network-manager-pptp loses MPPE settings

[Thomas]

Binary package hint: network-manager-pptp

I tryd today to setup a VPN Connection to my Work.
But when I try to connect, I get only a message, that it fail.
So I figured out, that NM not save (or display) my options what I set.

I tested with the original version 0.7~~svn20081015t024626-0ubuntu1.8.10.1 0 and with the current from NM ppa, both has this bug.

How u can reproduce it:

1. create a new pptp connection
  a. enter a server
  b. go in the detail dialog and select "use MPPE" and select 128 bit.
  c. leave the dialog with OK and save the connection
2. open the connection dialog again and check MPPE settings.. It is set again to all.

I don't now, if it is relevant, to my connection problem (a debug option is missed!), but I think it is a bug.

ProblemType: Bug
Architecture: amd64
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 8.10
Package: network-manager-pptp 0.7-0ubuntu1~nm1~intrepid1
ProcEnviron:
 PATH=/home/username/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/games
 LANG=de_DE.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: network-manager-pptp
Uname: Linux 2.6.27-14-generic x86_64
UnreportableReason: Das Paket stammt nicht von Ubuntu.

[Thomas (t.c)]

ok.. I also see that, the the MPPE kernel module get not loaded.

user@nb:~$ lsmod | grep -i mppe
user@nb:~$ dmesg | grep -i mppe
user@nb:~$ grep -i mppe /boot/config-2.6.27-14-generic
CONFIG_PPP_MPPE=m

[Steve Freegard (steve-stevefreegard)]

Can confirm that I have exactly the same issue with 9.10 beta and all current updates. PPTP connections do not work at all.

[SabreWolfy (sabrewolfy)]

I've cobbled together a working solution to PPTP VPN in Ubuntu Jaunty and Ubuntu Karmic Release Candidate:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1136020

Works very well if you don't mind using the command line :)

[SmartKenny (smartkenny)]

pptp with MPPE doesn't work either in ubuntu 9.10 official release.

It worked in ubuntu 9.04. Don't know why it doesn't work for 9.10. I don't like the command line solution because I am accustomed to the GUI way of 9.04. Strongly appeal someone iin ubuntu company or community to fix it. Thanks a lot.

[Thomas (t.c)]

for me PPTP with MPPE over NetworkManager is working in Ubuntu 9.10.

Remove every auth method expect MSCHAPv2 and just activate the MPPE checkbox.

[Thomas (t.c)]

and not to forget: the GUI Bug still exists!

when you select anything else "all avalible" in mppe the GUI not save it and kick the mppe checkbox selection complete after close the window.

[Carl Davis (carl.davis)]

I can confirm this problem.

Thomas C., can you further explain your workaround? I was unable to get it working.

[SmartKenny (smartkenny)]

Thomas C., your method doesn't work for me. The error message is exactly the same:

Nov 12 00:08:45 T61 NetworkManager: <info> Starting VPN service 'org.freedesktop.NetworkManager.pptp'...
Nov 12 00:08:45 T61 NetworkManager: <info> VPN service 'org.freedesktop.NetworkManager.pptp' started (org.freedesktop.NetworkManager.pptp), PID 10579
Nov 12 00:08:45 T61 NetworkManager: <info> VPN service 'org.freedesktop.NetworkManager.pptp' just appeared, activating connections
Nov 12 00:08:45 T61 NetworkManager: <info> VPN plugin state changed: 3
Nov 12 00:08:45 T61 NetworkManager: <info> VPN connection 'vpn-server' (Connect) reply received.
Nov 12 00:08:45 T61 NetworkManager: <WARN> nm_vpn_connection_connect_cb(): VPN connection 'vpn-server' failed to connect: 'No VPN secrets!'.
Nov 12 00:08:45 T61 NetworkManager: <WARN> connection_state_changed(): Could not process the request because no VPN connection was active.
Nov 12 00:08:45 T61 NetworkManager: <info> Policy set 'Auto eth0' (eth0) as default for routing and DNS.
Nov 12 00:08:46 T61 NetworkManager: <debug> [1258013326.001216] ensure_killed(): waiting for vpn service pid 10577 to exit
Nov 12 00:08:46 T61 NetworkManager: <debug> [1258013326.001385] ensure_killed(): vpn service pid 10577 cleaned up
Nov 12 00:08:57 T61 NetworkManager: <debug> [1258013337.002928] ensure_killed(): waiting for vpn service pid 10579 to exit
Nov 12 00:08:57 T61 NetworkManager: <debug> [1258013337.003089] ensure_killed(): vpn service pid 10579 cleaned up

[SmartKenny (smartkenny)]

And by default the pptp driver is not loaded:

$ lsmod | grep pptp

it prints nothing.

