ANSWERED Eddie client does not work in Ubuntu 18.04

[airvpneasy 0]

Trying to install it using the .deb package gives dependencies error.

 

Using the portable version asks for "gksu" package.

 

But  afaik gksu has been removed from Ubuntu 18.04.

 

Anyone who has got it to run?

[corrado 100]

You could use a hack to allow root access to the xserver - open up a terminal and type (as your normal user): "xhost si:localuser:root". From the same terminal you should then be able to run airvpn via "sudo airvpn". There must be a better solution than this, though.

[bm9vbmUK 7]

Same here. Did a fresh install of 18.04 today and now can't install Eddie.

[LZ1 672]

Hello!

 

Which release of Eddie is this? The Stable or Beta?

[corrado 100]

Try installing with: "sudo dpkg -i --ignore-depends=gksu /path/to/eddie.deb". This should allow you to install eddie even though the gksu dependency cannot be satisfied on Ubuntu 18.04. To start Eddie without gksu see my first answer. You can find details about this method in this post on ubuntu forums for example. As far as I can see using the experimental version of eddie is currently no solution as it, too, depends on gksu.

[greerd 5]

Here's a Linux Mint forum link to a discussion about Ubuntu 18.04 dropping gksu and migrating toward pkexec which will follow into Mint19.

​

​From forum member xenopeek in the discussion:
​

​gksu hasn't been maintained for many years and was only left to rot in the Ubuntu repository because some programs unfortunately still depended on it. Such programs have been migrating to PolKit's pkexec. Your examples of Synaptic, GParted and Update Manager all use pkexec now (if they didn't already before). PolKit allows for finer level of control than was possible with gksu. No longer does the entire program need to run as root.

In short; removing gksu doesn't meaningfully affect users of Ubuntu or Linux Mint, aside from making their systems safer.

As for editing system configuration files: aside from pkexec, gvfs now has builtin support for admin:// paths that automatically invoke PolKit as needed. So you can open Nautilus and press Ctrl+L and type the path admin:///etc/default to open the /etc/default directory with required elevated privileges. Opening a file from there with Gedit also opens that file with required elevated privileges. From the command line you can also use the admin:// paths so you could do gedit admin:///etc/default/grub to directly open /etc/default/grub for editing with Gedit. I guess that admin:// paths should also work with Linux Mint's developed software on Linux Mint 19 but I haven't tested that yet.

​

​So perhaps dpkg -i admin:///path/to/eddie.deb will work?

[kcr1spy 0]

I could not get dpkg -i admin:///path/to/eddie.deb to work for me. I also couldnt install with --ignore-depends=gksu either because it requires mono-runtime to continue install and that also needs gksu to install. Im fairly illiterate with ubuntu. If anyone solves this could you explain for the simple minded? Thanks

[corrado 100]

Alright, a complete albeit hacky solution would look like this:

If you have already tried to unsuccessfully install airpvn, first run:

sudo apt --fix-broken install

Then install all dependencies (except gksu) manually:

sudo apt install libc6 mono-runtime mono-utils libmono-system-core4.0-cil libmono-system-windows-forms4.0-cil openvpn stunnel4 curl

Finally, install airvpn with dpkg:

sudo dpkg -i --ignore-depends=gksu /path/to/eddie.deb

Now, even though airvpn is installed, you cannot start eddie because this would require the gksu-package which is not available anymore on ubuntu 18.04. Simple "sudo" does not work as the root user by default is not allowed to run graphical applications. A workaround is to allow the root user to access the xserver - be aware that this is not an ideal solution for security reasons, though. The following command will allow the root user to run graphical applications:

sudo xhost si:localuser:root

You must run the xhost-command for each new user session. You might want to automate that with a startup script for example. Anyway, you should now be able to run airvpn with sudo:

sudo airvpn

I think that has to be urgently addressed by eddie developers, though. Gksu has long been deprecated in favor of more secure and flexible solutions based on policykit.

[drohm 1]

Alright, a complete albeit hacky solution would look like this:

If you have already tried to unsuccessfully install airpvn, first run:

sudo apt --fix-broken install

Then install all dependencies (except gksu) manually:

sudo apt install libc6 mono-runtime mono-utils libmono-system-core4.0-cil libmono-system-windows-forms4.0-cil openvpn stunnel4 curl

Finally, install airvpn with dpkg:

sudo dpkg -i --ignore-depends=gksu /path/to/eddie.deb

Now, even though airvpn is installed, you cannot start eddie because this would require the gksu-package which is not available anymore on ubuntu 18.04. Simple "sudo" does not work as the root user by default is not allowed to run graphical applications. A workaround is to allow the root user to access the xserver - be aware that this is not an ideal solution for security reasons, though. The following command will allow the root user to run graphical applications:

sudo xhost si:localuser:root

You must run the xhost-command for each new user session. You might want to automate that with a startup script for example. Anyway, you should now be able to run airvpn with sudo:

sudo airvpn

I think that has to be urgently addressed by eddie developers, though. Gksu has long been deprecated in favor of more secure and flexible solutions based on policykit.

