Preparation
Install the network-manager-pptp package
- via apt-get.
In a terminal shell, type:
$ sudo apt-get install network-manager-pptp
- OR via Synaptic Package Manager.
From the System menu, choose Administration and then Synaptic Package Manager.
Then, install the network-manager-pptp package.
Configuration
- Left-click on the NetworkManager Applet in the Notification Area of the panel.
-
Select VPN Connections and then Configure VPN.... These menu choices were enabled by the installation
of the network-manager-pptp package above.
-
Select Add when the connections list appears.
-
When asked to choose the VPN connection type, accept the default Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP),
and click Create...
-
Fill in the values as below, substituting your username and password. The value of Gateway is the hostname
of the VPN server provided to you by Cotse.net, and it may differ from that pictured. Any descriptive name may
be chosen for Connection name.
When finished, click on Advanced...
-
In the PPTP Advanced Options dialog, fill in the values as pictured. Be sure to make the following changes:
- Uncheck all Authentication schemes except for MSCHAPv2.
- Select Use Point-to_point encryption (MPPE), and choose All Available (Default) as the value
for the Security selection.
- Choose compression settings as desired.
- In testing, there has been no discernible difference between either choice of Send PPP echo packets.
Click OK when complete.
-
The VPN connections list should now list the new configuration. Click Close.
Connection Management
-
Left-click on the NetworkManager Applet in the Notification Area. Select VPN Connections and click
on the newly configured connection.
-
NetworkManager will ask for permission to access the password that was previously entered during configuration.
Click Allow Once or Always Allow as preferred. (The permissions dialog will reappear on future attempts
if Allow Once is chosen.)
-
After being given access, the dialog window will close, and a padlock will appear in the bottom right of the
NetworkManager icon. An animation will play within the icon area during the connection phase, and it will
stop upon success.
-
The VPN connection is active while the padlock icon is displayed.
To disable the VPN connection, left-click on the NetworkManager Applet icon, select VPN Connections,
and click on Disconnect VPN...
The padlock image should subsequently disappear from the NetworkManager icon.
Misc
While connected to the VPN, you can examine the system's routing table from a terminal. This will resemble the
following:
$ route -n
Kernel IP routing table
Destination Gateway Genmask Flags Metric Ref Use Iface
10.10.10.1 0.0.0.0 255.255.255.255 UH 0 0 0 ppp0
[VPN IP addr] [your IP addr] 255.255.255.255 UGH 0 0 0 [network interface]
0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 U 0 0 0 ppp0
Notice the general routing of addresses over the newly created ppp0 (VPN) interface.
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