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I am asking a question, which has two sub-questions. Those are how can I get VPN to work on Ubuntu 12.04, either by getting the built-in pptp VPN to work or through manual configuration. Microsoft clients have no trouble creating VPN connections into the same system.

Here are the details:

I am running Ubuntu 12.04

Linux mrshighpants 3.2.0-40-generic-pae 
#64-Ubuntu SMP Mon Mar 25 21:44:41 
UTC 2013 i686 i686 i386 GNU/Linux

For this version of Ubuntu and quite a few releases going back, I can configure VPN using Network Manager, but cannot get it to start. On 12.04, I get the service did not start for an error message.

1) What is the best way to debug this?

2) I would like to enhance this question by providing the necessary logs, but what data should I place in this question, other than tail syslog (shown below)?

3) Is there a way to get VPN configured manually?

Here is tail syslog

tail syslog

May 11 16:27:51 mrshighpants NetworkManager[868]: <info> Starting VPN service 'pptp'...
May 11 16:27:51 mrshighpants NetworkManager[868]: <info> VPN service 'pptp' started (org.freedesktop.NetworkManager.pptp), PID 3552
May 11 16:27:51 mrshighpants NetworkManager[868]: <info> VPN service 'pptp' appeared; activating connections
May 11 16:27:51 mrshighpants NetworkManager[868]: <info> VPN plugin state changed: init (1)
May 11 16:27:51 mrshighpants NetworkManager[868]: <info> VPN plugin state changed: starting (3)
May 11 16:27:51 mrshighpants NetworkManager[868]: <info> VPN connection 'townofsomethington' (Connect) reply received.
May 11 16:27:51 mrshighpants NetworkManager[868]: <warn> VPN connection 'townofsomethington' failed to connect: 'couldn't convert PPTP VPN gateway IP address '123.4.5.281' (0)'.
May 11 16:27:51 mrshighpants NetworkManager[868]: <warn> error disconnecting VPN: Could not process the request because no VPN connection was active.
May 11 16:27:51 mrshighpants NetworkManager[868]: <info> Policy set 'MtLaughmore' (wlan0) as default for IPv4 routing and DNS.
May 11 16:27:56 mrshighpants NetworkManager[868]: <info> VPN service 'pptp' disappeared

After Testing:

There were two problems, and now a successful connection. The IP address was interposed .281, instead of 218, and the password was wrong.

octopusgrabbus
  • 551

5 Answers5

22

Check your settings with it.

VPN connection in Ubuntu

Go to network manager > VPN Connection > Configure VPN > Add VPN

enter image description here

  1. Name VPN Connection ( Any Name )

  2. Gateway : You ip address of pptp server Or FDDN ( Fully Qualified Domain Name )

  3. User Name

  4. Password

  5. Click on Advanced

enter image description here

Click on " Use point to point encryption " Click OK & Save

Now open terminal 

 tail -f /var/log/syslog

And just connect to VPN & check your logs.

Qasim
  • 22,092
  • Thanks. These are the settings I already have, and it works on Ubuntu at work. I've got to try it on the same version at home. – octopusgrabbus May 14 '13 at 13:09
  • You do not need to debug, you just need to correct way to make pptp connection in ubuntu – Qasim May 14 '13 at 13:11
  • Both debug and create I think. It may well be an IP address problem, but I won't know until I get home from work. It works, at work. – octopusgrabbus May 14 '13 at 13:14
  • If it now work from home check you router settings about "vpn passthrough " – Qasim May 14 '13 at 13:15
  • It works form home using Windows 7, but not from Ubuntu 12.04. – octopusgrabbus May 14 '13 at 13:30
  • When you get back home ...check vpn connection and update your question if its not working .. and in comment just write question is updated ..so i receive notification that about your question... – Qasim May 14 '13 at 13:32
  • Hi, I tried your method... can you help me with what this error message would need to be debugged with/fixed: <warn> VPN connection 'VPN connection 1' failed to connect: 'couldn't look up PPTP VPN gateway IP address – charlie May 14 '13 at 14:11
  • @charlie check the last comment http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=157&t=123585 – Qasim May 14 '13 at 14:23
  • I don't see anything happen in my syslog on either the client or the server. Is there something I need to do to enable logging? – Ron Smith Jan 29 '14 at 23:44
  • @RonSmith I don't think so ... – Qasim Jan 30 '14 at 00:15
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    +1 for "Use Point-to-Point VPN ecncryption (MPPE)" checkbox! – Bruno Medeiros Mar 04 '15 at 22:44
10

There is a typographical failure:

[...]'couldn't convert PPTP VPN gateway IP address '209.6.3.281' (0)'[...]

This IP can't exist cause the last number 281 is greater than 255.

kr4utz
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  • 6
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2

The instructions provided at Debugging NetworkManager pptp look like a good option for debugging VPN connections configured using NetworkManager:

  1. in a root terminal, run:

    killall -TERM nm-pptp-service

    /usr/libexec/nm-pptp-service --debug # This is one potential path, OR

    /usr/lib/NetworkManager/nm-pptp-service --debug # Ubuntu 14.04 LTS

  2. start your VPN connection

  3. reproduce the problem
gb96
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1

I have had ongoing issues with the 12.04 VPN where I could get an initial connection ok but could not make another VPN connection for at least 5 minutes after disconnecting the first one.

The solution turned out to be nothing to do with Ubuntu, I had to put in an Incoming NAT rule in my Firewall to allow WAN PPTP traffic (TCP Port 1723) and GRE 47 traffic to my 12.04 box and now it all works as it should!

user198651
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0

fail log: VPN connection 'Astrill' failed to connect: 'couldn't look up PPTP VPN gateway IP address 'gsg.astrill.net' (-2)

solution: http://astrill.9ichuangyi.cn/astrill-vpn-all-servers-list.html

you need add gateway from the up link address

sprindy
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