using nmcli to confirm correct VPN configuration and operation

[David H Durgee <dhdurgee verizon net>]

I am in the process of adding a Strongswan VPN connection to my linux mint 20.1 x64 laptop for secure internet access out of the office.  To do so I have added the strongswan network manager plugin and used it to define the VPN connection.

This connection appears to be working, but unlike an openvpn connection used previouly no icon changes on the cinnamon tray at the bottom of the screen.  With openvpn I saw a VPN icon, with Strongswan I still see a WiFi icon.

Using nmcli I see the following with WiFi and no VPN:

dhdurgee@z560:~/Downloads$ nmcli 
wlp5s0: connected to Auto Free WiFi by Karma
        "Broadcom and subsidiaries BCM4313"
        wifi (wl), AC:81:12:A4:5E:43, hw, mtu 1500
        ip4 default
        inet4 192.168.1.114/24
        route4 0.0.0.0/0
        route4 192.168.1.0/24
        route4 169.254.0.0/16
        route4 192.168.1.0/24
        inet6 fe80::562f:7604:6d84:57ca/64
        route6 fe80::/64

enp6s0: disconnected
        "Realtek RTL810xE"
        1 connection available
        ethernet (r8169), B8:70:F4:2C:6B:9F, autoconnect, hw, mtu 1500

lo: unmanaged
        "lo"
        loopback (unknown), 00:00:00:00:00:00, sw, mtu 65536

DNS configuration:
        servers: 192.168.1.1
        interface: wlp5s0

Use "nmcli device show" to get complete information about known devices and
"nmcli connection show" to get an overview on active connection profiles.

Consult nmcli(1) and nmcli-examples(7) manual pages for complete usage details.
dhdurgee@z560:~/Downloads$ 

With the VPN enabled this changes to:

dhdurgee@z560:~/Downloads$ nmcli 
Durgee Enterprises, LLC VPN connection
        master wlp5s0, VPN
        inet4 10.10.10.2/32

wlp5s0: connected to Auto Free WiFi by Karma
        "Broadcom and subsidiaries BCM4313"
        wifi (wl), AC:81:12:A4:5E:43, hw, mtu 1500
        ip4 default
        inet4 192.168.1.114/24
        inet4 10.10.10.2/32
        route4 0.0.0.0/0
        route4 192.168.1.0/24
        route4 192.168.1.0/24
        route4 169.254.0.0/16
        route4 0.0.0.0/0
        inet6 fe80::562f:7604:6d84:57ca/64
        route6 fe80::/64

enp6s0: disconnected
        "Realtek RTL810xE"
        1 connection available
        ethernet (r8169), B8:70:F4:2C:6B:9F, autoconnect, hw, mtu 1500

lo: unmanaged
        "lo"
        loopback (unknown), 00:00:00:00:00:00, sw, mtu 65536

DNS configuration:
        servers: 8.8.8.8 8.8.4.4
        interface: wlp5s0
        type: vpn

        servers: 192.168.1.1
        interface: wlp5s0

Use "nmcli device show" to get complete information about known devices and
"nmcli connection show" to get an overview on active connection profiles.

Consult nmcli(1) and nmcli-examples(7) manual pages for complete usage details.
dhdurgee@z560:~/Downloads$ 

Does the above confirm proper VPN operation?  If so, I just need to file a bug report on the missing VPN icon.  If it is not sufficient to confirm VPN operation, what do I need to do to do so?

Dave

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