bin/mv $dOVPN/ca.rsa.4096.crt $dPIA

  /usr/bin/mv $dOVPN/crl.rsa.4096.pem $dPIA



  return 0

}



pia_configure() {

  # Configure the PIA server file

  # First make sure it looks like we have what we need

  if [ ! -d $dPIA ]; then

    echo "[ ABORT ]: PIA config directory not found, run with 'install' option!"

    echo ""

    exit 1

  else

    if [ ! "$(ls -A $dPIA)" ]; then

      echo "[ ABORT ]: PIA config directory empty, run with 'install' option!"

      echo ""

      exit 1

    fi

    if [ ! -e $dPIA/ca.rsa.4096.crt ]; then

      echo "[ ABORT ]: PIA config directory empty, run with 'install' option!"

      echo ""

      exit 1

    fi

  fi

  echo "Configuring the OpenVPN system for PIA."

  echo ""



  # Delete any config file if we have one available

  if [ -e $cOVPN ]; then

    /usr/bin/rm $cOVPN

  fi





  # Require a valid server configuration file to be selected

  while true; do

    /usr/bin/clear

    /usr/bin/ls $dOVPN

    IFS= read -r -p "Please enter the server you wish to use: " SERVER



    # Check the server is a valid entry

    if [ -e "$dOVPN/$SERVER" ]; then

      /usr/bin/cp "$dOVPN/$SERVER" $cOVPN

      break

    fi

  done



  # Clear the screen and start fresh again

  /usr/bin/clear



  if [ ! -e $cOVPN ]; then

    echo "[ ABORT ]: Something is wrong we have no config file!"

    echo ""

    exit 1

  fi



  # Manage the key file

  if [ -e $cKEYS ]; then

    # If we have a key file, ask if it should be updated.

    IFS= read -r -p "Do you want to update your key file? Y/[N]  " CHOICE

    if [ $CHOICE == "Y" ]; then

      pia_keys

    fi

  else

    # No key file, create one

    pia_keys

  fi



  # Add the login.info to the config file

  /usr/bin/sed -i "s|auth-user-pass|auth-user-pass $cKEYS|g" $cOVPN



# Update the certificates location to full path

  /usr/bin/sed -i "s|crl-verify crl.rsa.4096.pem|crl-verify $dPIA/crl.rsa.4096.pem|g" $cOVPN

  /usr/bin/sed -i "s|ca ca.rsa.4096.crt|ca $dPIA/ca.rsa.4096.crt|g" $cOVPN



  # Finished, clear the screen

  /usr/bin/clear

  echo "Finished..."

}



pia_keys() {

  # Delete any old file

  /usr/bin/rm $cKEYS



  # Create the key file from user input

  /usr/bin/clear

  IFS= read -r -p "Enter your PIA username: " UNAME

  IFS= read -r -p "Enter your PIA password: " PWORD

  echo $UNAME > $cKEYS

  echo $PWORD >> $cKEYS



  # Set the permissions to lock the file down

  /usr/bin/chmod 400 $cKEYS



  return 0

}





main() {

  case "$1" in

  'install')

    pia_install

    ;;

  'configure')

    pia_configure

    ;;

  *)

    echo "usage $0 install|configure"

  esac

}



root_check "$@"

main "$@"