If you’re looking for a solid VPN service for remote workers, NordLayer VPN is an outstanding choice. Learn how to install and use the client on both Ubuntu Desktop and Fedora 36.
NordLayer VPN (officially known as NordVPN Teams) is a VPN-based network security solution that can cater to businesses of any size and allows administrators to manage connections from a remote dashboard based on on the web. But on the user side, NordLayer is a VPN service with 30+ global locations that offers strong AES-256 encryption, kill switch, threat blocking, jailbroken/rooted device detection and self connection dynamic.
SEE: Mobile device privacy policy (TechRepublic Premium)
As a NordLayer VPN administrator, you can control different types of login methods, security configurations, and more.
Please understand, although the NordLayerclient application is free, the service is not. You can subscribe to different plans with prices starting at $7/user/month and up to $9/user/month. It’s also important to note that NordLayer VPN is not a consumer tool. Instead, this VPN solution is all about the business and makes it much easier for companies to remotely manage VPN usage for their networks. So, if you need to make sure your remote workers are working with a secure network at home (or anywhere), NordLayer could be just what you need.
What I want to do here is walk you through the process of installing the NordLayer VPN client on Linux. While the application can be installed on almost any platform (Linux, macOS, Windows, Android and iOS), the steps to install and use it on Linux are not nearly as simple as on other platforms.
With that said, let’s install.
What you need
The only things you will install the client for are the Linux instance running and the user with sudo privileges. I will demonstrate installation on both Ubuntu Desktop 22.04 and Fedora 36.
How to Install NordLayer on Ubuntu Desktop
First, we will run the installation on Ubuntu Desktop. Log in to your desktop, open your web browser to NordLayer download site and download the .deb file. Save that file in your ~/Downloads folder.
Next, open a command line window and issue the command:
sudo dpkg -i ~/Downloads/nordlayer*.deb
The above command doesn’t actually install the NordLayer client, but the repository contains the necessary packages. Once the installation is complete, update apt with:
sudo apt update
Finally, install NordLayer with:
sudo apt install nordlayer -y
Once the installation is complete, add your user to the nordlayer group with:
sudo usermod -aG nordlayer $USER
Make the system aware of the changes with:
newgrp nordlayer
How to install NordLayer on Fedora 36
The installation on Fedora 36 is somewhat similar. Download the .rpm file from the Downloads page and save it to your ~/Downloads file. Open a terminal window and install the repository with:
sudo rpm -i ~/Downloads/nordlayer*.rpm
Once done, install NordLayer with:
sudo dnf install nordlayer -y
Add your user to the nordlayer group with:
sudo usermod -aG nordlayer $USER
Make the system aware of the changes with:
newgrp nordlayer
How to use NordLayer
On Linux, everything is done via the command line. You can check the status of your NordLayer connection with:
nordlayer status
That command should report back something like the following:
Login: Not logged inVPN: Not ConnectedCurrent network: wired connection
When admins set up NordLayer for your company, they create an organization. If you issue the following command, you will first be asked for the name of the organization:
nordlayer login
After entering the organization name, you will be prompted to choose the login method to use. The options will depend on what your administrator has allowed. For example, let’s say your admin has enabled email login. For that, you must enter the email associated with your NordLayer account, then enter the password associated with your email address.
SEE: 20 Good Habits Network Administrators Need and 10 Habits To Break (Free PDF) (TechRepublic)
After successful authentication, your system will be connected but then you need to choose a port to use. To list available ports issue the command:
nordlayer gateways
For example, let’s say you want to connect to a gateway to the UK. For that, you would then issue the command:
nordlayer connect uk
At this point, you are now connected to the UK NordLayer gateway and all your network data is encrypted.
When you want to disconnect from the port, issue the command:
nordlayer d
And that’s how you install and use the NordLayer VPN client on Linux.
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