f5vpn for Linux

The F5 VPN client uses the Point-to-Point Protocol to connect to F5Networks BIG-IP APM 13.0.

Usage

1. In a web browser, go to https://[your-BIG-IP-APM-server]/ and log in (including 2-factor authentication, if you use it).

2. Choose Web Network Access. If this works for you, the following steps do not apply to you. If you prefer connecting from the command line, open Developer Tools and run this JavaScript:

   resourceType = "network_access";
   with (new XMLHttpRequest()) {
       open("GET", `https://${location.host}:${location.port}/vdesk/resource_list.xml?resourcetype=res`);
       onload = () => console.log(`f5-vpn://${location.host}:${location.port || 443}/?server=${location.host}&resourcename=${responseXML.querySelector(`list[type=${resourceType}] entry`).textContent}&resourcetype=${resourceType}&cmd=launch&protocol=https&port=${location.port || 443}&sid=${document.cookie.match(/MRHSession=(.*?); /)[1]}`);
       send();
   }

   You should have received a URL starting with f5-vpn://.

3. In a terminal, run f5vpn using the URL from Step 2 as its argument (including single quotes):

   f5vpn 'f5-vpn://...'

If everything worked, the GUI for F5 VPN should be visible. Assuming continuous Internet connectivity, you should remain connected for several hours.

Troubleshooting

If you get an error that looks like

f5vpn: error while loading shared libraries: libicuuc.so.72: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory

that means that your version of qt5-webkit is out-of-date with your icu version, and rebuilding the latest version of qt5-webkit (or installing the latest prebuilt package) will fix your issue.

CLI-Only Alternatives

• kayrus/gof5 - FOSS
• zrhoffman/svpn-login
• zrhoffman/f5vpn-login - FOSS, but very slow due to no PPP-over-DTLS
• openvpn - FOSS (use --cookie-on-stdin for 2FA)