I have installed NordVPN. It offers several protocols, but the default
is OpenVPN.

I can start it easily enough, but then I can't get out. I have changed
my DNS servers as instructed. Is it simply a matter of waiting the
usual 2 hours for the next DNS server update?

--- MBSE BBS v1.0.7.17 (GNU/Linux-x86_64)
* Origin: Aioe.org NNTP Server (2:250/1@fidonet)

On Sat, 4 Jul 2020 14:29:20 +1000, Doug Laidlaw wrote:

I have installed NordVPN. It offers several protocols, but the default
is OpenVPN.

I can start it easily enough, but then I can't get out. I have changed
my DNS servers as instructed. Is it simply a matter of waiting the
usual 2 hours for the next DNS server update?

I have never used vpn, but I would assume removing/taking the connection
down would be enough to straighten out routing. If nothing else a
systemctl restart network should bring everything back to normal.

As for dns, I notice frontier occasionally gets between me and Amazon
and since I installed bind and have named running, I run
systemctl restart named to restore normal amazon's values.

--- MBSE BBS v1.0.7.17 (GNU/Linux-x86_64)
* Origin: A noiseless patient Spider (2:250/1@fidonet)

On 2020-07-04, Doug Laidlaw <laidlaws@hotkey.net.au> wrote:

I have installed NordVPN. It offers several protocols, but the default
is OpenVPN.

I can start it easily enough, but then I can't get out. I have changed
my DNS servers as instructed. Is it simply a matter of waiting the
usual 2 hours for the next DNS server update?

No idea what you mean by "changed my DNS server". Why?
And the DNS server really has nothing to do with your VPN.
I assume you are not advertising your new address via the VPN to the
world-- that would certainly negate the whole purpose of a VPN.

It would really help if you told us the symptoms, not asked questions
about what you think is the solution.
I have no idea what NordVPN is, but they surely have a "disconnect"
buttom or procedure, which should tear down the connection.


--- MBSE BBS v1.0.7.17 (GNU/Linux-x86_64)
* Origin: A noiseless patient Spider (2:250/1@fidonet)

On 4/7/20 8:58 pm, Bit Twister wrote:

On Sat, 4 Jul 2020 14:29:20 +1000, Doug Laidlaw wrote:

I have installed NordVPN. It offers several protocols, but the default
is OpenVPN.

I can start it easily enough, but then I can't get out. I have changed
my DNS servers as instructed. Is it simply a matter of waiting the
usual 2 hours for the next DNS server update?

I have never used vpn, but I would assume removing/taking the connection
down would be enough to straighten out routing. If nothing else a
systemctl restart network should bring everything back to normal.

As for dns, I notice frontier occasionally gets between me and Amazon
and since I installed bind and have named running, I run
systemctl restart named to restore normal amazon's values.

This is all new to me. The server offers a tutorial, but it is so
different, that I did the installation in an xterm. (At least I knew how
to adapt commands to Mageia.)

The Web suggests that any one of a number of factors can be responsible.
The most likely one I had no hint of: I must edit my router config to
see my network before the VPN.

"When you set up your VPN, you did not setup the connection to access
your wifi network first. In your ISP router or local host router, you
will need to use the port forwarding setting and the VPN port assigned
by your ISP. Use a separate ip address to connect one for your VPN and a separate IP address for your hotspot. This splits access between your
hotspot connection and your VPN connection."

I am about to try doing that.

Doug.



--- MBSE BBS v1.0.7.17 (GNU/Linux-x86_64)
* Origin: Aioe.org NNTP Server (2:250/1@fidonet)

On 5/7/20 2:59 am, William Unruh wrote:

On 2020-07-04, Doug Laidlaw <laidlaws@hotkey.net.au> wrote:

I have installed NordVPN. It offers several protocols, but the default
is OpenVPN.

I can start it easily enough, but then I can't get out. I have changed
my DNS servers as instructed. Is it simply a matter of waiting the
usual 2 hours for the next DNS server update?

