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[SOLVED] How to install and run (on debian) a separate, downlevel version of firefox for the F5/firepass VPN?

  • 4 replies
  • 1 has this problem
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  • Last reply by TomRoche

TomRoche
TomRoche
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(Note: my problem is similar to another current problem except that

  • OP is running windows (I'm running a debian linux)
  • OP is asking a more general question (how to fix?) while I'm asking for details on a proposed fix)

I'm currently running 


 $ lsb_release -ds
 Linux Mint Debian Edition
 $ cat /etc/debian_version
 wheezy/sid
 $ uname -rv
 3.2.0-2-amd64 #1 SMP Sun Mar 4 22:48:17 UTC 2012
 $ iceweasel --version
 Mozilla Iceweasel 13.0.1


I'd like to continue running an uplevel iceweasel (which is firefox) but apparently need to run a downlevel version in order to run a particular vendor-supplied plugin. How best to do that (i.e., with minimal performance degradation, and without affecting my package management)? Or is there another way to solve the general problem (running the F5 Network Access Plugin)? Why I ask:

My employer is giving me remote access via a SecurID token and the F5 Network Access Plugin (F5NAP). The latter is in fact a browser plugin, which seems to me an odd way to implement a VPN, but it's the only offered option. Unfortunately,

  • the only browsers supported for linux are Firefox 3 and Firefox 8 (per this--scroll to "Linux Operating Systems")
  • my primary laptop runs LMDE (see above) with Iceweasel 13 (from the mozilla.debian.net repository), which I want to keep. (It's the uplevel browser, dammit !-)

So I first tried to install the F5NAP on my iceweasel, hoping it was sufficiently like the listed versions. I browsed to my employer's site, logged in using the token, and followed the link to install the plugin. Unfortunately, that failed: the xpi began running, but then quit with the message

> F5 Network Access Plugin could not be installed because it is not compatible with Iceweasel 13.0.1

Hoping for a simple workaround, I told the often-useful User Agent Switcher plugin to emulate Firefox 8, but no fix. Hence it seems like I will hafta

  • install Firefox 3 or Firefox 8
  • run that downlevel browser whenever I want remote access
  • run the uplevel browser for everything else

This definitely seems like a kludge, so I am open to alternatives. Meanwhile I'm wondering:

  1. Which of the F5-supported downlevel browsers (Firefox 3 or Firefox 8) has the smaller memory footprint?
  2. How to install the downlevel browser so that it does not interfere with my uplevel browser's configuration, operation, and updating via debian package management?
  3. How to run the downlevel browser so that its operation does not interfere with my uplevel browser? I know firefox typically wants to run singleton.
(Note: my problem is similar to [https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/931534?e=es&as=aaq another current problem] except that * OP is running windows (I'm running a debian linux) * OP is asking a more general question (how to fix?) while I'm asking for details on a proposed fix) I'm currently running $ lsb_release -ds Linux Mint Debian Edition $ cat /etc/debian_version wheezy/sid $ uname -rv 3.2.0-2-amd64 #1 SMP Sun Mar 4 22:48:17 UTC 2012 $ iceweasel --version Mozilla Iceweasel 13.0.1 I'd like to continue running an uplevel iceweasel ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozilla_Corporation_software_rebranded_by_the_Debian_project which is firefox]) but apparently need to run a downlevel version in order to run a particular vendor-supplied plugin. How best to do that (i.e., with minimal performance degradation, and without affecting my package management)? Or is there another way to solve the general problem (running the F5 Network Access Plugin)? Why I ask: My employer is giving me remote access via a SecurID token and the F5 Network Access Plugin (F5NAP). The latter is in fact a browser plugin, which seems to me an odd way to implement a VPN, but it's the only offered option. Unfortunately, * the only browsers supported for linux are Firefox 3 and Firefox 8 (per [http://support.f5.com/kb/en-us/products/big-ip_apm/manuals/product/apm_compatibility_matrix_10_2_1.html this]--scroll to "Linux Operating Systems") * my primary laptop runs LMDE (see above) with Iceweasel 13 (from the mozilla.debian.net repository), which I want to keep. (It's the uplevel browser, dammit !-) So I first tried to install the F5NAP on my iceweasel, hoping it was sufficiently like the listed versions. I browsed to my employer's site, logged in using the token, and followed the link to install the plugin. Unfortunately, that failed: the xpi began running, but then quit with the message > F5 Network Access Plugin could not be installed because it is not compatible with Iceweasel 13.0.1 Hoping for a simple workaround, I told the often-useful User Agent Switcher plugin to emulate Firefox 8, but no fix. Hence it seems like I will hafta * install Firefox 3 or Firefox 8 * run that downlevel browser whenever I want remote access * run the uplevel browser for everything else This definitely seems like a kludge, so I am open to alternatives. Meanwhile I'm wondering: # Which of the F5-supported downlevel browsers (Firefox 3 or Firefox 8) has the smaller memory footprint? # How to install the downlevel browser so that it does not interfere with my uplevel browser's configuration, operation, and updating via debian package management? # How to run the downlevel browser so that its operation does not interfere with my uplevel browser? I know firefox typically wants to run singleton.

Modified by TomRoche

All Replies (4)

Michael Verdi
Michael Verdi
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You might try using the Enterprise version of Firefox. You can download it here http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/organizations/faq/

If you install it in a different directory than your normal version of Firefox you should be able to run them both without any problem (just not at the same time). They should use the same profile (holds your bookmarks, passwords, etc). Though I'm not sure if that's true if you are using Iceweasel. If not, you can use Firefox Sync to keep bookmarks and passwords synced.

TomRoche
TomRoche Question owner
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@verdi: 

 > you should be able to run them both without any problem (just not at the same time).

I (apparently) need both browsers to run at the same time: one (the downlevel) would run only to provide the VPN, while the other (the uplevel) would do the actual browsing. 


 > They should use the same profile

I don't need them to use the same profile. Again, at least in the scenario I'm considering, I wouldn't use the downlevel browser for anything except to provide the VPN transport.

Michael Verdi
Michael Verdi
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Here are some instructions for running two copies of Firefox:

If you need even older versions of Firefox you can get them here:

TomRoche
TomRoche Question owner
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@verdi: thanks for your helpful suggestions. The "fix" (actually a kludge, but I gotta work with what F5 and my employer give me) was:

  1. Install/run latest Firefox 3 (despite there being no 64-bit version for linux) using this bash scriptlet.
  2. Create a run script to start firefox so that one can
    • choose the appropriate profile (I was unable to set it from the script without startup error)
    • run multiple instances (I don't want 3.x firefox touching my uplevel profile)
  3. Run Firefox 3.x with the runner, then point it to my employer's site to install the F5 Network Access Plugin (restarting firefox as required).

The gnome-terminal tab from which I invoke the runner spews a bazillion "wrong ELF class: ELFCLASS64" errors, but the plugin runs, and I can SSH normally (though more slowly) to servers on the VLAN from another terminal tab.