VPN

[lyssa]

Has anyone any experience with running a VPN on the PBP? I use ExpressVPN, and it has some Linux installation options, not for PBP, of course, but I don't want to mess around until I hear from this query. The PBP is running great, and I don't want to throw a spanner into the works.

[Dendrocalamus64]

I just use the openvpn & wireguard command line tools to bring the connections up & down, rather than the "apps" written by the VPN providers. It works fine.
ExpressVPN have a howto on using openvpn with their provided config files:

https://www.expressvpn.com/support/vpn-s...h-openvpn/

[manawyrm]

I'm using wireguard, which is natively supported in the linux kernel used by Manjaro on the PBP.
Just install the network-manager addon for wireguard from the package repository and then you can import the configuration for your VPN of choice in the network menu.

[mangofett]

+1 to just using your provider's config options with openvpn. Here is how mine is setup from gnome, very convenient one-click connection

[lyssa]

I just use the openvpn & wireguard command line tools to bring the connections up & down, rather than the "apps" written by the VPN providers.  It works fine.
ExpressVPN have a howto on using openvpn with their provided config files:

https://www.expressvpn.com/support/vpn-s...h-openvpn/

Excellent. I shall give ExpressVPN a go tomorrow.

[lyssa]

If you use ExpressVPN, this info might be useful.

The ExpressVPN connection is working. In theory it's a cookbook process. In fact, the cookbook is not so easy to read. Several key facts were missing or obfuscated in ExpressVPN's manual step-by-step installation instructions.

I tried three ExpressVPN chat sessions to no avail. In the end, I used ExpressVPN's Ubuntu how-to as a guide, which worked first time. All the missing clues are here: https://www.expressvpn.com/support/vpn-s...n/#install

Just follow it and use your head AFTER you download and unpack everything you'll need via the ultimately doomed manual install process. Save the crazy uid and password they give you. I put the files in a subdirectory in my Home directory.

Got your files? OK. Fire up Connections (Manjaro/KDE) from System Settings - not from the menu bar. If you try it from the menu bar it will lock up just when you are starting to get things done and you'll have to force a restart with the power button. Did that three times. Add a new Open VPN connection. Name your connection and start following the Ubuntu instructions. The elusive gateway entry info is found inside the .ovpn file you just downloaded from ExpressVPN. Don't use the whole line in the file. Look at the Ubuntu example to see what you need.

The username and password are strings that ExpressVPN gave you at the start of the manual install process. Not your account credentials.

That's it. One more dragon tamed (don't slay dragons, only tame 'em).

[tkudog]

<snip>
Just follow it and use your head AFTER you download and unpack everything you'll need via the ultimately doomed manual install process. Save the crazy uid and password they give you. I put the files in a subdirectory in my Home directory.

Got your files? OK. Fire up Connections (Manjaro/KDE) from System Settings - not from the menu bar. If you try it from the menu bar it will lock up just when you are starting to get things done and you'll have to force a restart with the power button. Did that three times. Add a new Open VPN connection. Name your connection and start following the Ubuntu instructions. The elusive gateway entry info is found inside the .ovpn file you just downloaded from ExpressVPN. Don't use the whole line in the file. Look at the Ubuntu example to see what you need.
<snip>

So, thank you!  I thought about PMing you but maybe this can help others.

1) I have logged in, hit manual config, got the crazy username and pw, downloaded the opvn file for my area, downloaded and extracted the SSL zip file
Question:  are these the files you are talking about?
2) manual connection says to do all this stuff with your wifi connection, IPv4 and IPv6 skip that?
3)  "The elusive gateway entry info is found inside the .ovpn file you just downloaded from ExpressVPN."  
Q: what is this?  On the advanced tab it sets the gateway at 1195 like the link says.

[bastafari]

<snip>
Just follow it and use your head AFTER you download and unpack everything you'll need via the ultimately doomed manual install process. Save the crazy uid and password they give you. I put the files in a subdirectory in my Home directory.

Got your files? OK. Fire up Connections (Manjaro/KDE) from System Settings - not from the menu bar. If you try it from the menu bar it will lock up just when you are starting to get things done and you'll have to force a restart with the power button. Did that three times. Add a new Open VPN connection. Name your connection and start following the Ubuntu instructions. The elusive gateway entry info is found inside the .ovpn file you just downloaded from ExpressVPN. Don't use the whole line in the file. Look at the Ubuntu example to see what you need.
<snip>

So, thank you!  I thought about PMing you but maybe this can help others.

1) I have logged in, hit manual config, got the crazy username and pw, downloaded the opvn file for my area, downloaded and extracted the SSL zip file
Question:  are these the files you are talking about?
2) manual connection says to do all this stuff with your wifi connection, IPv4 and IPv6 skip that?
3)  "The elusive gateway entry info is found inside the .ovpn file you just downloaded from ExpressVPN."  
Q: what is this?  On the advanced tab it sets the gateway at 1195 like the link says.

All I did personally was download the oven file, pasted the username and password and skipped the ipv4 and advanced tab stuff. Works fine. I wish I could get it to automatically connect instead of having to manually click it from wifi connections.

[tkudog]

All I did personally was download the oven file, pasted the username and password and skipped the ipv4 and advanced tab stuff. Works fine. I wish I could get it to automatically connect instead of having to manually click it from wifi connections.

Yeah, not working for me.  I try 2 different locations and both say attempt times out.

[bastafari]

All I did personally was download the oven file, pasted the username and password and skipped the ipv4 and advanced tab stuff. Works fine. I wish I could get it to automatically connect instead of having to manually click it from wifi connections.

Yeah, not working for me.  I try 2 different locations and both say attempt times out.

It didn't work for me at first. But after I rebooted and took the same steps for some reason it worked. I'll see if I can take screen shots later.