 

Agreed, I'm dead in the water until this gets fixed.

[corrado 100]

Just had a closer look at Eddie's changelog (should have done that earlier). Good news: Versions >= 2.14 do not need gksu anymore and have instead implemented authentication via policykit: Bravo! Hence, please ignore my previous comment, I only tested the stable release. In a nutshell: Users of recent Ubuntu releases including 18.04 should be fine as long as they use Eddie's beta release(s).

[eesau 2]

Just had a closer look at Eddie's changelog (should have done that earlier). Good news: Versions >= 2.14 do not need gksu anymore and have instead implemented authentication via policykit: Bravo! Hence, please ignore my previous comment, I only tested the stable release. In a nutshell: Users of recent Ubuntu releases including 18.04 should be fine as long as they use Eddie's beta release(s).

 

Just tried beta on 18.04, didn't work. It required gksu also. 

[corrado 100]

Yeah package officially still depends on gksu, but actually works without gksu installed. See my previous post for how to install eddie without the gksu dependency. Essentially, it boils down to installing all dependencies except gksu manually and then install via dpkg:

sudo dpkg -i --ignore-depends=gksu /path/to/eddie.deb
 

[eesau 2]

 

Yeah package officially still depends on gksu, but actually works without gksu installed. See my previous post for how to install eddie without the gksu dependency. Essentially, it boils down to installing all dependencies except gksu manually and then install via dpkg:

sudo dpkg -i --ignore-depends=gksu /path/to/eddie.deb
 

Thanks. It works now, no need for any root things or anything.  

EDIT: Well... Yes, AirVPN works, but now i have a broken package (airvpn) in my system and i can't install anything or update the system in the terminal. If i want to fix the problem, it removes AirVPN, so...  

[corrado 100]

Use "sudo apt --fix-broken install" - and cleanly install eddie again following the method I described above.

[whiskey_76 6]

Trying to install it using the .deb package gives dependencies error.

 

Using the portable version asks for "gksu" package.

 

But  afaik gksu has been removed from Ubuntu 18.04.

 

Anyone who has got it to run?

Also, you can always use the portable version of the client that runs from an exectuable file as well. Look for that in the downloads for the client as also until you get the normal application straightened out.

[eesau 2]

Use "sudo apt --fix-broken install" - and cleanly install eddie again following the method I described above.

 

That's exactly what i did. Tried it a few times now, but it always ended up with the broken package. Portable version doesn't work either, it gave some errors when launched.  

 

I guess i'll have to wait for the next beta or something. 

 

EDIT: Solved the problem by installing gksu and libgksu 2-0 for 17.10, seems to work ok. No broken packages in the system either. 

 

https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/package/core/artful/universe/base/gksu

https://ubuntu.pkgs.org/17.10/ubuntu-universe-amd64/libgksu2-0_2.0.13~pre1-9ubuntu2_amd64.deb.html

[HeldImFeld 0]

A good Workaround you can find here:

https://askubuntu.com/questions/1030054/how-to-install-an-application-that-requires-gksu-package-on-ubuntu-18-04


----
 

Warning: do not execute the commands below if unsure!

1. Add artful repositories to the system:

   cat <<EOF | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/artful.listdeb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ artful main universedeb-src http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ artful main universeEOF

2. Update package cache

   sudo apt-get update

3. Install necessary build tools

   sudo apt-get install build-essential debhelper dpkg-dev

4. Install build-dependencies for gksu and compile its source package

   sudo apt-get build-dep gksusudo apt-get source --compile gksu

5. Install self-compiled gksu packages:

   sudo apt-get install ./*gksu*.deb

6. Test gksu (should work on Xorg-sessions)

   gksu-properties # check that it has "Authentication mode" to "sudo"gksu dategksudo date

7. Remove artful repository from system for safety

   sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/artful.listsudo apt-get update

Note: After installation the following packages will be marked as obsolete (locally-installed): gksu, libgksu2-0, libgksu2-dev. But they will work as expected.

---

[RedG 0]

It's the same for me on my system under Ubuntu 18.0.4 - I think I am too going to wait until a better solution for eddie comes along like a new release that works under the new Ubuntu. 

[eesau 2]

It's the same for me on my system under Ubuntu 18.0.4 - I think I am too going to wait until a better solution for eddie comes along like a new release that works under the new Ubuntu. 

 

New beta is out, seems to work just fine. 

[RedG 0]

So far so good Thanks 

eesau

[corrado 100]

Wow, that has been addressed fast. Thanks, AirVPN!

[Mister_Craft 0]

Worked flawlessly with no need to run the "sudo xhost si:localuser:root" command. Thanks!

[metalingus 0]

Can confirm beta client installs on Debian Buster without issue

[razzmudge 0]

Where on the airvpn website can I find the 2.14 beta?

[eesau 2]

Where on the airvpn website can I find the 2.14 beta?

 

It's in "Other versions" in Experimental.