MX Linux Forum

The official NordVPN client for Linux doesn't have an official GUI interface. The full range of commands are available only via CLI.

One can add VPN connection entries to Network Manager using .ovpn files but I don't think you get full control to things like choice of country's servers, kill switch, etc.

Could the following GUI application be packaged to provide a nice interface to NordVPN? I saw mention of this program in Manjaro forum. Have not tried it (still using terminal commands or the firefox addon), but I'm willing to test any package that the team builds. Thanks.

https://github.com/vfosterm/NordVPN-NetworkManager-Gui

asqwerth wrote: Sun Jan 10, 2021 5:45 am ...but I'm willing to test any package that the team builds. Thanks.

https://github.com/vfosterm/NordVPN-NetworkManager-Gui

Looks easy enough, I can add it to the list of someone else doesn’t want to do it. Will probably be a few days as I have promised to get a few other new requests done so there is a que I need to work through right now.

no hurry. thanks.

SwampRabbit wrote: Sun Jan 10, 2021 10:32 am

asqwerth wrote: Sun Jan 10, 2021 5:45 am ...but I'm willing to test any package that the team builds. Thanks.

https://github.com/vfosterm/NordVPN-NetworkManager-Gui

Looks easy enough, I can add it to the list of someone else doesn’t want to do it. Will probably be a few days as I have promised to get a few other new requests done so there is a que I need to work through right now.

Just to check that this is in your queue.

As long as it is, no worries.

asqwerth wrote: Mon Jan 25, 2021 11:54 am Just to check that this is in your queue.

As long as it is, no worries.

Yep, long story short.... its in the queue and pretty high in it right now, haven't forgotten about it.

I think I can get to it this week, knocking out the last of the AHS updates and local testing prior to going into wider testing.
You might have seen my recent post update about the amateur (ham) radio thread, I'm making a call to shift priorities to what I already maintain (including AHS) and user requests because it seems we have been missing some. Also trying to get some stuff of Stevo's plate like Chromium which hopefully will help the user request side a bit.

Thank you.

No pressure intended, but how will I know when this is ready to try out? Where will I find it, "MX Test Repo"?
Jim

@jim8085

It’s actually done

But I sent it for direct testing by asqwerth before it got uploaded to the MX Test Repo since I can’t test if it actually logs in cause I don’t have NordVPN.

Asqwerth said they would test this weekend.

I can post a link the .deb in here if you want to try it as well. I am tracking it needs only one set of packages installed manually (using MXPI) from the MX Test Repo to install it though. That’s easy to do though.

I will wait until it is in the MX Test Repo since I don't see myself as a "Tester"... seeing how I still struggle as a "User".
Jim

@jim8085 Jim, no worries at all.

Just a note, it may be a bit, especially if there are issues with the package. Like I said I could not test it really.
I can say it installs, the GUI opens, and it doesn't let me use fake user name and password

OK, I've tested it, and unfortunately while it works to activate the vpn service, it exhibits the same issues as when I tried installing it on one of my Arch-based distros via the install script provided on the github page (with extra tweaking required to get the script to work).

Problems (same as my trial in the other distro):

1. The initial login into your Nordvpn account works fine. However, when you first choose a server to connect to, a dialogue opens asking for your sudo password so that IPV6 will be disabled. I have no idea why I would need to disable IPV6 since none of the other ways of connecting to Nord - the installable client from the company itself (in MXPI), entering a .ovpn profile into Network Manager, and the Nordvpn Firefox Add-on - required sudo password or indicated that IPV6 was disabled. And the writeup in the github page specifically says no elevated permission is required.

So I just clicked on "login" or "cancel" button in the password dialogue without entering my sudo password. And lo and behold, it proceeds in any case to connect to the VPN server chosen. I checked by going to Nordvpn's home page, which detects whether you are using vpn or not.
2. once connected, the "disconnect" button doesn't work to disconnect vpn. You continue to be connected. I checked with Nord's home page.

3. WHen I choose a different country's server, the display indicated it's "connecting..." connected, and then you do get a pop up notification in XFCE that you've connected (again). However I'm not sure whether you are still on the original server or it has indeed switched to a new one. The Nord homepage display tells me I'm still protected BUT the same VPN IP address and ISP name from before is displayed. That may or may not indicate that the user is still connected to the first server originally connected to; I don't really know.

I'm not sure whether the bugginess is because - as Swamprabbit pointed out - the developer did say he's no longer developing/updating it because he stopped using Nord himself.

It is a useful GUI though, that displays every single server available in each country, and ranks them from lowest current load to heaviest load. You can choose which particular server you wish to connect to in whatever country is selected.

I'll keep it in this particular install of MX19, but I think for my other 2, I'll stick to using the CLI commands + Nordvpn client that is installable from MXPI Popular apps.

Thanks for packaging this anyway, SwampRabbit. I do appreciate it.

By the way, I'm not sure whether this is in fact a frontend for the NordVPN client that is installable from MXPI or something separate that connects directly to Nord's servers. When I run the
command in CLI (I have the client installed), the terminal message is that nordvpn is disconnected, even though I've already connected via the GUI.

@asqwerth

Hmmm, not sure I can troubleshoot the general issues with this and patch fixes in since I can’t test it myself. I could easily make things worse.

I wonder if some of these things have been brought up on the GitHub already though.

It must not be using the actual nordvpn client.

The GitHub says

Uses the system Network Manager, application doesn't need to be running

You could create an issue on the GitHub with your findings with a link to this thread though. Maybe it will get some attention. I could create an issue, but I wouldn’t be able to provide more info on GitHub since I can’t use or test it.

OK I've reported the issue. There was what I believe was a similar report already posted so I added my comments to the same and linked to this thread.

jim8085 wrote: Fri Feb 19, 2021 6:58 pm I will wait until it is in the MX Test Repo since I don't see myself as a "Tester"... seeing how I still struggle as a "User".
Jim

Whether it's in the deb file or in Test Repo, it's still an application that's in testing, and based on my trial, it will work but not perfectly.

@SwampRabbit

The developer said this regarding the statements in his github homepage that no root permissions were required, versus the actual fact that his GUI asked for sudo password when you connected to a VPN server:

...the readme is outdated in this regard. The last time I tested, NordVPN did not support IPV6. The only way to prevent leaks is to disable it system
wide which requires root privileges. Of course it is possible to not disable ipv6 by pressing cancel but it is currently programmed to attempt to disable and enable ipv6 after every connection/disconnection.

This seems relevant:
https://nordvpn.com/blog/nordvpn-implem ... rotection/

I'm asking him in the github issue report thread if nordvpn's protection is sufficient already without his further disabling of ipv6.

@asqwerth thanks for doing all that leg work, this is still on my radar, but the Rabbit is a bit swamped at the moment.