[Bug 324939] [NEW] Importing vpnc configuration: uninformative error msg

Jonas Kölker jonaskoelker at gnu.org
Tue Feb 3 16:53:16 UTC 2009


Public bug reported:

Steps to replicate:

- Try to import a vpnc configuration file that nm doesn't like (edit connections -> vpn -> import)
- Face the following error message:

"The file 'invalid-1233678422.conf' could not be read or does not
contain recognized VPN connection information

Error: does not look like a Cisco Compatible VPN (vpnc) VPN connection."

The error message should state *clearly* whether the problems were the
readability of the file or its contents.  No "It's A or B.  It's A:
[explanation]".

Either say:

"The file '%s' could not be read: you don't have permission to read the
file.  Would you like to make the file readable and retry importing it?

(You can give yourself permission to read the file by [suitable
description of actionable steps] at a later time if you don't do it
now.)

[No] [Yes]"

Or say:

"Error: does not look like a Cisco Compatible VPN (vpnc) VPN connection.

At line %d, column %d of $FILENAME, I saw %s but expected $TOKENTYPE,
for example $EXAMPLE (replace $EXAMPLE with your own username)."

Note that in the first case, the following are clear:
 - at which step the operation failed
 - why it failed at that step
 - what can be done about it
and the user is given the option of "yeah, do the right thing".

If the user can't change the permissions of the file, the user should be
told this, and if the user can become root or $OWNER, the user should be
given the option to do that (and the explanation of how to do that
manually).

In the second case, my idea would be a little more informative than
"there's an error in your file".  It'll let the user know that
everything up to line %d is fine, and if the user's a little clever,
he/she might put the problematic line last to see whether the lines
after the bad one are also OK.  [Hmm, I think that gives a good problem
isolation algorithm when each line is correct independent of the ret...]

In fact, screw what I just said: nm should try out that strategy, see
what fails and then tell the user "lines %d, %d and %d look problematic.
On line {first %d}, {roughly same error message as above}."

By the way, my invalid-$(date +%s).conf file is a kilobyte offa'
/dev/random, FWIW.

I have a file that works fine with vpnc-connect, and I get the same
error message when importing it.  It contains five lines, IPSec
{gateway, ID, secret} and Xauth {username, password}.  The `secret'
field contains a % and both `secret' and `password' contains
is{upper,lower,digit} characters.

Make the computer do the user's work, please.  At least as much as
possible.  And tell the user why you can't and what the user can do when
it's appropriate to give up.

** Affects: network-manager-vpnc (Ubuntu)
     Importance: Undecided
         Status: New

-- 
Importing vpnc configuration: uninformative error msg
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/324939
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