Contributing openvpn port

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Friedrich Schaeuffelhut

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Feb 6, 2010, 10:55:54 AM2/6/10
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Hello,

I would like to contribute my openvpn port to the official android
source. Would this be possible and welcome?


History:

In March 2009 I ported openvpn and started working on a monitor app for
android. Mid September 2009 I published openvpn for android on github:
http://github.com/fries/android-external-openvpn
http://github.com/fries/android-external-liblzo

Both projects currently integrate in the android build system through
local_manifest.xml.

There is now a growing openvpn community on android. Openvpn is included
in some alternative firmwares like cyanogen and there are several apps
on the market to control openvpn (including my 'OpenVPN Settings', which
I also like to contribute for integration with the VPN settings dialog).

Regards
Friedrich

--
_
M.Sc.(TUM) Friedrich Schäuffelhut | |_ _ _
e-mail: fr...@desert.lnp.org | | '\| '_\ LNP is a
|_|_|_| '_/ Network Project
|_|

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Simon Leinen

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Feb 7, 2010, 1:43:44 PM2/7/10
to android-...@googlegroups.com
On Sat, Feb 6, 2010 at 16:55, Friedrich Schaeuffelhut
<fr...@desert.lnp.org> wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I would like to contribute my openvpn port to the official android
> source. Would this be possible and welcome?

I would certainly welcome it. We use OpenVPN as our corporate VPN (in
bridging mode, so that things like IPv6 work). I have experimented
with OpenVPN on Android before, and got it running, but it was painful
and I never got around to integrating it into the VPN configuration
interface.
--
Simon.

lbcoder

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Feb 8, 2010, 8:08:40 AM2/8/10
to android-platform
http://source.android.com/submit-patches

On Feb 6, 10:55 am, Friedrich Schaeuffelhut <fr...@desert.lnp.org>
wrote:


> Hello,
>
> I would like to contribute my openvpn port to the official android
> source. Would this be possible and welcome?
>
> History:
>
> In March 2009 I ported openvpn and started working on a monitor app for

> android. Mid September 2009 I published openvpn for android on github:http://github.com/fries/android-external-openvpnhttp://github.com/fries/android-external-liblzo


>
> Both projects currently integrate in the android build system through
> local_manifest.xml.
>
> There is now a growing openvpn community on android. Openvpn is included
> in some alternative firmwares like cyanogen and there are several apps
> on the market to control openvpn (including my 'OpenVPN Settings', which
> I also like to contribute for integration with the VPN settings dialog).
>
> Regards
>         Friedrich
>
> --
>                                             _
> M.Sc.(TUM) Friedrich Schäuffelhut          | |_   _ _
> e-mail: fr...@desert.lnp.org               | | '\| '_\ LNP is a
>                                            |_|_|_| '_/ Network Project
>                                                  |_|
>

>  signature.asc
> < 1KViewDownload

Cédric Berger

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Feb 8, 2010, 9:34:59 AM2/8/10
to android-...@googlegroups.com
On Sat, Feb 6, 2010 at 16:55, Friedrich Schaeuffelhut
<fr...@desert.lnp.org> wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I would like to contribute my openvpn port to the official android
> source. Would this be possible and welcome?
>

I guess openVPN is not likely to be integrated in android because of
its license being GPL .
(It would not be a problem if it was Apache 2 licensed)

lbcoder

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Feb 8, 2010, 1:38:43 PM2/8/10
to android-platform
I wouldn't consider that to be accurate.
Fact is that openvpn client is there for connecting with openvpn
SERVER, which is ALSO GPL. The licensing on this component is
therefore not an issue since it wouldn't affect anyone's
implementation of Android. The only issue that GPL introduces is that
the manufacturer must provide a copy of the source for all changes
that THEY MAKE to it. If the implementer isn't interested in OpenVPN,
then they obviously won't be making any changes to it, which means
that they are NOT required to provide source for it.

Daniel Briley

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Feb 8, 2010, 6:28:15 PM2/8/10
to android-platform
I'm not sure what Google's position would be on integrating something
like OpenVPN in to the main line platform. Although it makes use of a
bunch of published standards, it's not a standard method of VPN
connectivity in the same way that maybe L2TP would be. OpenVPN is more
of a product (albeit with a free version), rather than a standard,
which I'd imagine would pose a problem.

This is all just a guess though. You'd need someone from Google to
give you a definitive answer.

lbcoder

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Feb 9, 2010, 7:55:21 AM2/9/10
to android-platform
It's no less standard than PPTP (MS), which IS in Android. To be fair,
if you include support for a proprietary platform like MS, you should
provide support for the equivalent open source alternative. In the
case of PPTP, that means OpenVPN.