So have to load manually:

$ sudo modprobe nf_nat_pptp
$ sudo modprobe nf_conntrack_pptp
$ lsmod | grep pptp

it prints now:

nf_nat_pptp 2844 0
nf_conntrack_pptp 5984 1 nf_nat_pptp
nf_conntrack_proto_gre 5344 1 nf_conntrack_pptp
nf_nat_proto_gre 2080 1 nf_nat_pptp
nf_nat 17808 2 nf_nat_pptp,nf_nat_proto_gre
nf_conntrack 67608 5 nf_nat_pptp,nf_conntrack_pptp,nf_conntrack_proto_gre,nf_nat,nf_conntrack_ipv4

But anyway, it still doesn't work.

[Mathieu Trudel-Lapierre (cyphermox)]

Please try the network-manager-pptp package from the NM trunk PPA here: https://edge.launchpad.net/~network-manager/+archive/trunk. It contains fixes for saving MPPE settings, as well as a patch to the UI to not allow chosing auth methods that don't support MPPE.

[SmartKenny (smartkenny)]

Hi, Matt

Thank you for your help. However, it still doesn't work. Here's the versions on my machine now:

ii network-manager 0.8~a~git.20091204t191022.96a61a9- network management framework daemon
ii network-manager-gnome 0.8~a~git.20091205t184334.325ec4f- network management framework (GNOME frontend)
ii network-manager-openvpn 0.8~a~git.20091008t123607.7c184a9- network management framework (OpenVPN plugin)
ii network-manager-pptp 0.8~a~git.20091109t024155.488d6e6- network management framework (PPTP plugin)
ii network-manager-vpnc 0.8~a~git.20091106t064536.2e1bdcb- network management framework (VPNC plugin)

But now, the GUI even failed to check off EAP. MPPE configuration also failed to save.

So for me, it's turning worse after upgrade.

If any further information needed, please let me know.
Thank you.

[Mathieu Trudel-Lapierre (cyphermox)]

SmartKenny, sorry for the inconvenience.

Do you mean EAP just stays checked? Could you attach a screenshot of your configuration? Note that you can't use MPPE with EAP.

Also, could you please tell me if you restarted NM since you upgraded to the network-manager packages from the PPA? You might also want to create a new connection if you are editing the one you had before.

[SmartKenny (smartkenny)]

> SmartKenny, sorry for the inconvenience.

Don't mention it. I'd like to contribute to the community.

> Do you mean EAP just stays checked? Could you attach a screenshot of your configuration? Note that you can't use MPPE with EAP.

Yes. I opened the advanced options dialog, check off EAP, and then click ok. Now open the advanced options dialog again, the EAP is still checked on. And if MPPE is setup then it is lost too. A screenshot will be attached.

> Also, could you please tell me if you restarted NM since you upgraded to the network-manager packages from the PPA? You might also want to create a new connection if you are editing the one you had before.

I did restart it, even restarted the machine. I tested both editing the existing one and creating a new one. None works.

Let me know if you need more information.

Thank you.

[Sayantan Das (sayantan13)]

Hi Matt,

The PPTP connection stil cannot be established after installing the PPTP network manager from the ppa you've mentioned.
I am attaching my log . please have a look if you can.

Thanks

[SmartKenny (smartkenny)]

Actually, for me, the newest updates from PPA fixes the problem. It works great for me.

Note that when you click "Use MPPE", it automatically disabled options except MSCHAP and MSCHAPv2. But you have select Security as "All available", otherwise, if you choose "128 bits" or "64 bits", it will be lost after saved.

[idlehands (johannxsxe)]

I am fighting tooth and nail with this pptp issue.

Still not working for me as of .8~rc1-0ubuntu2

I just rebuilt my system which was when I noticed the settings not being preserved. the vpn i am trying to connect to a fedora12 user was able to get on it with setting encryption to 128, however this version of network app doesn't keep that setting.

Hints?

