When I checked the status of the NordVPN service using the command:
sudo systemctl status nordvpnd.service
it threw an error message stating Failed with result 'exit-code'. To debug the issue, I used the command:
journalctl -u nordvpnd.service
which displayed the following message:
nordvpnd[2915]: /usr/sbin/nordvpnd: /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6: version `GLIBC_2.28' not found (required by nordvpnd)
I then checked the GLIBC version on my system using the command:
apt list -a libc6
and found that the GLIBC version was 2.27-3ubuntu1.6, which is lower than the expected version by NordVPN. I realized that I usually run the sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
commands twice a week, and it had updated the NordVPN version on my system.
I had two options, either to upgrade my GLIBC version or downgrade the NordVPN to the last known working version. After researching the possibility of upgrading the GLIBC version, I found that many users faced system crash problems or other complexities, so I decided to downgrade the NordVPN.
I found the NordVPN releases for Linux at the link https://repo.nordvpn.com/deb/nordvpn/debian/pool/main/, which provided the version release details.
I performed the following steps to install the older version of NordVPN and successfully connected to it!
Uninstalled NordVPN
sudo apt-get --purge remove 'nordvpn*'
Installed NordVPN:
wget -qnc https://repo.nordvpn.com/deb/nordvpn/debian/pool/main/nordvpn-release_1.0.0_all.deb
sudo dpkg -i nordvpn-release_1.0.0_all.deb
sudo apt update
Installed specific version (For me 3.14.2)
sudo apt install nordvpn=3.14.2
Since I was not sure which older version would work for me, I decided to install version 3.14.2. If you remember which version was working for you, you can try installing that version instead.
Enabled NordVPN services on boot
sudo systemctl enable --now nordvpnd.service
Checked the status of the NordVPN service
sudo systemctl status nordvpnd.service
There were no more errors related to GLIBC and all working as expected!!
There will be the possibility of upgrading the Nordvpn when you run upgrade command and keep in mind to ignore the upgrade of Nordvpn.
I wanted to share my solution to help others who may be facing a similar issue. However, I want to note that downgrading or using an older version of a VPN may have potential consequences related to security. It's important to always use the latest version of a VPN to ensure that the best security and privacy features are in place. If you do decide to use an older version, it's important to understand the potential risks and make an informed decision.