No idea what you mean by "changed my DNS server". Why?
And the DNS server really has nothing to do with your VPN.
I assume you are not advertising your new address via the VPN to the
world-- that would certainly negate the whole purpose of a VPN.

It would really help if you told us the symptoms, not asked questions
about what you think is the solution.
I have no idea what NordVPN is, but they surely have a "disconnect"
buttom or procedure, which should tear down the connection.

There are no symptoms. Trying to use the VPN merely blocks everything.
Plainly there is no longer any continuity. With Linux, there seems to
be no GUI. They have a procedure for installing from an RPM from RH or CentOS, but there are significant differences


The suggestion to change the DNS address came from the provider's Web
site. They offer a password vault as well -- doesn't everyone? As I understand it, the DNS address is for lookups, and has no relevance to
the signal path. I suppose that I could try to browse to an IP address,
and see if that does anything. I still have to try the fix in my last
post, which wasn't sent to me, but came from a qualified technician.

Your own posts talk about wpa_supplicant. That isn't installed, but
wasn't called when I downloaded the Mageia openvpn RPM.

--- MBSE BBS v1.0.7.17 (GNU/Linux-x86_64)
* Origin: Aioe.org NNTP Server (2:250/1@fidonet)

On 5/7/20 8:35 pm, Doug Laidlaw wrote:

I suppose that I could try to browse to an IP address, and see if that
does anything.

No, that made no difference.

--- MBSE BBS v1.0.7.17 (GNU/Linux-x86_64)
* Origin: Aioe.org NNTP Server (2:250/1@fidonet)

On 5/7/20 8:59 pm, Doug Laidlaw wrote:

On 5/7/20 8:35 pm, Doug Laidlaw wrote:

I suppose that I could try to browse to an IP address, and see if that
does anything.

No, that made no difference.

It seems that my router is not supported: https://support.nordvpn.com/Connectivity/Router/1225872552/Not-supported-router s.htm

I can bypass the router by using a direct link from Optus, but it is all becoming just too much trouble. Being in Australia, many links don't work.

--- MBSE BBS v1.0.7.17 (GNU/Linux-x86_64)
* Origin: Aioe.org NNTP Server (2:250/1@fidonet)

On 5/7/20 10:06 pm, Doug Laidlaw wrote:

On 5/7/20 8:59 pm, Doug Laidlaw wrote:

On 5/7/20 8:35 pm, Doug Laidlaw wrote:

I suppose that I could try to browse to an IP address, and see if
that does anything.

No, that made no difference.

It seems that my router is not supported:

https://support.nordvpn.com/Connectivity/Router/1225872552/Not-supported-router s.htm

I can bypass the router by using a direct link from Optus, but it is all becoming just too much trouble.  Being in Australia, many links don't work.

It looks as though the router was the problem. Using the Optus dongle,
I have a standard connection that mimics wireless, and another one
called tun0. I am using it at the moment.

--- MBSE BBS v1.0.7.17 (GNU/Linux-x86_64)
* Origin: Aioe.org NNTP Server (2:250/1@fidonet)

On 2020-07-05, Doug Laidlaw <laidlaws@hotkey.net.au> wrote:

On 4/7/20 8:58 pm, Bit Twister wrote:

On Sat, 4 Jul 2020 14:29:20 +1000, Doug Laidlaw wrote:

I have installed NordVPN. It offers several protocols, but the default
is OpenVPN.

I can start it easily enough, but then I can't get out. I have changed >>> my DNS servers as instructed. Is it simply a matter of waiting the
usual 2 hours for the next DNS server update?

I have never used vpn, but I would assume removing/taking the connection
down would be enough to straighten out routing. If nothing else a
systemctl restart network should bring everything back to normal.

As for dns, I notice frontier occasionally gets between me and Amazon
and since I installed bind and have named running, I run
systemctl restart named to restore normal amazon's values.

This is all new to me. The server offers a tutorial, but it is so different, that I did the installation in an xterm. (At least I knew how
to adapt commands to Mageia.)

