Re: openvpn needs more settings

[Dan Williams <dcbw redhat com>]

On Mon, 2006-10-02 at 12:14 +1300, Steve Wray wrote:
> Hi all,
> 
> Way back in June, Brice Goglin made the most excellent suggestion that
> NetworkManager could do with some more settings for openvpn:
> 
> > I am using openvpn regularly and would like to integrate my VPN
> > connections in NetworkManager. But I have several non-trivial options in
> > my openvpn configuration file (such as rport, lport, ping, ping-restart,
> > mute-replay-warning, ...). Is there any way to pass these options to
> > network-manager-openvpn ? Something simple like a text-box where the
> > user can enter something that would be appended to the openvpn command
> > line might be enough.
> 
> 
> I see no follow-up on this and the NetworkManager applet that I am
> (trying) to use in Suse Enterprise Desktop has pretty badly
> impoverished, nerfed and limited settings available for openvpn.
> 
> I've been through the documentation (such as there is) and the config
> files (that I can find) and I see no way *whatsoever* of configuring
> basic openvpn settings like rport from NetworkManager. I need to be able
> to configure this.
> 
> This effectively cripples the use of NetworkManager for configuring
> openvpn connections in the corporate environment where many users will
> be making bridged connections to a single openvpn server (ie: they will
> absolutely *need* an rport setting).
> 
> So I ask you, *is* there a way? Or am I going to have to throw
> NetworkManager out (cool-looking as it is)?

First off, you'll need to add those settings to the allowed-settings
array in vpn-daemons/openvpn/src/nm-openvpn-service.c in the function
nm_openvpn_config_options_validate().

Next, match those options up with the correct command-line argument in
nm_openvpn_start_openvpn_binary() in that same file.

Then you can stuff the options manually into GConf for the VPN and it
should work.

If you want real GUI for this, well, that needs to get worked out.  The
current OpenVPN config dialog is a train-wreck, precisely because
OpenVPN is so damn configurable.  OpenVPN is seriously not meant to be
used by mere mortals, since it's scope of config options is the same as
ALSA's config scope.  Anyway...

The first bits here will at least get it working for you, the GUI pieces
need a bunch of thought and UI layout work.

Dan

> I'd like to have users able to bring up their VPN as they wish with a
> nice userland tool rather than have to do it via config files in
> /etc/openvpn but I am at a loss as to how to do this...
> 
> Please! NetworkManager is, otherwise, very useful!
> 
> 
> Thanks!
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