Linux VPN service

VPN in Linux? Why not!

I was using various Linux distros over the years: openSUSE, Mandriva, Ubuntu… you name it. And I was eager to try HideMyAss’ Linux client.

Yes, these guys are amazing!

They have a native Linux client, unlike other VPN service providers. It’s easy to set, and you are ready in just a few minutes. Awesome!

Linux VPN clients

Basically, you have two choices. You can use HideMyAss Linux client, or you can use third party client called gopenVPN. If you familiar with command line, choose HMA client. It’s highly optimized, and it has some HMA-specific features. E.g, it will allow you to connect to some random server, thus get random IP address.

HMA Linux Client

A short video demonstration of HideMyAss Linux client:

But, if you prefer Graphical User Interface (GUI), you can use any third party client, along with .ovpn files provided by HideMyAss. My favorite is gopenvpn. Gopenvpn is a simple graphical front-end for OpenVPN, the open source VPN solution. Go grab it, install and you’re ready to roll.

The GopenVPN client

Of course, first you will need to copy configuration files to /etc/openvpn/ folder, using your favorite file manager (Nautilus). Afterwards, start gopenvpn, find the red icon in the status panel, right click, choose some VPN server, click and you will be connected in no time. It’s that easy.

VPN is running, now what?

You can do whatever you like. I use my Linux VPN tunnel for entertaining mostly. I’m streaming videos from Hulu Plus, ABC, BBC, MTV, HBO Go… Unfortunately, Netflix is not supported under Linux. And of course, I’m listening to Pandora radio while outside the US. Everything works like a charm. And it’s fast too