pppconfig

PPPCONFIG(8)                System Manager's Manual               PPPCONFIG(8)

NAME
       pppconfig - configure pppd to connect to the Internet

SYNOPSIS
       pppconfig [--version] | [--help] | [[--dialog] | [--whiptail] | [--gdi-
       alog] [--noname] | [providername]]

DESCRIPTION
       pppconfig is a dialog based interactive, menu driven  utility  to  help
       automate  setting  up a dial out ppp connection.  It provides extensive
       explanations at each step.  pppconfig  supports  PAP,  CHAP,  and  chat
       methods  of  authentication.   It  uses  the standard ppp configuration
       files and sets ppp up so that the standard pon and poff commands can be
       used to control ppp.  Some features supported by pppconfig are:
       - Multiple ISP's with separate nameservers.
       - Modem detection.
       - Dynamic DNS.
       - Dial on demand.
       - Allow non-root users to run ppp.
       - Uses the gdialog GUI dialog replacement if possible.

       Before  running  pppconfig  you should know what sort of authentication
       your isp requires, the username and password that they want you to use,
       and  the phone number.  If they require you to use chat authentication,
       you will also need to know the login and password prompts and any other
       prompts and responses required for login.  If you can't get this infor-
       mation from your isp you could try dialing in with minicom and  working
       through the procedure until you get the garbage that indicates that ppp
       has started on the other end.

       pppconfig allows you to configure connections  to  multiple  providers.
       For  example, you might call your isp 'provider', your employer 'theof-
       fice' and your university 'theschool'.  Then you can  connect  to  your
       isp  with  'pon', your office with 'pon theoffice', and your university
       with 'pon theschool'.

       It can determine which serial port your modem is  on,  but  the  serial
       port must already be configured.  This is normally done when installing
       Linux.

       It can help you set your nameservers, or, if  your  ISP  uses  'dynamic
       DNS', it can set up ppp to use that.

       It  can  configure  ppp for demand dialing, so that your ppp connection
       will come up automatically.  It will not, however, start pppd for  you.
       You  must still start pppd yourself ('pon' will do it).  Pppd will then
       wait in the background for you to attempt to access the Net  and  bring
       up the link.

       If  you select "Static" in the "Configure Nameservers" screen pppconfig
       will create a file in the /etc/ppp/resolv  directory  named  after  the
       provider you are configuring and containing "nameserver" lines for each
       of the IP numbers you gave.  This file will be substituted for /etc/re-
       solv.conf when the connection comes up.  The provider name is passed in
       the ipparam variable so that 0dns-up knows  which  file  to  use.   The
       original  resolv.conf  will  be put back when the connection goes down.
       You can edit this file if you wish and add such things as  "search"  or
       "domain"  directives  or  additional nameservers.  Be sure and read the
       resolv.conf man page first, though.  The "search" and  "domain"  direc-
       tives probably do not do what you think they do.

       If you select "dynamic" in the "Configure Nameservers" screen pppconfig
       will configure pppd  for  'dynamic  DNS'  and  create  a  file  in  the
       /etc/ppp/resolv  directory named after the provider you are configuring
       but containing nothing.  When the connection comes up  the  nameservers
       supplied  by  your  ISP  will  be  added  and  the file substituted for
       /etc/resolv.conf.  You can edit this file if  you  wish  and  add  such
       things as "search" or "domain" directives or additional nameservers.

       If  you  select  "None" in the "Configure Nameservers" screen pppconfig
       will create no file in /etc/ppp/resolv and will leave  /etc/resolv.conf
       alone.  ipparam  is not set to the provider name and so is free for the
       administrator to use.

FILES
       /etc/ppp/peers/provider is the standard pppd options file for  the  de-
       fault service provider.

       /etc/ppp/peers/<name>  is  the  pppd options file for the provider that
       you have named <name>.

       /etc/ppp/peers/provider.bak     is      a      backup      copy      of
       /etc/ppp/peers/provider.

       /etc/chatscripts/provider  is  the standard chat script for the default
       service provider.

       /etc/chatscripts/<name> is the chat script for the  provider  that  you
       have named <name>.

       /etc/chatscripts/provider.bak      is      a     backup     copy     of
       /etc/chatscripts/provider.

       /etc/ppp/resolv  is  a  directory  where  resolv.conf  files  for  each
       provider are stored.

       /etc/ppp/ip-up.d/0dns-up  is a script that arranges for the correct re-
       solv.conf file to be copied into place when a connection comes up.

       /etc/ppp/ip-down.d/0dns-down is a script that arranges for the original
       resolv.conf file to be copied into place when a connection goes down.

       /etc/init.d/dns-clean  is  a  script  that  runs 0dns-down at bootup to
       clean up any mess left by a crash.

       /var/run/pppconfig is a directory  where  temporary  files  created  by
       0dns-up are stored.

       /var/run/pppconfig/resolv.conf.bak.<provider>  is  a backup copy of the
       original resolv.conf file.  0dns-down  restores  /etc/resolv.conf  from
       it.

       /var/run/pppconfig/0dns.<provider>  is a backup copy of the resolv.conf
       file for <provider>.   0dns-down  uses  it  to  determine  if  /etc/re-
       solv.conf has been overwritten by another process.

       /etc/ppp/pap-secrets  and  /etc/ppp/chap-secrets  are  described in the
       pppd documentation.  pppconfig may add lines to these  files  and  will
       change lines that it previously added.

NOTES
       pppconfig requires pppd 2.3.7 or higher.

TO DO
       Add full support for MSCHAP.

BUGS
       Don't tell pppconfig to find your modem while pppd is running.

SEE ALSO
       chat(8), gpppon(1), plog(1), poff(1), pon(1), pppd(8), and whiptail(1).

AUTHOR
       pppconfig was written by John Hasler <jhasler@debian.org>.

COPYRIGHT
       This  man  page  may  be  treated as if it were in the public domain. I
       waive all rights.

Debian GNU/Linux                Version 2.3.16                    PPPCONFIG(8)