Set up Lisar on Linux

Choose a method and check your desktop

Open the Lisar panel and select an active profile. The connection details belong to that profile: use its server, VPN account and IPsec values for L2TP/IPsec, or its downloaded .ovpn file for OpenVPN. A website sign-in password is not automatically a VPN password.

Start with L2TP/IPsec when your device and network support a suitable connection. OpenVPN is the alternative when they do not. An operating system listing another protocol does not mean that your Lisar profile supports it.

This guide covers desktop distributions using NetworkManager. GNOME, KDE Plasma and Cinnamon label network dialogs differently, but each needs the appropriate VPN plugin. A server using another network manager needs its own configuration; do not replace the machine's network stack just to follow these desktop steps.

There is no native Lisar Linux download in this guide. Use distribution-maintained packages from the official repositories for your supported release.

Ubuntu, Debian and Linux Mint

On Ubuntu Desktop or Debian GNOME, the plugin packages ending in -gnome include the editor integration. Linux Mint's Cinnamon network editor uses the same package family. Install the L2TP plugin for the preferred compatible path, and the OpenVPN plugin if you need the file-import alternative.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install network-manager-l2tp-gnome network-manager-openvpn-gnome

On Ubuntu or Debian GNOME, open Network settings and add a VPN. On Mint, open Network Connections from the network menu and add a connection. Reopen the editor after installation if a VPN type is missing. Package availability follows your distribution and release; use its repository rather than downloading packages from an unrelated version.

For KDE or a minimal desktop, use the distribution's matching network editor and VPN plugins. The connection steps below remain the same.

Fedora Workstation

Fedora uses different capitalization and package names. With GNOME, install its NetworkManager plugins and editor components:

sudo dnf install NetworkManager-l2tp-gnome NetworkManager-openvpn-gnome

Open Settings → Network, add a VPN and select the required type. A Fedora KDE desktop can use its Plasma network editor with the corresponding NetworkManager plugins. If a certificate or profile cannot be read, check its file access and the reported error; disabling SELinux is not a setup step.

Arch Linux

On an Arch desktop already managed by NetworkManager, install networkmanager-l2tp and networkmanager-openvpn. Keep the system fully updated; Arch does not support partial upgrades. This example also performs the normal full system upgrade, so review the package transaction first:

sudo pacman -Syu networkmanager-l2tp networkmanager-openvpn

Use your desktop's NetworkManager editor or nmcli. The desktop editor or a secrets agent must be able to ask for required credentials. If you currently use another network manager, follow its documentation instead of enabling a second manager on the same interface.

openSUSE

For an openSUSE desktop already using NetworkManager, the OpenVPN package is NetworkManager-openvpn:

sudo zypper install NetworkManager-openvpn

For L2TP/IPsec, check whether NetworkManager-l2tp is offered in the official repositories for your exact Leap or Tumbleweed release. Availability is release-specific. If it is absent, use the documented OpenVPN alternative; adding an unreviewed community repository is not necessary for this guide.

Open the GNOME or KDE network editor and add or import the VPN profile. Systems managed by Wicked require a different configuration path; avoid switching an active network stack during a remote session.

Configure L2TP/IPsec in NetworkManager

1. Open the network connection editor, add a VPN and select Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP) after installing its plugin.
2. Enter the gateway and VPN account values provided for your active Lisar profile.
3. Open the IPsec settings, enable IPsec for this L2TP connection, and enter the supplied authentication values. Do not configure bare L2TP without the required IPsec layer.
4. Save, activate the connection and confirm the connected state. If the plugin or network is unsuitable, use the OpenVPN alternative.

Only use cipher, phase or authentication overrides when Lisar supplies them for that profile. Copying another provider's advanced settings can prevent a connection.

Import your OpenVPN file

Download the active profile's .ovpn file from the Lisar panel. In your network editor, add a VPN and choose the option to import from a file. Review the imported connection, save and activate it. The equivalent NetworkManager command is:

nmcli connection import type openvpn file "$HOME/Downloads/lisar-profile.ovpn"
nmcli connection show

Replace the example filename with your downloaded file. The import prints the saved connection name. Use that exact name in place of IMPORTED_PROFILE_NAME below; --ask lets NetworkManager request any necessary secret interactively.

nmcli --ask connection up id "IMPORTED_PROFILE_NAME"
nmcli connection show --active

When finished, disconnect the imported connection:

nmcli connection down id "IMPORTED_PROFILE_NAME"

If an option in the file is unsupported by the plugin, retain the original file and contact support. Do not delete verification settings to make an import succeed. A profile imported into NetworkManager is saved locally; treat it and its credentials as private.

Routing, DNS and machines without a desktop

Check the VPN's active state and whether websites resolve after connecting. A successful tunnel with failed browsing can point to DNS or routes. On systems using systemd-resolved, resolvectl status can help identify the DNS servers in use; other systems have different resolver tools.

Command-line-only and server installations can use a compatible OpenVPN client, but service files, secret storage and DNS integration depend on the distribution. The desktop commands above are not a tested recipe for every headless server, container or NAS. Keep a working management connection when adjusting remote networking.

If only a browser behaves differently, inspect its proxy or secure-DNS settings using the browser guide. For a whole household or devices that cannot run a compatible client, see router setup.

Pop!_OS, Zorin OS and Manjaro

For Pop!_OS or Zorin OS using NetworkManager, start with the Debian/Ubuntu package family above, then use your installed desktop's network editor or nmcli. Pop!_OS documents APT for system packages; Zorin documents its Ubuntu base and APT repositories. Confirm the matching VPN plugins in your release's repositories before installation, because the desktop and package versions can differ.

Manjaro uses the Arch package family but maintains its own repositories and release branches. Install the matching NetworkManager VPN plugins from Manjaro's repositories and follow the connection steps in this guide. Do not replace Manjaro repositories with Arch repositories to obtain a plugin.

These are shared configuration methods, not separate Lisar native Linux clients. A distribution using another network manager, an immutable system or a headless server needs its own supported package and network-management instructions.

• System76: Pop!_OS system package manager
• Zorin OS: base system and repositories
• Manjaro: repository and Arch differences

Official platform references

• Ubuntu: NetworkManager and VPN plugins
• Debian: L2TP GNOME plugin
• Debian: OpenVPN client setup
• Linux Mint: L2TP NetworkManager package
• Fedora: L2TP packages
• Fedora: OpenVPN GNOME plugin
• Arch: NetworkManager VPN plugins
• openSUSE: NetworkManager OpenVPN package
• NetworkManager: nmcli import and connection commands

More setup help