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Bug 672400 - Add allow to auto-connect to VPN on some WiFi network.
Add allow to auto-connect to VPN on some WiFi network.
Status: RESOLVED OBSOLETE
Product: gnome-control-center
Classification: Core
Component: Network
unspecified
Other Linux
: Normal enhancement
: ---
Assigned To: Control-Center Maintainers
Control-Center Maintainers
triaged
: 793801 (view as bug list)
Depends on: 749376
Blocks:
 
 
Reported: 2012-03-19 14:18 UTC by Gendre Sébastien
Modified: 2021-06-09 16:01 UTC
See Also:
GNOME target: ---
GNOME version: ---


Attachments
nm-connection-editor wired config panel (49.39 KB, image/png)
2018-02-12 08:25 UTC, Dario Lesca
Details
nm-connection-editor wireless (WiFi) config panel (37.83 KB, image/png)
2018-02-12 08:27 UTC, Dario Lesca
Details

Description Gendre Sébastien 2012-03-19 14:18:00 UTC
On some Wifi networks, like in work or univerity, some users always connect to a VPN and for other Wifi networks they never use VPN.

Actually, we are only allow to activate a general "auto-connect" for a VPN. It would be nice to be allow to choose an auto-connection for the VPN only for some Wifi Networks.
Comment 1 Dan Winship 2013-02-04 19:11:27 UTC
This is actually supported in NM master. We just need a design for integrating it into the control center.

Until then, once you're running a GNOME 3.8-based distro, you should be able to enable the functionality by using nm-connection-editor rather than the control center. On the "General" page, check "Automatically connect to VPN when using this connection", then pick the VPN.
Comment 2 Allan Day 2017-06-09 17:45:39 UTC
To be clear, I assume that this would be possible for any connection, not necessary a wi-fi one?

Also, perhaps there should be a generic "only allow network traffic over this VPN" as well as a per-connection setting?
Comment 3 Allan Day 2017-06-13 13:35:39 UTC
I'm not convinced that the existing "automatically connect to VPN" feature in NetworkManager is what is required here. Really what people want is to ensure that network traffic only goes over a specified VPN, either for any connection or one that's been specified. Otherwise your VPN can drop and you can leak information.

Currently this behaviour isn't supported by NetworkManager. Bug 749376 is the one to watch, apparently.
Comment 4 Dario Lesca 2017-12-15 10:44:24 UTC
Fedora 27 - Gnome 3.26.2 Into the new Network control panel the function "Automatically connect to VPN when using this connection" is disappeared also for all Wired connection, not only for WiFi.

In previous Network Control Panel this feature was there.

Now I must use "nm-connection-editor" for setup this option.

Please, replace it.

Thanks
Dario
Comment 5 Bastien Nocera 2018-02-11 18:45:42 UTC
(In reply to Dan Winship from comment #1)
> This is actually supported in NM master. We just need a design for
> integrating it into the control center.

https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=792365 says that it's not supported.

Thomas, do you know which it is? Is there a bug opened about it?

https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=656215 is about making sure that the VPN connection is _required_, not simply auto-connected.
Comment 6 Dario Lesca 2018-02-12 08:22:54 UTC
Into "nm-connection-editor" there is an option "Automatically connect to VPN when using this connection", if enabled there is a drop down menu with which it's possible to choice a existing VPN.

When this Wired or Wireless network profile is enable and the connection is on, NM start the associated VPN ...

.. and all work fine.

Into Network Gnome Control Panel this feature is's not anymore present and it's not possible to bind a VPN to Wired or Wireless network profile.

Please, re enable it.

Thanks

Dario
Comment 7 Dario Lesca 2018-02-12 08:25:59 UTC
Created attachment 368242 [details]
nm-connection-editor wired config panel
Comment 8 Dario Lesca 2018-02-12 08:27:13 UTC
Created attachment 368243 [details]
nm-connection-editor wireless (WiFi) config panel
Comment 9 Thomas Haller 2018-02-12 09:01:24 UTC
(In reply to Bastien Nocera from comment #5)
> (In reply to Dan Winship from comment #1)
> > This is actually supported in NM master. We just need a design for
> > integrating it into the control center.
> 
> https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=792365 says that it's not
> supported.
> 
> Thomas, do you know which it is? Is there a bug opened about it?

There are two separate things:

1) "connection.autoconnect", which is not supported for VPN connections
2) "connection.secondaries", is an alternative mechanism that allows to configure that a VPN connection gets automatically started for an underlying connection (like ethernet or Wi-Fi).

While the title of this bug sounds like it's talking about "connection.autoconnect", I think it really talks about "connection.secondaries". And so does Dan Winship.

Currently gnome-control-center gets both wrong. The patch at bug 792365 addresses 1).
Comment 10 Bastien Nocera 2018-02-12 09:03:32 UTC
(In reply to Dario Lesca from comment #6)
<snip>
> Into Network Gnome Control Panel this feature is's not anymore present and
> it's not possible to bind a VPN to Wired or Wireless network profile.
> 
> Please, re enable it.

2 problems with that statement:
- the functionality was never present in GNOME's Network Settings, so there's nothing to "re enable".
- I'm going to chalk this off as a translation problem, but this statement really doesn't make us want to help you.
Comment 11 Bastien Nocera 2018-02-12 09:05:08 UTC
(In reply to Thomas Haller from comment #9)
> There are two separate things:
> 
> 1) "connection.autoconnect", which is not supported for VPN connections
> 2) "connection.secondaries", is an alternative mechanism that allows to
> configure that a VPN connection gets automatically started for an underlying
> connection (like ethernet or Wi-Fi).
> 
> While the title of this bug sounds like it's talking about
> "connection.autoconnect", I think it really talks about
> "connection.secondaries". And so does Dan Winship.
> 
> Currently gnome-control-center gets both wrong. The patch at bug 792365
> addresses 1).

s/gets both wrong/doesn't implement 1 at all, and implements 2 but shouldn't/
Comment 12 Dario Lesca 2018-02-12 13:07:14 UTC
(In reply to Bastien Nocera from comment #10)

> 2 problems with that statement:
> - the functionality was never present in GNOME's Network Settings, so
> there's nothing to "re enable".
> - I'm going to chalk this off as a translation problem, but this statement
> really doesn't make us want to help you.

Ok, sorry.
some Fedora WS versions ago I remember (bad?) that I had enabled this functionality via network gnome control panel, probably when gnome control panel used nm-connection-editor?
 
Then I change the "Please, re enable it" with:

Please, do you can introduce this useful function into next release?

Many thanks.
Dario
Comment 13 Piotr Drąg 2018-02-25 00:39:44 UTC
*** Bug 793801 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Comment 14 André Klapper 2021-06-09 16:01:40 UTC
GNOME is going to shut down bugzilla.gnome.org in favor of gitlab.gnome.org.
As part of that, we are mass-closing older open tickets in bugzilla.gnome.org
which have not seen updates for a longer time (resources are unfortunately
quite limited so not every ticket can get handled).

If you can still reproduce the situation described in this ticket in a recent
and supported software version, then please follow
  https://wiki.gnome.org/GettingInTouch/BugReportingGuidelines
and create a new enhancement request ticket at
  https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-control-center/-/issues/

Thank you for your understanding and your help.