[SOLVED] All networks vanish after I disconnect from VPN

[kanichiro]

I have a new issue with Linux Mint 20 that I did not have in previous versions. I reformatted my hard drive prior to installing LM 20, so this is a completely fresh installation.

I use Expressvpn as my VPN provider. I've set it up with a script to connect automatically. Previously, I had no problem to disconnect from a server in one country, and then connect to a server in another country.

However, in Linux Mint 20 when I disconnect from a VPN server I loose all network connections (see screen shot).

As it now stands, I need to restart the network manually after I disconnect from the VPN by either entering sudo service network-manager restart into the Terminal, or by rebooting the computer.

I've sent this question off to ExpressVPN support, but just in case I wanted to post it here should this be caused by Linux Mint glitch.

Here is my computer info:

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maderia@maderia:~$ inxi -Fxz
System:
  Kernel: 5.4.0-40-generic x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 9.3.0 
  Desktop: Cinnamon 4.6.6 Distro: Linux Mint 20 Ulyana 
  base: Ubuntu 20.04 focal 
Machine:
  Type: Convertible System: ASUSTeK product: Q535UD v: 1.0 serial: <filter> 
  Mobo: ASUSTeK model: Q535UD v: 1.0 serial: <filter> 
  UEFI: American Megatrends v: Q535UD.202 date: 07/21/2017 
Battery:
  ID-1: BAT0 charge: 47.8 Wh condition: 48.5/52.6 Wh (92%) 
  model: ASUSTeK ASUS Battery status: Not charging 
  Device-1: hid-0018:04F3:2557.0001-battery model: ELAN2557:00 04F3:2557 
  charge: N/A status: N/A 
  Device-2: hidpp_battery_0 model: Logitech K350 
  charge: 70% (should be ignored) status: Discharging 
CPU:
  Topology: Quad Core model: Intel Core i7-8550U bits: 64 type: MT MCP 
  arch: Kaby Lake rev: A L2 cache: 8192 KiB 
  flags: avx avx2 lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx 
  bogomips: 31999 
  Speed: 2104 MHz min/max: 400/4000 MHz Core speeds (MHz): 1: 3527 2: 3123 
  3: 3585 4: 3580 5: 3604 6: 3604 7: 3567 8: 3099 
Graphics:
  Device-1: Intel UHD Graphics 620 vendor: ASUSTeK driver: i915 v: kernel 
  bus ID: 00:02.0 
  Device-2: NVIDIA GP107M [GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile] vendor: ASUSTeK 
  driver: nvidia v: 440.100 bus ID: 01:00.0 
  Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.8 driver: modesetting,nvidia 
  unloaded: fbdev,nouveau,vesa resolution: 2560x1440~60Hz 
  OpenGL: renderer: GeForce GTX 1050/PCIe/SSE2 v: 4.6.0 NVIDIA 440.100 
  direct render: Yes 
Audio:
  Device-1: Intel Sunrise Point-LP HD Audio vendor: ASUSTeK 
  driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus ID: 00:1f.3 
  Sound Server: ALSA v: k5.4.0-40-generic 
Network:
  Device-1: Intel Wireless 8265 / 8275 driver: iwlwifi v: kernel port: e000 
  bus ID: 02:00.0 
  IF: wlp2s0 state: up mac: <filter> 
Drives:
  Local Storage: total: 2.05 TiB used: 288.08 GiB (13.7%) 
  ID-1: /dev/sda vendor: Micron model: 1100 MTFDDAV256TBN size: 238.47 GiB 
  ID-2: /dev/sdb vendor: Seagate model: ST2000LM007-1R8174 size: 1.82 TiB 
Partition:
  ID-1: / size: 1.03 TiB used: 288.05 GiB (27.3%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sdb3 
Sensors:
  System Temperatures: cpu: 59.0 C mobo: N/A gpu: nvidia temp: 58 C 
  Fan Speeds (RPM): cpu: 2600 
Info:
  Processes: 254 Uptime: 1h 02m Memory: 15.52 GiB used: 1.81 GiB (11.7%) 
  Init: systemd runlevel: 5 Compilers: gcc: 9.3.0 Shell: bash v: 5.0.16 
  inxi: 3.0.38 
maderia@maderia:~$ 

Any and all help will be greatly appreciated!

kanichiro

[kanichiro]

I heard back from ExpressVPN and the problem is caused by a bug in the ExpressVPN Linux app that causes some Ubuntu 20.04 users to lose their Wi-Fi network adapter after disconnecting from the VPN.

SOLUTION:
If you do not have a public IPv6 address assigned to your device, you can resolve the issue by running this command:

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expressvpn preferences set disable_ipv6 false.

If you have a public IPv6 address assigned to your device, running the command above may cause your IPv6 address to be revealed to owners of websites that use WebRTC to establish audio/video communications. This will only happen if you grant audio/video permissions to that particular website. To protect yourself against these IPv6 address leaks, you can use the ExpressVPN browser extension that disables WebRTC by default. This may result in certain websites that use WebRTC not functioning properly for you.

[RamBurner]

I use ExpressVpn with Mint 20 and I have no problems with it.
It sounds like you're having a Network Lock problem. I just connected while on here so I could get the message it says about Network Lock.
When I disconnect I lose Internet, then it reconnects itself within a couple seconds.
Here's the message.
If your VPN connection unexpectedly drops, internet traffic will be blocked to protect your privacy.
- To disable Network Lock, disconnect ExpressVPN then type 'expressvpn preferences set network_lock off'.

[CygnusX1]

I found this solution that worked for me:

https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/f ... -is-not-on

Working ok now after editing /etc/NetworkManager/NetworkManager.conf and adding dns=dnsmasq then restarting with sudo systemctl restart NetworkManager

The thing is, I edited NetworkManager.conf as above and then restarted the PC - not the Network Manager.
Now it's permanently good. The internet automatically connects back to the original configuration, i.e., no VPN.

(No need to disable the kill switch )

[StarkIndustries]

Working ok now after editing /etc/NetworkManager/NetworkManager.conf and adding dns=dnsmasq then restarting with sudo systemctl restart NetworkManager

Hi there, I have the same exact problem. Sometimes it fixes itself after a few minutes, sometimes I need to reboot (logging out/in) doesn't do anything.

What does this solution do?

Are there any gotchas here? Like the previous suggestion that reveals the IPv6, anything to worry about? Or is this one safe?

Thanks!

[glogloglo]

First, after the network vanished, try:
expressvpn connect
wait for 5 seconds and do <ctrl+c>
Your network should've been restored

Second, if the first method failed, do:
sudo service network-manager restart

[kanichiro]

You are correct, glogloglo.

Expressvpn emailed and suggested I use the following command which works. Unfortunately, I forgot to add this command to my last post so everyone would know how to fix it.

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sudo service network-manager restart

[bilston]

Yup that seems to do it on my Mint, thanks. Have same prob with Android TV