Recipe for getting OpenVPN to work?

[county93]

Does someone know or can direct me to a recipe for getting OpenVPN to working on Bookworm?  I tried the "Always on VPN" instructions on the mobian-project.org website and changed the connection file as directed. I did this in "nano" and it saved correctly. It created a new entry in the Network settings app under the VPN section. It looked similar to the entry I did manually in that VPN section earlier. There is a switch to click on to enable the VPN, but after a few seconds, it turns itself off. I am not familiar with Wireguard and do not have a server to use. I have PIA VPN and ProtonVPN subscriptions now and can use them on Ubuntu and Android. I have even set up PIA VPN on my VPN router and it works great. There is an app for ProtonVPN listed on the mobian-project.org site and it has a "5" rating. I tried installing this several times with Bullseye and Bookworm and it does not work. I cannot get past the repository install and then the network connection stops working. I uninstall all of it and the network connection works again. There is no killswitch even installed yet. I would be willing to try a VPN connection through a terminal window. Any method you may have that has worked with you is welcome. I'll be willing to try anything. Thanks.

I have it working now. The Network Settings app for OpenVPN on my PinePhone seems a little finicky in saving my data. It saves sometimes, then does not save at other times.

I started with a blank VPN window in the PinePhone network settings app. There were no VPN's there at all. I used the "Always on VPN" guide on the mobian-project.org website.

https://wiki.mobian-project.org/doku.php...networking

I put my username and password and all other modifications in the file described using "sudo nano filename" where "filename" is your filename that needs to be modified as described by the mobian-project.org guide. "nano" is a text editor at the administration level that is included in the Mobian releases. I followed all instructions in this guide. I went to the Network settings window and selected the "Gear" next to the newly created VPN entry that the mobian-project.org instructions created. I put my username and password there in the Identity section and saved. In my copy of the Settings app I had to save a few times to get it to stick. I saved the password in the password field a few times just to make sure. The username stayed visible, but the password field went blank afterwards. I left it as it was. I exited out and back to the previous window and enabled the VPN. It's working right now and I will keep checking on it. All of these modifications are easier with a hub, keyboard and mouse. I just used the existing PinePhone screen.

I used a ProtonVPN OVPN file. Username and password are not the login versions for the website or for the apps. These are the versions for OpenVPN and you have to log in to your ProtonVPN account to get these. They are listed right there in your account on the ProtonVPN website.

I checked "browserleaks.com"  to confirm the connection and checked for DNS leaks, etc. All is good. Sometimes, when I choose a VPN server, the name is different when I check it, but the IP addresses are correct. I read somewhere that this can happen and is not a cause for alarm.

Also, there are many OVPN files available on the ProtonVPN website. Some can be used for the VPN routers. I tried a "Secure Core" multi-hop OVPN file with OpenVPN on PinePhone and it worked. A subscription is required for these. The multi-hop file went through an encrypted server in Iceland then exited through another encrypted server in Austria.

If anyone gets any VPN apps to work, especially with ProtonVPN, please post here. Thanks.