Mullvad-VPN, right version (cachyos)?

kde-user

Hello,

I’ve been testing Mullvad VPN recently (it’s working great!).

I installed from the CachyOS repositories. Currently it is version mullvad-vpn-beta 2023.5.beta1-1, created on July 14, 2023.

Every time the software is started, it tells me that there is a newer version and that I should please update.

According to the CachyOS repo I have the latest version.

Now I looked in the AUR and there are several versions:

❯ yay -Ss mullvad-vpn
aur/mullvad-vpn-openrc 1.0-2 (+0 0.00)
    OpenRC service for Mullvad VPN
aur/mullvad-vpn-dinit 5-1 (+0 0.00) (Verwaist)
    Dinit service scripts for Mullvad
aur/mullvad-vpn-runit 20221106-1 (+2 0.21) (Verwaist)
    Runit init service for Mullvad Desktop App
aur/mullvad-vpn-s6 20221028-1 (+0 0.00)
    s6-rc service scripts for mullvad-vpn
aur/mullvad-vpn-beta-bin 2023.5.stable-1 (+11 0.28)
    The Mullvad VPN client app for desktop (beta channel)
aur/mullvad-vpn-beta 2023.5.stable-1 (+12 0.60) (Installiert: 2023.5.beta1-1)
    The Mullvad VPN client app for desktop (beta channel)
aur/mullvad-vpn-cli 2023.4-1 (+15 0.66)
    The Mullvad VPN CLI client
aur/mullvad-vpn-bin 2023.5-1 (+85 1.65)
    The Mullvad VPN client app for desktop
cachyos/mullvad-vpn-beta 2023.5.beta1-1 (81.6 MiB 304.8 MiB) (Installiert)
    The Mullvad VPN client app for desktop (beta channel)
aur/mullvad-vpn 2023.5-1 (+125 1.99)
    The Mullvad VPN client app for desktop

Is it possible that the latter, mullvad-vpn 2023.5-1, would be the “more correct” version?
As far as I could see, this is from October 10th, 2023.

Or is 2023.5 beta1-1 newer than 2023.5.1?
(But then the program shouldn’t keep complaining that it’s not up to date.)

MBK

kde-user

You are correct.

The cachyos repo has an older version ( mullvad-vpn-beta 2023.5.beta1-1), which is the beta version of mullvad-vpn 2023.5-1.

-> the final release version is mullvad-vpn 2023.5-1

=> uninstall mullvad-vpn-beta and install mullvad-vpn (this will build the sources with the current system libraries) or mullvad-vpn-bin (this is a prebuilt binary built by mullvad with generic libraries).

The best version is mullvad-vpn.

kde-user

MBK uninstall mullvad-vpn-beta and install mullvad-vpn (this will build the sources with the current system libraries)

Thanks for answering.

But the thing is, I actually wanted to avoid installing from the AUR, which is why I was happy to be able to install the beta from the CachyOS repos.
But unfortunately the mullvad-vpn 2023.5-1 is only available from the AUR.

It would be great, if it were possible to add mullvad-vpn 2023.5-1 to the CachyOS repo (replace against the beta) and then continue to maintain/update it there, when there is a new version.

Or have I misunderstood something?

But apart from that, I’m somehow too stupid to install the AUR version!

No matter whether I try it via Octopi or the terminal, the CachyOS beta is always installed.

Here’s an example from the terminal:

❯ yay -S --aur mullvad-vpn
Sync Explicit (1): mullvad-vpn-beta-2023.5.beta1-1
Dependencies are resolved...
Looking for conflicting packages...

