Install OpenVPN for Ubuntu 18.04 via Network Manager

ZenMate VPN does support OpenVPN and it will be possible to install ZenMate via manual configuration - directly through Linux Ubuntu 18.04 but there are some requirements that need to be met: 

- Ubuntu 13.1 is needed, whereas in this tutorial, the demonstration is for 
Ubuntu 18.04 and the same steps may apply for older or newer Ubuntu releases. 
Software differences can exist(if any);
- Updated software packages;
- Updated OpenVPN packages and software; 
- Network manager is installed;
- A ZenMate account;
- A ZenMate subscription;

*Disclaimer: While the process is documented as extensive as possible, some technical understanding is needed. While Linux belongs to an open source platform, please know that what is reflected in this tutorial, may not reflect in newer releases with the Linux distribution or packages that may be released after this tutorial.

Step 1
Log in the ZenMate Account Dashboard with the account information that was delivered to you via e-mail after the purchase is completed.

This link will take you directly to the Login page to your Account Dashboard. 


Step 2

Press on "My Devices" > choose the Linux logo > Create Login Credentials
*This will occupy a slot in your ZenMate account with the credetials that will need to be used in the manual configuration within the Linux set-up.

The Account Dashboard will need your input for selecting the preferred choices - where the purpose of this tutorial is aiming, OpenVPN needs to be selected.

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The below guidelines will provide a wider perspective all of which exemplified with a screenshot:

- Protocol: Choosing OpenVPN is the first step;
- Country: This will be the country where the IP will be from when connecting to the VPN via Linux;
- Server Group: TCP or UDP (what choice you may go for is up to your needs);

TIP: opening a text editor of your choosing and saving the Username and Password is a good idea!

Confirm the choices by pressing: Download Configuration

Download configuration will start a new download trough your browser with a *.zip archive which will contain the following 4 items: 

ca.crt - This is the certificate of the certification authority
client.crt - This is the user certification file
client.key - This is your private key file
openvpn.ovpn - This is your OpenVPN configuration file

TIP: Needing a new configuration for a different country, will mean that the existing set-up will be overwritten and it this will or may cause the existing configuration in your Linux distribution to malfunction. It will be a good idea to occupy a new slot in your ZenMate account that will correspond to the additional configuration. 
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Step 3
Installing OpenVPN and Network Manager are the next steps that need to be handled in order to manage a sucessful configuration. Installing and/or updating the packages for OpenVPN and Network Manager respectively, is done via Terminal and a set of command based parameters:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install openvpn
sudo apt-get install network-manager-openvpn

TIP: You may be required to enter your Linux account password – please do so and although there may be no visual queues that you’re typing something, you can indeed enter the password and confirm with Enter.

Step 4

Directly on your desktop, create a new folder and for ease of use, let's name it: ZenMate (while the name is not relevant) and extract the contents of the *.zip archive(mentioned earlier) into the folder which we named ZenMate. 

Right click the Network icon in the upper right corner of the systray and choose the Settings menu:

Choosing Network > VPN and the + sign will open a new window where you can import the openvpn.ovpn document as downloaded earlier and simply choose: Import from file.
*You will need to locate the openvpn.ovpn file which was included in the *.zip document which was previously downloaded.

With the new pop-up window displayed, the following changes will need to be accomplished: 

Name - This will be a name that will be assigned to each VPN connection (if you will make more than one set-up);
Gateway - The field will already come filled in (if otherwise the Gateway is found described as: Server in your Account Dashboard when generating or occupying a slot with the Linux configuration);
Type - Password with Certificates (TLS);
Username - This is the username that was generated for you in your Account Dashoard;
Password - This is the password that was generated for you in your Account Dashboard;
CA certificate - is located in the folder which was previously named as ZenMate on your desktop (ca.crt);
User Certificate - is located in the folder which was previously named as ZenMate on your desktop (client.crt);
User Private key - is located in the folder which was previously named ZenMate on your desktop (client.key);
User key password - Leave blank as no additional password is needed;

Confirm the new changes / settings with the green button labeled with "Add". This is the last step in order to complete the configuration. 
The VPN connection will show in the Network menu in your Systray:

Going through the steps presented in this tutorial, will assure that you will be connecting through a VPN connection. This tutorial is the standard configuration that you can apply but for more customization based on your needs, ZenMate VPN does not provide assistance as to outside this tutorial. 

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