Arch Linux OpenConnect

As an alternative to Arch Linux pptpclient method of connecting to the CITES VPN, there’s also OpenConnect.

OpenConnect can be installed on Arch Linux with:

[code language=”bash”]# pacman -S openconnect[/code]

or, if using Network Manager:

[code language=”bash”]# pacman -S networkmanager-openconnect[/code]

To use the command line application, just run:

[code language=”bash”]# openconnect vpn.cites.illinois.edu –user NETID –authgroup 1_SplitTunnel_Default[/code]

You will be prompted for your password and the connection will hopefully be established. To use this with Network Manager, create a new VPN connection with OpenConnect and use the gateway vpn.cites.illinois.edu. When connecting for the first time, it will demand the user name, password and group (use 1_SplitTunnel_Default here as well) and give the option to save them for future connections.

Note that OpenConnect requires root privileges to write to /var/run/. Without root privileges, after establishing a connection OpenConnect will terminate with the following message:

[code language=”bash”]# mkdir: cannot create directory: ‘/var/run/vpnc’: Permission denied
# Failed to bind local tun device (TUNSETIFF): Operation not permitted
# To configure local networking, openconnect must be running as root
# See http://infradead.org/openconnect/nonroot.html for more information
# Set up tun device failed
# Unknown error; exiting.[/code]