Package (1) New Version Net Change Size of Download

cachyos/mullvad-vpn-beta 2023.5.beta1-1 304.78 MiB 81.56 MiB

Total download size: 81.56 MiB
Total size of installed packages: 304.78 MiB

:: Continue installation? [Y/n] y
:: Packages are being received...
  mullvad-vpn-beta-2023.5.beta1-1-... 81.6 MiB 26.8 MiB/s 00:03 [--------------------- ---------------] 100%
(1/1) Keys in the keychain are checked [------------------------------------] 100%
(1/1) Package integrity is checked [------------------------------------] 100%
(1/1) Loading package files [------------------------------------] 100%
(1/1) Checking for file conflicts [------------------------------------] 100%
:: Package changes are processed...
(1/1) Mullvad-vpn-beta is installed [------------------------------------------------] 100%
Starting & enabling Mullvad VPN daemon...
Created symlink /etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/mullvad-daemon.service → /usr/lib/systemd/system/mullvad-daemon.service.
Enabling Mullvad early boot blocking service...
Created symlink /etc/systemd/system/mullvad-daemon.service.wants/mullvad-early-boot-blocking.service → /usr/lib/systemd/system/mullvad-early-boot-blocking.service.
:: Post-transaction hooks are started...
(1/4) Reloading system manager configuration...
(2/4) Arming ConditionNeedsUpdate...
(3/4) Updating icon theme caches...
(4/4) Updating the desktop file MIME type cache...

~ 26s
❯ yay -Ss mullvad-vpn
aur/mullvad-vpn-openrc 1.0-2 (+0 0.00)
     OpenRC service for Mullvad VPN
aur/mullvad-vpn-dinit 5-1 (+0 0.00) (Orphaned)
     Dinit service scripts for Mullvad
aur/mullvad-vpn-runit 20221106-1 (+2 0.21) (Orphaned)
     Runit init service for Mullvad Desktop App
aur/mullvad-vpn-s6 20221028-1 (+0 0.00)
     s6-rc service scripts for mullvad-vpn
aur/mullvad-vpn-beta-bin 2023.5.stable-1 (+11 0.28)
     The Mullvad VPN client app for desktop (beta channel)
aur/mullvad-vpn-beta 2023.5.stable-1 (+12 0.60) (Installed: 2023.5.beta1-1)
     The Mullvad VPN client app for desktop (beta channel)
aur/mullvad-vpn-cli 2023.4-1 (+15 0.66)
     The Mullvad VPN CLI client
aur/mullvad-vpn-bin 2023.5-1 (+85 1.65)
     The Mullvad VPN client app for desktop
cachyos/mullvad-vpn-beta 2023.5.beta1-1 (81.6 MiB 304.8 MiB) (Installed)
     The Mullvad VPN client app for desktop (beta channel)
aur/mullvad-vpn 2023.5-1 (+125 1.99)
     The Mullvad VPN client app for desktop

But as I said, I actually didn’t want to install anything from the AUR if possible, I just thought you might have meant that the version from the AUR would then somehow (I have to put it in layman’s terms) be “converted” into the CachyOS version.

I’m currently installing (in the virtual machine) mullvad-vpn from the AUR via Pamac out of curiosity - it works. However, Pamac then also creates all possible dependencies, I had to agree to PGP key imports three times and the creation of the mullvad-vpn runs and runs… without end!
I actually wanted to go to sleep now! 🙂

MBK

kde-user It would be great, if it were possible to add mullvad-vpn 2023.5-1 to the CachyOS repo (replace against the beta) and then continue to maintain/update it there, when there is a new version.

You have to wait for @ptr1337 to update it.

kde-user yay -S –aur mullvad-vpn

No, just type “yay mullvad-vpn”. No need for -S or –aur.

kde-user I had to agree to PGP key imports

Yes, this is because the AUR package is build from the original Mullvad source, and uses the Mullvad PGP keys to confirm that the source signed by Mullvad is the real one and that nobody has tempered with it. -> This is the top of the top security wise.

kde-user and the creation of the mullvad-vpn runs and runs… without end

That’s because it’s compiling the source & your cpu is slow. If you want the binary, you can install “yay mullvad-vpn-bin”.

This is also signed by Mullvad and verified with the Mullvad PGP key, and will install almost as fast as the cachyos version.

kde-user

MBK No, just type “yay mullvad-vpn”. No need for -S or –aur.

