Linux PPP for remote Internet connection



In principle, this should work for any ISP. However, I connect to Enterprise, so I don't know for sure that it won't be different for another ISP.

Connecting to Enterprise from Linux with PPP

The way I connect to Enterprise is through Linux's PPP, which should be included in your Linux release. The version of PPP to use with kernel versions up to 1.2.13 is 2.1.2. With kernel version 2.0.0 and later, you must use PPP version 2.2.0f or later.

You need to have PPP support compiled into your kernel.

In order to save users from having to remember complicated command lines, pppd needs to be set off from a script which sets up the connection. This is how mine works, using kernel version 2.1.3:

The pppd and chat programs are in /usr/sbin. All other files are in /etc/ppp, as recommended by the release notes for PPP 2.2.0f.

In /etc/ppp/scripts are the programs which any user may use for PPP connection and disconnection. In order to make sure that they are in everyone's search path, links should be made to them from /usr/local/bin, or some other suitable directory.

In /etc/ppp are the chat script and the pppd options file. Here also are the scripts run by the pppd daemon when the IP connection is made and taken down.

Remember to make all scripts and binaries executable, or they will not run. Neither the programs, scripts nor the /etc/ppp directory should be writable by users other than root or the admin accounts.

Name resolution

While you are not connected to the internet, name resolution will be done through the file /etc/hosts. When you are connected, however, names need to be resolved through the DNS name service. You tell Linux where to look by entries in /etc/resolv.conf.

Other connection methods

There is a program called dip, which may be used to set up a PPP connection. However, it is mainly designed for setting up a SLIP connection, and there is no need to complicate things beyond the set-up described here.

Further information

Further information can be got from the PPP-HOWTO document and from the man page for pppd.

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Last updated on 17th September 1996 by Oliver Elphick