Cannot configure VPN connection

[Jonathan Gibbons]

Binary package hint: network-manager-vpnc

The Add/Import buttons are greyed out in the NetworkManager VPN configuration tab even when network-manager-vpnc is installed.

I use vpnc directly (sudo vpnc) regularly, so I know that vpnc itself works. I've installed the network-manager-vpnc component, but it still doesn't allow me to configure any VPN connections, (Add/Import tabs greyed out, etc) even after restarting network-manager, networking, and rebooting Ubuntu.

ProblemType: Bug
Architecture: amd64
Date: Fri Oct 30 14:09:22 2009
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 9.10
NonfreeKernelModules: wl nvidia
Package: network-manager-vpnc (not installed)
ProcEnviron:
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.31-14.48-generic
SourcePackage: network-manager-vpnc
Uname: Linux 2.6.31-14-generic x86_64

[Mathieu Trudel-Lapierre (cyphermox)]

Hi, according to the output of apport included in the bug description, the 'network-manager-vpnc' package is not currently installed on your system. Could you please try to install it (by searching for 'network-manager-vpnc' and selecting it in Synaptic, or with the 'sudo apt-get install network-manager-vpnc' command), then report back on the results?

Following that, try the 'apt-cache policy network-manager-vpnc' command. Its output should be similar to the following:

network-manager-vpnc:
  Installed : 0.8~a~git.20091008t124012.f5b95a2-0ubuntu1
  Candidate : 0.8~a~git.20091008t124012.f5b95a2-0ubuntu1

In the meantime, I'll mark this bug as invalid. Please don't hesitate to reopen it if it still doesn't work for you.

[Jonathan Gibbons (jsqrdgsf)]

Screenshot showing Add, Import etc all grayed out.

[Jonathan Gibbons (jsqrdgsf)]

Reinstalled Network Manager and related packages. Still doesn't work. See attached screenshot. Here is the requested output from apt-cache:

$ apt-cache policy network-manager-vpnc

network-manager-vpnc:
  Installed: 0.8~a~git.20091008t124012.f5b95a2-0ubuntu1
  Candidate: 0.8~a~git.20091008t124012.f5b95a2-0ubuntu1
  Version table:
 *** 0.8~a~git.20091008t124012.f5b95a2-0ubuntu1 0
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com karmic/universe Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

[Micke Elm (mickeelm)]

This did not work for me until I actually installed the network-manager-vpnc. The options in Network-Manager (GUI to be clear here) were all greyed out but after installing, I have the options.

Is it only me or isn't this still bad? I mean, if a user wants to set up a VPN-connection, is he or she supposed to understand that the GUI is just "valid" /useful if you install the necessary software in a CLI first?

In my opinion, the user should at least be informed on what to do to get the functionality (e.g. "This functionality is disabled by default, to activate it, please open the Synaptic manager and..."). The best solution must be to include the package by default in the release though, why have GUI access to programs that are not installed?

[Mathieu Trudel-Lapierre (cyphermox)]

Marking Fix Released, because we already ship PPTP by default which makes the UI work from a default install.