The Web suggests that any one of a number of factors can be responsible.
The most likely one I had no hint of: I must edit my router config to
see my network before the VPN.

That makes no sense. Routing is done by looking at the routing tables
and going from most specific to most general.
Thus a netmask of 255.255.0.0 is applied only if all netmasks for more
specific addresses (eg netmaks 255.255.63.0 or 255.255.255.255)
do not apply.

Now had you told us what the output of route -n was we might be able to
help you, but as it is we cannot.

"When you set up your VPN, you did not setup the connection to access
your wifi network first. In your ISP router or local host router, you
will need to use the port forwarding setting and the VPN port assigned
by your ISP. Use a separate ip address to connect one for your VPN and a separate IP address for your hotspot. This splits access between your hotspot connection and your VPN connection."

I am about to try doing that.

Good luck. I have no idea what that means.

Doug.

--- MBSE BBS v1.0.7.17 (GNU/Linux-x86_64)
* Origin: A noiseless patient Spider (2:250/1@fidonet)

On 2020-07-05, Doug Laidlaw <laidlaws@hotkey.net.au> wrote:

On 5/7/20 2:59 am, William Unruh wrote:

On 2020-07-04, Doug Laidlaw <laidlaws@hotkey.net.au> wrote:

I have installed NordVPN. It offers several protocols, but the default
is OpenVPN.

I can start it easily enough, but then I can't get out. I have changed >>> my DNS servers as instructed. Is it simply a matter of waiting the
usual 2 hours for the next DNS server update?

No idea what you mean by "changed my DNS server". Why?
And the DNS server really has nothing to do with your VPN.
I assume you are not advertising your new address via the VPN to the
world-- that would certainly negate the whole purpose of a VPN.

It would really help if you told us the symptoms, not asked questions
about what you think is the solution.
I have no idea what NordVPN is, but they surely have a "disconnect"
buttom or procedure, which should tear down the connection.

There are no symptoms. Trying to use the VPN merely blocks everything.

You mean your toilet ceases to flush? Again, you given zero information
and expect us to guess what "blocks everything" is supposed to mean.

Plainly there is no longer any continuity. With Linux, there seems to

Continuity of what?

tell us the output of route -n

be no GUI. They have a procedure for installing from an RPM from RH or CentOS, but there are significant differences

What "differences"? Again zero information.

The suggestion to change the DNS address came from the provider's Web
site. They offer a password vault as well -- doesn't everyone? As I understand it, the DNS address is for lookups, and has no relevance to
the signal path. I suppose that I could try to browse to an IP address,
and see if that does anything. I still have to try the fix in my last
post, which wasn't sent to me, but came from a qualified technician.

Again no idea what you are talking about.

Your own posts talk about wpa_supplicant. That isn't installed, but
wasn't called when I downloaded the Mageia openvpn RPM.

wpa_supplicant is for connecting a wireless to the network.


--- MBSE BBS v1.0.7.17 (GNU/Linux-x86_64)
* Origin: A noiseless patient Spider (2:250/1@fidonet)

On 2020-07-05, Doug Laidlaw <laidlaws@hotkey.net.au> wrote:

On 5/7/20 8:59 pm, Doug Laidlaw wrote:

On 5/7/20 8:35 pm, Doug Laidlaw wrote:

I suppose that I could try to browse to an IP address, and see if that
does anything.

No, that made no difference.

It seems that my router is not supported:

https://support.nordvpn.com/Connectivity/Router/1225872552/Not-supported-router s.htm

I can bypass the router by using a direct link from Optus, but it is all becoming just too much trouble. Being in Australia, many links don't work.

What has the router to do with this?

And you are using this VPN why? Whatever they think they mean, that they
list as almost all major router manufacturers on that list should
suggest that this is a pretty useless vpn provider.


--- MBSE BBS v1.0.7.17 (GNU/Linux-x86_64)
* Origin: A noiseless patient Spider (2:250/1@fidonet)