VPN Manager

Posted by Liam Foot on October 12, 2016 Software

Update February 2019: VPN Manager is no longer maintained and I no longer recommend using it, so it's no longer available for download. Network Interface Finder is still a useful tool that can be used to find the network interface that your VPN is using.

VPN Manager is a free application I developed for myself to limit applications to running only on a specified network. It works like a VPN killswitch, only it doesn't disable your internet connection; it instead disables specified programs. This is preferable for me, and I developed this because I found other software to be unreliable.

This software can be used to prevent certain programs from opening when you're not connected to your VPN, and can kill them as soon as you disconnect. It doesn't have to be used with a VPN however. A practical use of this is if you want to restrict your download manager to only running on your work network, because you may have data caps at home and don't want to accidentally incur charges from your ISP.

This application installs as a Windows Service to guarantee up-time, and settings are specified in a simple text file. I like GUIs myself, but I don't plan to make one for this.

Installation

To install the application, run the installer provided in the download link (scroll down). The installer is named "VPNManagerInstaller". Click through until the install completes, and the service will be installed. The service will start automatically with your PC, and will now be running.

Configuration

To adjust the start-up behaviour, you can type services.msc into Start/Cortana and hit enter. Scroll down to "VPNManagerService", right click and select properties. I do not recommend adjusting any of these settings as I've already configured them. However, to configure the service you will first need to stop it. On the right-click menu, as well as properties you will see "Stop" - click this to stop the service.

Now we can configure the settings. The settings file is stored in C:\ProgramData\VPNManager by default. ProgramData is a hidden folder, so in Windows Explorer, go to "View" in the ribbon at the top, and near the right side you should see a checkbox "Hidden items" - tick this. Then once you have navigated to the path C:\ProgramData\VPNManager, open the file "userParameters". In here, you will see the default configuration. We need to enter the correct processes and network interface now.

Finding the Network Interface

In the download link, you will also see an application called "NetworkInterfaceFinder". Run it and follow the instructions to find the network interface of your VPN - this is the network interface that the specified programs will be restricted to running on, and they will not be usable unless you are connected to this network. When you find it, enter it onto line 3 of the text file, replacing "Ethernet 2".

Processes

Now you will also need to find the correct process names. Included in the file are the correct names for qBittorrent, Deluge and Transmission on Windows at the time of writing. To include other applications in the list, go into Task Manager, select the "Details" tab (Windows 10), and copy the exact name of the process from there. Add it to the list, following the format. You can delete the existing processes, but do not make a new line, and do not rename the file.

Finishing Up

Now that you have entered the correct information into the file; save it, go back to services.msc, scroll down to "VPNManagerService", right click it and select "Start". The service is now running, and everything has been set up.

Downloads

Download Network Interface Finder.

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