kernel module ppp_generic is missing

[[e-mail]]

Binary package hint: ppp

When I attempt to initiate a VPN connection, I get the following syslog:

May 7 23:17:11 xxxxx NetworkManager[580]: <info> Starting VPN service 'pptp'...
May 7 23:17:11 xxxxx NetworkManager[580]: <info> VPN service 'pptp' started (org.freedesktop.NetworkManager.pptp), PID 3241
May 7 23:17:11 xxxxx NetworkManager[580]: <info> VPN service 'pptp' appeared; activating connections
May 7 23:17:11 xxxxx NetworkManager[580]: <info> VPN plugin state changed: 1
May 7 23:17:12 xxxxx NetworkManager[580]: <info> VPN plugin state changed: 3
May 7 23:17:12 xxxxx NetworkManager[580]: <info> VPN connection 'RCN' (Connect) reply received.
May 7 23:17:12 xxxxx pppd[3243]: Plugin /usr/lib/pppd/2.4.5//nm-pptp-pppd-plugin.so loaded.
May 7 23:17:12 xxxxx pppd[3243]: Couldn't open the /dev/ppp device: No such device or address
May 7 23:17:17 xxxxx pppd[3243]: Please load the ppp_generic kernel module.
May 7 23:17:17 xxxxx NetworkManager[580]: <info> VPN plugin state changed: 6
May 7 23:17:17 xxxxx NetworkManager[580]: <info> VPN plugin state change reason: 0
May 7 23:17:17 xxxxx NetworkManager[580]: <warn> error disconnecting VPN: Could not process the request because no VPN connection was active.
May 7 23:17:17 xxxxx NetworkManager[580]: <info> Policy set 'zzzzz' (wlan0) as default for IPv4 routing and DNS.
May 7 23:17:22 xxxxx NetworkManager[580]: <info> VPN service 'pptp' disappeared

We also need:

1) The release of Ubuntu you are using, via 'lsb_release -rd' or System -> About Ubuntu:
Description: Ubuntu 11.04
Release: 11.04
2) The version of the package you are using, via 'apt-cache policy pkgname' or by checking in Software Center
ppp:
  Installed: 2.4.5-5ubuntu1
  Candidate: 2.4.5-5ubuntu1
  Version table:
 *** 2.4.5-5ubuntu1 0
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ natty/main i386 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
3) What you expected to happen
I expected a VPN connection to be established
4) What happened instead
ppp crashed because a kernel module is missing.

I have been Googeling for days looking for any method of acquiring ppp_generic or anything of the sort. I have attempted to apt-get purge pptp, pppd, etc. and re-installing in hopes that a re-install would return the required items to no avail. Please let me know if you need further information or if there is a way that I can resolve this as I really need to be able to VPN into my work's network; thanks!

[[e-mail] (odslabs)]

When I run "pppd" from bash I get:

Couldn't open the /dev/ppp device: No such device or address
FATAL: Module ppp_generic not found.
pppd: Please load the ppp_generic kernel module.

[[e-mail] (odslabs)]

Has anyone received this report???

[Agustin Martin (agmartin+ubuntu)]

For the records, I hit the same problem in Debian when trying to use network-manager-fortisslvpn. I opened https://bugs.debian.org/962468 bug report against Debian ppp package and proposed a patch.