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Please check the status of this specification in Launchpad before editing it. If it is Approved, contact the Assignee or another knowledgeable person before making changes.

• Launchpad Entry: vpnc-by-default.

• Packages affected: ubuntu-desktop vpnc network-manager-vpnc

• See also: PPPOESpec pppoeconf-gui

Summary

• Install the vpnc Cisco compatible VPN client and it associated NetworkManager plugin by default on new installations of Ubuntu.

Rationale

• It is our belief that all methods of accessing the internet or a local network should be available out-of-the-box. For workplaces or universities where VPN is the only means of accessing the internet, a user can be 'locked-down' without any internet access. A vpn client is required to access the net but it is not installed. It cannot be installed via APT because net access is required for it. Hence, we believe the vpnc package and the network-manager-vpnc package should be installed by default so that a user can get up and running in such cases. It might also be a good idea to install OpenVPN by default too, although cisco compatible vpn client is used most often so it should be sufficient.

Use Cases

• Current: John is a visiting student at a university. His dorm requires everyone to connect via VPN to the main access server. He tries to set up a vpn connection in Ubuntu only to find that two packages need to be installed before he can do so. However, without net access he is unable to install those two packages. John is therefore without net access until he downloads the packages on another net-enabled computer, transfers them to his own computer over removable media, and installs them manually.
• Proposed: John is a visiting student at a university. His dorm requires everyone to connect via VPN to the main access server. He chooses to create a new VPN connection from the Network Manager notification area icon, and fills in the details provided to him. He is up and running without further problems.

Scope

• Implementing this specification will require modification of the ubuntu-desktop (?) package to install vpnc and network-manager-vpnc as part of the default desktop.

Comments

* Perhaps install pptp VPN package also? We need to discuss whether just the vpnc package is sufficient or not.

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