Cannot create or add VPN in connection editor

[Nicholas Hagen]

In 22.04 I am unable to create a new VPN in network manager and nm-connection-editor. After filing in the entire form the save button remains disabled!

watching the terminal provides this error:
Cannot save connection due to error: Invalid setting General: connection.interface-name: '': interface name must not be empty

Seems like the form validator is not looking at the right field!

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 22.04
Package: network-manager-gnome 1.24.0-1ubuntu3
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 5.15.0-25.25-generic 5.15.30
Uname: Linux 5.15.0-25-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.11-0ubuntu80
Architecture: amd64
CasperMD5CheckResult: pass
CurrentDesktop: ubuntu:GNOME
Date: Mon Apr 11 10:49:34 2022
ExecutablePath: /usr/bin/nm-connection-editor
InstallationDate: Installed on 2022-04-09 (1 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS "Jammy Jellyfish" - Beta amd64 (20220329.1)
IpRoute:
 default via 10.0.2.2 dev enp0s3 proto dhcp metric 100
 10.0.2.0/24 dev enp0s3 proto kernel scope link src 10.0.2.15 metric 100
 169.254.0.0/16 dev enp0s3 scope link metric 1000
IwConfig:
 lo no wireless extensions.

 enp0s3 no wireless extensions.
ProcEnviron:
 SHELL=/bin/bash
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 TERM=xterm-256color
 XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
 PATH=(custom, no user)
RfKill:

SourcePackage: network-manager-applet
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
nmcli-con:
 NAME UUID TYPE TIMESTAMP TIMESTAMP-REAL AUTOCONNECT AUTOCONNECT-PRIORITY READONLY DBUS-PATH ACTIVE DEVICE STATE ACTIVE-PATH SLAVE FILENAME
 Wired connection 1 31e61843-ef5f-31e8-96a2-cf86d47e015c ethernet 1649688323 Mon 11 Apr 2022 10:45:23 AM EDT yes -999 no /org/freedesktop/NetworkManager/Settings/1 yes enp0s3 activated /org/freedesktop/NetworkManager/ActiveConnection/1 -- /run/NetworkManager/system-connections/Wired connection 1.nmconnection
nmcli-dev:
 DEVICE TYPE STATE IP4-CONNECTIVITY IP6-CONNECTIVITY DBUS-PATH CONNECTION CON-UUID CON-PATH
 enp0s3 ethernet connected full limited /org/freedesktop/NetworkManager/Devices/2 Wired connection 1 31e61843-ef5f-31e8-96a2-cf86d47e015c /org/freedesktop/NetworkManager/ActiveConnection/1
 lo loopback unmanaged unknown unknown /org/freedesktop/NetworkManager/Devices/1 -- -- --
nmcli-nm:
 RUNNING VERSION STATE STARTUP CONNECTIVITY NETWORKING WIFI-HW WIFI WWAN-HW WWAN
 running 1.36.4 connected started full enabled enabled enabled enabled enabled

[Nicholas Hagen (nicholasmarkhagen)]

This also affects the UI connection manager! I merely provided the nm-connection-editor error as you get no error in the UI, the Apply button just remains disabled.

[Aurelia (acuteaura)]

This is a NetworkManager bug. It happens in the GNOME applet and in nm-connection-editor.

Also reproduces in Fedora 36 Beta 1.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[David Burkhart (ubuntuuser3711)]

I am affected as well on Arch Linux. Seems related to NetworkManager-vpnc version 1.2.8 - when I downgrade that package to 1.2.7-dev everything works fine.

[Dalton (daltux)]

I can confirm the bug running a brand new Lubuntu 22.04, with package network-manager-vpnc-gnome version 1.2.8-2.

Running nm-connection-manager on a terminal, trying to add a new connection, Cisco Compatible VPN (vpnc), we can see the following message on terminal after filling all the fields:

Cannot save connection due to error: Invalid setting General: connection.interface-name: '': interface name must not be empty

There is also the same hint on the disabled Save button.

With this message in mind, I just found a workaround: click "Advanced", fill the Tunnel interface name with tun0, click Apply. There is also a bug here because even then the Save button is still disabled, but if you click "Advanced" again and Apply, the Save button is finally enabled and you can Save the connection.

I do not know why the tunnel interface would be required and if it really is, this field should be placed in the main form, not in the advanced window. However, I guess it should be still an optional field.

The workaround is possible, on Ubuntu Gnome, only by editing the connection with Advanced Network Configuration (nm-connection-editor) and not the main Gnome Settings application.

[Dalton (daltux)]

Upstream bug reports:

GNOME - https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/NetworkManager-vpnc/-/issues/8
NetworkManager - https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/NetworkManager/NetworkManager/-/issues/982

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Dave Chiluk (chiluk)]

Workaround available here
https://askubuntu.com/questions/1403896/cant-add-cisco-compatible-vpn-vpnc-on-network-manager-ubuntu-22-04/1404609#1404609

[adonet (jeroen-adolfse)]

Workaround mentioned by Dave Chiluk, doesn't work for me.
Adding an VPN using nm-connection-editor from a terminal does work, but I still cannot activate it using the grome-network-manager. They don't appear at all in the network manager.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.