NetworkManager: <info> Starting VPN service 'org.freedesktop.NetworkManager.pptp'...
Jan 22 14:10:14 johannt61p NetworkManager: <info> VPN service 'org.freedesktop.NetworkManager.pptp' started (org.freedesktop.NetworkManager.pptp), PID 5730
Jan 22 14:10:14 johannt61p NetworkManager: <info> VPN service 'org.freedesktop.NetworkManager.pptp' just appeared, activating connections
Jan 22 14:10:14 johannt61p NetworkManager: <info> VPN plugin state changed: 1
Jan 22 14:10:14 johannt61p NetworkManager: <info> VPN plugin state changed: 3
Jan 22 14:10:14 johannt61p NetworkManager: SCPlugin-Ifupdown: devices added (path: /sys/devices/virtual/net/ppp0, iface: ppp0)
Jan 22 14:10:14 johannt61p NetworkManager: SCPlugin-Ifupdown: device added (path: /sys/devices/virtual/net/ppp0, iface: ppp0): no ifupdown configuration found.
Jan 22 14:10:14 johannt61p NetworkManager: <info> VPN connection 'Cloud' (Connect) reply received.
Jan 22 14:10:45 johannt61p NetworkManager: <info> VPN plugin failed: 1
Jan 22 14:10:45 johannt61p NetworkManager: SCPlugin-Ifupdown: devices removed (path: /sys/devices/virtual/net/ppp0, iface: ppp0)
Jan 22 14:10:45 johannt61p NetworkManager: <info> VPN plugin failed: 1
Jan 22 14:10:50 johannt61p NetworkManager: <info> VPN plugin failed: 1
Jan 22 14:10:50 johannt61p NetworkManager: <info> VPN plugin state changed: 6
Jan 22 14:10:50 johannt61p NetworkManager: <info> VPN plugin state change reason: 0
Jan 22 14:10:50 johannt61p NetworkManager: <WARN> connection_state_changed(): Could not process the request because no VPN connection was active.
Jan 22 14:10:50 johannt61p NetworkManager: <info> Policy set 'Auto eth0' (eth0) as default for routing and DNS.
Jan 22 14:11:03 johannt61p NetworkManager: <debug> [1264187463.001899] ensure_killed(): waiting for vpn service pid 5730 to exit
Jan 22 14:11:03 johannt61p NetworkManager: <debug> [1264187463.002078] ensure_killed(): vpn service pid 5730 cleaned up

[SmartKenny (smartkenny)]

I just now updated from PPA and it breaks VPN again, it complains about the old config so I deleted and try to create a new one, but there's even not a pptp selection now!

I am tired of those updates without telling you that a previously working thing will break!

[Mathieu Trudel-Lapierre (cyphermox)]

@SmartKenny,

Truly sorry about that issue -- you'll want to install network-manager-pptp-gnome in addition to network-manager-pptp if you're using the PPA now, it has been split so that people using KDE don't have to pull in tons of GNOME dependencies they don't need.

Once installed, it should work fine, please post here if it doesn't. Also, once it works, you should disable the NetworkManager trunk PPA, since there may always be new updates that break things -- it's a daily build, so there is always some risk. I really should have mentioned this from the start.

@sayantandas, please open a separate bug for this, and describe the settings you use for your VPN in details, I'm not sure if it's the same thing yet, but if it is we can mark it as a duplicate of this bug later.

@idlehands, are you on Lucid or do you use Karmic with the trunk PPA?

[SmartKenny (smartkenny)]

Dear Mathieu,

Thank you very much for your help. I followed your guide and installed the package, and it worked perfectly!

[danerben (danerben)]

I appreciate your help, but none of this works so far. The network manager just can't store the settings if i want it to use 128-bit encryption.

And the network-manager-pptp-gnome can't be found:

dan@dan-desktop:/$ sudo apt-get install network-manager-pptp-gnome
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
E: Couldn't find package network-manager-pptp-gnome

Is there an easy way of setting it (128-bit encryption) using command line?

[speeves (speeves)]

I set NetworkManager->VPN Name->Advanced->Use Point-to-Point Encryption (MPPE) from 'All Available (default)' to '128-bit (most secure)', which fixed the login issue for me...

[Thomas Walter (tom0485)]

For me, the network manager still seems to forget the mppe setting from time to time. It works several times but then it more or less randomly decides to reset the "Use MPPE"-checkbox. Maybe it has to do with reconnecting to the wireless network or with the auto-connect setting.
I am using Kubuntu 10.04 and network-manager-pptp-kde 0.9

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for network-manager-pptp (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]