Thanks, that’s how it worked.
Learned something again! I thought the syntax for yay was the same as for pacman.
This command yay -S --aur mullvad-vpn I had from Octopi, (where it didn’t work either!) where I could see it in the command line output.

But the installation was quite an adventure … okay, I only assigned one core to the virtual machine, so it would probably have been faster on my main system. After 1 hour and 40 minutes of installation (compiling) yay suddenly asked for my password. It was probably a matter of confirming whether the installation should continue! But I wasn’t in front of the PC at the time, so the installation was aborted after a timeout!
So I started it again … this time it “only” took about 10 minutes (probably because various compiled things were still saved somehow), then the intermediate query came again as to whether the installation should be continued. This time I was there and it worked.
But I don’t think that’s a good solution for yay. I think it would be better if you could say ‘yes, I really want to install this program’ at the beginning and then no longer ask questions like that, asking for a password as to whether you want to continue the installation.

For my main system, I’ll leave the beta installed from the CachyOS repo for now and hope that @ptr1337 will update the version in the near future. It’s not a version jump (so far), but rather, as I see it, the beta was just made into the regular version (although my beta doesn’t understand that it’s basically still up to date! 😉 ).

MBK

kde-user I only assigned one core to the virtual machine… After 1 hour and 40 minutes

Unless for specific cases where you know what you are doing, there is 0 point in assigning only 1 core to the VM (unless you like masochism for no other benefit). Give all the core to the VM (and be aware that many VMs use the number of threads, so a 4 core cpu with 2 threads per core = 8 assigned cores).

kde-user yay suddenly asked for my password. …
So I started it again … this time it “only” took about 10 minutes

All the built AUR packages are in your home in “~/.cache/yay”. So you could have just installed it with “sudo pacman -U ~/.cache/yay/mullvad-vpn-…” instead of restarting the build again (which took only 10 minutes as it found the already built sources).

ptr1337

Hi,

I will add “mullvad-vpn” to our repository. Sorry for the issue, that we only had the “beta” included. I think this was a request from a user long time ago and I did not really check it.

The package is currently compiling and as long it does not fail, it will be added to our repository and also automatically updated as long the AUR package gets updated.

kde-user

Perfect, just installed it! 🙂

ptr1337 that we only had the “beta” included. I think this was a request from a user long time ago

Maybe that was the latest and best version to choose at the time. It’s always the same thing with the AUR packages and their maintenance …
I hope this version continues to be maintained in the AUR!

As far as I can tell so far, the software runs very well. Extremely stable, connects quickly, even after standby and has good functions such as kill switch and network blocking.

There are only a few VPN providers that offer clients for Linux. And even fewer where it is really useful and works!

Actually I only know AirVPN (Software Client called Eddie) and Mullvad.
And luckily, both are available here in the CachyOS repo!

kde-user

MBK … there is 0 point in assigning only 1 core to the VM (unless you like masochism for no other benefit). Give all the core to the VM …

No, I think that’s unfortunate. On the one hand, a VM like this sometimes hangs and suddenly uses 100% system/processor load. Once I have assigned all cores to the VM, it also paralyzes my host system. And then it can become even more difficult to bring the VM under control or to shut it down, precisely because the host system is completely occupied by the VM. In addition, I sometimes have CPU-intensive activities in the main system that, if possible, should not be affected while a VM is also running. In addition, I sometimes have 2 or even 3 VMs running in parallel for a short time (e.g. because I want to compare something). But since I only have a four-core system (without hyperthreading, i.e. “only” 4 threads), this could quickly lead to overload, if I were to assign more than one core to each VM.

MBK

kde-user
Oh, yea you are pushing it if you are running so many tasks in different systems on only 4 threads…

But still:

If your cpu supports virtualization : enable it in the bios, the setting may be called VT-x, AMD-V, SVM. Enable Intel VT-d or AMD IOMMU if the options are available.
If your cpu supports virtualization, you can still assign the 4 threads to the VM. And if you need it you can use “nice” to renice the VM to a lower priority so that it doesn’t choke your main system under load.

kde-user

MBK If your cpu supports virtualization

Yes, thanks, it’s already enabled.