7

I've added a new PPTP VPN connection under Network Manager -> VPN Connections -> Configure VPN. Now the connection is listed under "VPN Connections", but it's grayed out.

How can I debug this?

Whatever I've tried doesn't seem to help: checked the logs--no clues, toggled 'Available to all users', toggled 'Connect automatically', logged in and out a few times, etc.

It would be nice if Network Manager didn't gray the item out when it detects some configuration problems, but let me click the item and show some error message after that.

  • network-manager-pptp and network-manager-pptp-gnome are both installed.

UPD: I cannot reproduce the problem right now: it has cured itself it seems. Still I'd be grateful for debugging ideas if it happens again. I'd rather avoid running gdb against network-manager, which seems to be the ultimate way to solve this.

alex
  • 143

4 Answers4

1

I had the same issue on Ubuntu 12.10 and fixed it by restarting nm-applet like this...

killall nm-applet
nm-applet --sm-disable &
Duke
  • 26
1

Try installing network-manager-openvpn and network-manager-vpnc and linux-pptp.

sudo apt-get install network-manager-vpnc network-manager-openvpn linux-pptp

I know it's PPTP but it can't hurt to try this.

If that doesn't work, try this:

  • Backup /etc/network/interfaces to /etc/network/interfaces.original.
  • Delete all lines from /etc/network/interfaces not including the string "lo" (leaving two lines, probably the first two, beginning auto and iface).
  • Reboot.

Hope this works for ya!

From http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=974882

cweiske
  • 3,395
PitaJ
  • 752
0

This is likely to be due to Gnome Keyring being locked, preventing you to access the connection.

This is apparently a known issue when using automatic login: The keyring doesn't get unlocked and it prevents you to do some things such as connecting to a VPN. As soon as the keyring gets unlocked (For example by trying to edit the connection settings) the VPN connection is not disabled anymore.

There are various options to unlock the keyring automatically when login, but the simplest I found was to just use a blank password for my keyring. Not very secure, but eh...

To change your keyring password, start the "Password and Keys" app.

Nico
  • 101
0

I my case the VPN Connection was grayed out due to a Bridged Network connection which I did set up according to Simple Virtualization With Ubuntu 16.04 Linux and KVM

Work around: remove the bridged network connection

After removing the bridge I could again connect to VPN.

Thorsten Niehues
  • 1,363