Connect to the VPN

Glesys VPN is an L2TP/IPsec-based tunnel. Most operating systems have built-in support for this kind of VPN.

To connect to the VPN service, you need to configure a VPN client on your local computer. This process varies between different operating systems.

Details about the tunnel

The VPN service is an L2TP/IPsec based tunnel. The username and password are the same as you chose when creating the VPN user. The address for the VPN service is vpn.glesys.com. L2TP over IPsec requires a shared secret. The shared secret is GleSYS.

Configure and connect to the VPN on different operating systems

How you configure the VPN client and connect to the VPN varies between different operating systems. Here, you'll find detailed instructions for Ubuntu, Microsoft Windows, and macOS.

Before you can configure L2TP/IPsec in Ubuntu 22.04, we need to install some packages. We do this by opening the terminal and executing the following commands:

Multiple commands

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

Now, click the network icon in the top right corner and select Settings.

Select the Network tab and click on the plus sign next to VPN.

In the next dialog box, select Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP).

In the next dialog box, fill in the details for the VPN connection.

Name: GleSYS
Gateway: vpn.glesys.com
Type: Password
User name: the username we chose when we created the tunnel
Password: the password we chose when we created the tunnel

When you are done, click on IPsec Settings...

When the dialog box for IPsec Settings opens, check the box Enable IPsec tunnel to L2TP host. For Type, select Pre-shared key. In the Pre-shared key field, enter GleSYS. Click OK to save.

You will now be returned to the dialog box for the VPN details. At this point, click on PPP Settings....

In the L2TP PPP Options dialog box, make sure everything looks like in the image below and then click OK.

You are now returned to the dialog box for the VPN details again. At this point, click the green Add button to save all the details and add the VPN connection.

Connect to VPN

To connect to the VPN, navigate to the settings again as before, select the Network tab, and then click the toggle next to Glesys VPN.

Right-click on the network icon in the taskbar and select Network and Internet settings.

In the dialog box that opens, click on VPN.

In the next dialog box, click Add VPN.

A window will now open where you fill in all the details for the VPN connection. Leave the top field, VPN Provider, to Windows (built-in). Then, enter the connection details.

VPN provider: Windows (built-in)
Connection name: GleSYS
Server name or address: vpn.glesys.com
VPN type: L2TP/IPsec with pre-shared key
Pre-shared key: GleSYS
Type of sign-in info: Username and password
Username (optional): the username we chose when creating the connection
Password (optional): the password we chose when creating the connection

Once all the fields are filled in, click on Save.

Connect to the VPN

To connect to the tunnel, open Network and Internet settings again and click on VPN. Then, click Connect next to Glesys.

Click on the Apple icon in the top left corner and then select System Settings. Once the settings application has opened, select Network. Then, click on the three dots and choose Add VPN Configuration, followed by L2TP over IPSec....