How to save the vpn password in ubuntu

WoW. This was messier then it needs to be, but this does work. I have tried it with xubuntu and ubuntu mate successfully. As you know, the password area is grayed out.

I use PureVpn as a Virtual Private Network provider. But this works with any provider. This is a ppp (point-to-point) connection, which is different then /dev/tun. Tun rides over the top of a ppp connection.

1. The first step is to edit the configuration file. This will be found in /etc/NetworkManager/system-connections

My file looks like this:

[connection]

id=NameofConnection

uuid=YourUuid
type=vpn
autoconnect=false
permissions=
secondaries=

[vpn]

gateway=GatewayName

require-mppe=yes

user=Userid
refuse-chap=yes
refuse-eap=yes
refuse-pap=yes
password-flags=0

service-type=org.freedesktop.NetworkManager.pptp

[vpn-secrets]
password=YourPassword

[ipv4]
dns-search=
method=auto

[ipv6]
addr-gen-mode=stable-privacy
dns-search=
method=auto

Let’s try to break down what we changed. All the items I changed are bold like this. So I changed the connection name, gateway name or ip address, and userid.

Next you need to make sure that refuse-chap, refuse-eap, refuse-pap are all set to yes.

Normally the password-flags is set to 2. We need to set it to 0. This is important, so it does NOT reprompt.

Now add the section vpn-secrets with your password. Setting the flag to 0, and adding this section will save the password.

2. If not installed, install openvpn and the network-manager-openvpn.


sudo apt-get install openvpn network-manager-openvpn.

3. Now the tricky part. (see the problem above).

first let’s go the the directory and make a backup copy of org.freedesktop.NetworkManager.policy.


cd /usr/share/polkit-1/actions/
sudo cp org.freedesktop.NetworkManager.policy org.freedesktop.NetworkManager.policy.save # make a backup copy of the file first
sudo -H gedit /usr/share/polkit-1/actions/org.freedesktop.NetworkManager.policy


As it says in the article change the line the read:

<action id="org.freedesktop.NetworkManager.settings.modify.own">
.
.
.
<allow_inactive>no</allow_inactive>

so that it says:

<allow_inactive>yes</allow_inactive>

4. Finally restart the Network Manager:

For us old guys:


sudo service network-manager restart


or


sudo systemctl restart network-manager