Cédric Berger

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Feb 9, 2010, 8:35:52 AM2/9/10
to android-...@googlegroups.com
On Mon, Feb 8, 2010 at 19:38, lbcoder <lbc...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I wouldn't consider that to be accurate.
> Fact is that openvpn client is there for connecting with openvpn
> SERVER, which is ALSO GPL. The licensing on this component is
> therefore not an issue since it wouldn't affect anyone's
> implementation of Android.

Are there openVPN clients available with other licences ? (bsd like )

Anyway, looks like at least part of OP Friedrich's contribution
contains GPL 2.0 code (libLZO ...).

About licenses in android code, one of JB Queru posts :
http://groups.google.com/group/android-platform/msg/11b1bd05a8187c88?hl=en

lbcoder

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Feb 9, 2010, 10:21:36 AM2/9/10
to android-platform
Right. JBQ's post states that when justified, GPLv2 is fine. OpenVPN
server is GPLv2, therefore OpenVPN client, also being GPLv2 is no
problem.

You will note that support for OpenVPN will not be a dependency for
anything, therefore its licensing terms may have no affect on anyone
not interested in OpenVPN. I.e., if YOUR project requires that your
contributions remain closed, simply don't mess with the OpenVPN
components -- it is no more a problem than lacking OpenVPN entirely.

On Feb 9, 8:35 am, Cédric Berger <cedric.berge...@gmail.com> wrote:

> About licenses in android code, one of JB Queru posts :http://groups.google.com/group/android-platform/msg/11b1bd05a8187c88?...

lbcoder

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Feb 9, 2010, 10:31:53 AM2/9/10
to android-platform
This is the key:

"In the end, the benchmark is whether the restrictions set by non-ASL2
licenses limit the usefulness of the code for cell phone
manufacturers"

If the OpenVPN code is *not there*, then it is obviously useless.
If the OpenVPN code IS there, regardless of what license it happens to
be under, it is *NO LESS USEFUL* than being *not there*. I.e., this is
something that a phone manufacturer could simply strip out if they
don't like it (although there would be *NO* reason to do so), and
doing so would have no ill-effects aside from the lack of OpenVPN
support.

The license on OpenVPN will have NO EFFECTS on ANYONE except in the
case that they want to ALTER OpenVPN -- the restriction is simply that
they would be obligated to contribute their source code. If OpenVPN
client does NOT EXIST, then there is nothing to alter. If OpenVPN
client EXISTS, but is GPLv2 and the potential contributor doesn't like
GPLv2, then again, there is nothing to alter and therefore no effect.

lbcoder

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Feb 9, 2010, 10:35:16 AM2/9/10
to android-platform
@Friedrich: Don't forget to contribute your changes upstream to
openvpn!

On Feb 6, 10:55 am, Friedrich Schaeuffelhut <fr...@desert.lnp.org>
wrote:

> Hello,
>
> I would like to contribute my openvpn port to the official android
> source. Would this be possible and welcome?
>
> History:
>
> In March 2009 I ported openvpn and started working on a monitor app for

> android. Mid September 2009 I published openvpn for android on github:http://github.com/fries/android-external-openvpnhttp://github.com/fries/android-external-liblzo


>
> Both projects currently integrate in the android build system through
> local_manifest.xml.
>
> There is now a growing openvpn community on android. Openvpn is included
> in some alternative firmwares like cyanogen and there are several apps
> on the market to control openvpn (including my 'OpenVPN Settings', which
> I also like to contribute for integration with the VPN settings dialog).
>
> Regards
>         Friedrich
>
> --
>                                             _
> M.Sc.(TUM) Friedrich Schäuffelhut          | |_   _ _
> e-mail: fr...@desert.lnp.org               | | '\| '_\ LNP is a
>                                            |_|_|_| '_/ Network Project
>                                                  |_|
>

>  signature.asc
> < 1KViewDownload

lbcoder

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Feb 9, 2010, 10:37:26 AM2/9/10
to android-platform
Also note: liblzo could be built statically into openvpn if its
license is a problem for the platform in general. That would ensure
that openvpn would remain isolated in its licensing terms without
contributing other potential GPL dependencies to the platform.

Disconnect

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Feb 10, 2010, 1:12:57 PM2/10/10
to android-...@googlegroups.com
There was talk a while ago about a community branch that would, for example, include gpl addons in cases like this, or "damaging" patches (I think the example was disabling provisioning).

Anyone know what happened to that?


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