Netmaker Desktop

Download/InstallationCopied!

curl -sL 'https://apt.netmaker.org/netmaker-desktop/gpg.key' | sudo tee /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/netmaker-desktop.asc
curl -sL 'https://apt.netmaker.org/netmaker-desktop/debian.deb.txt' | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/netmaker-desktop.list
sudo apt update
sudo apt search netmaker-desktop  # to see available versions
sudo apt install netmaker-desktop

curl -sL 'https://rpm.netmaker.org/netmaker-desktop/gpg.key' | sudo tee /tmp/gpg.key
curl -sL 'https://rpm.netmaker.org/netmaker-desktop/netmaker-desktop-repo' | sudo tee /etc/yum.repos.d/netmaker-desktop.repo
sudo rpm --import /tmp/gpg.key
sudo dnf check-update
sudo dnf install netmaker-desktop

Getting Started with Netmaker DesktopCopied!

To use Netmaker Desktop, you will need to have a Netmaker server running and have a user account on that server. You will also need to have a gateway set up on the server. Remote devices connect to the network through the gateway.

RAC is best suited for non-admin users who want to gain remote access to the network, this also gives net admins fine-grained control over users in the network by granting them access only to the networks or gateways they need. Admins can also use Netmaer Desktop to gain remote access to the network with a different machine.

Check this section on how to create a non-admin user.

Launching Netmaker DesktopCopied!

Using the Netmaker DesktopCopied!

Once a service/platform user has been given access to the network, they can connect to that network using the desktop client. To do this, they will first need to log in using the credentials that were provided to them. Social login is also supported.

Where to find your Tenant ID/Server URL

• To connect to a SaaS tenant, you will need to provide your tenant ID, which can be found in the sidebar of your tenant NMUI, in the settings page of your tenant, or from the tenant selection screen.
  

  

• Connecting to a self-hosted (on-premises) instance is straightforward. You only need the server URL, which typically follows the format: <api>.domain.com. For example, if your dashboard is accessible at dashboard.example.com, the default server URL would be api.example.com.

Enter the Tenant ID/server URL in the settings screen

After successful login you will be shown all the networks and gateways you have given access to, so now you will be able to connect/disconnect/refresh your connection to a gateway.

Internet gateways are depicted with a globe icon. An internet gateway can be used to route all your traffic through the gateway, this is useful if you want to access the internet without exposing your public IP address. This behaves like a traditional VPN.

The remote access client also has the following features:

• Connect/Disconnect to network: Networks you have access to are listed after a successful log in. Under these networks, you will also see a list of gateways you can use to connect to the network. If there are multiple, select the gateway you prefer by clicking on it. Click on the switch to the right of the network name to connect to (or disconnect from) the network.

• Reload: This reloads the network data on the page, which can be useful if an admin has changed network or gateway settings or access from the dashboard.

• Logout: This disconnects any active network connection and logs you out of the desktop client.

• Info boxes: These show a glimpse of network statistics (when connected to a network) and gateway details

Using Netmaker like a “normal VPN”Copied!

Some remote access gateways, specifically internet gateways (depicted by globe icon) can route all your traffic through the them. This can be useful if you want to access the internet without exposing your public IP address. This behaves like a traditional VPN. Internet gateways is a Pro-only feature.

(Re)Starting the service/daemon processCopied!

On very few occasion, the Netmaker Desktop daemon may not be running and will need to be restarted manually. There are two ways to resolve this:

1. Restart the computer. The daemon starts automatically on boot so restarting the computer will start the daemon on next startup.

2. Manual restart. The exact procedure depends on your operating system.

sudo launchctl stop com.gravitl.netmaker-desktop
sudo launchctl start com.gravitl.netmaker-desktop

sudo systemctl stop netmaker-desktop
sudo systemctl start netmaker-desktop

Controlling RAC user sessionsCopied!

On pro servers/tenants, the duration of a non-admin user’s remote session can be controlled. This can be done by setting RAC_AUTO_DISABLE (to true) and JWT_VALIDITY_DURATION (to an integer in seconds) environment variables on the server.

With RAC_AUTO_DISABLE set to true, a non-admin user’s remote sessions will be disabled after the duration specified in JWT_VALIDITY_DURATION has elapsed. The user will have to relogin to enable their remote session again.

NOTE: The JWT_VALIDITY_DURATION environment variable also configures all the JWT token validity duration for all users, regardless of whether RAC_AUTO_DISABLE is set to true or not.

On newer servers (v0.90.0+), there is the option to restrict users from connecting to multiple networks simultaneously with the RAC_RESTRICT_TO_SINGLE_NETWORK environment variable. Setting this to true will allow users to only connect to one network and gateway at a time. Any other value will not restrict the user; they will be able to connect to multiple networks at the same time.

FAQsCopied!

Q: I am getting an error when trying to connect to a gateway.

A: Make sure that the gateway is running healthily and that you have access to it. Also try to “Refresh” and see if that fixes the issue. Otherwise “Reset” all connections and try again.

Q: Other WireGuard-based VPNs interfere with Netmaker RAC.

A: This is a known issue. If you have other WireGuard-based VPNs running on your machine, they may interfere with Netmaker RAC. You can try to disable them and see if that fixes the issue. Pro-tip: Netmaker Pro offers internet gateway functionality, so you can use it just as a traditional VPN. For more information, explore the Remote Access gateway feature.

Uninstalling RACCopied!

If the app is currently open, logout from the app, and quit the app before continuing.

sudo apt remove netmaker-desktop

sudo dnf remove netmaker-desktop