Eskimo North

Connecting to Eskimo North with Linux and pppd



If you have Linux, connecting to the Internet is simple... Ok, after you get through rolling around the floor we'll tell you how.

First, if you need help properly configuring your modem, please see http://www.redhat.com/mirrors/LDP/HOWTO/Modem-HOWTO.html to get your modem properly configured. After that, it actually is pretty simple.

You must be sure you have a kernel with PPP support. Typically, kernels will have PPP configured in as a module. If this is the case, you will need to type modprobe ppp.o to load the module.

You will need a copy of a copy of pppd. If you are running a 2.0.x kernel you will need pppd 2.3.4.

To edit configuration files manually,
the files you will be concerned with are:
  • /etc/resolv.conf
  • /etc/ppp/options
  • /etc/ppp/chatopts
  • /etc/ppp/pap-secrets

/etc/resolv.conf

Edit this file to look like this: 		domain eskimo.com #
nameserver 204.122.16.8
nameserver 204.122.16.9

/etc/ppp/options

This is the first of three scripts. Lines beginning with '#' are comments; do not enter those into the script.

modem # We're using a modem
/dev/modem # Modem Device
57600 # Port speed
asyncmap 0x0 # 8-bit clean line
connect "chat -f /etc/ppp/chatopts" # Chat program and script
crtscts # Need hardware flow control
defaultroute # Automagically add default route
lock # Lock modem when in use
mru 576 # Largest packet to accept
mtu 576 # Largest packet to send
user XXXXX # Specify pap-secrets entry; replace XXXXX with the full username

Logs are usually kept in "/var/log/messages" (readable only by root) in many distributions. If errors are vague, you might try adding '-v' in front of the '-f' on the chat line above:

connect "chat -v -f /etc/ppp/chatopts"

/etc/ppp/chatopts

This is the second script. This script consists of a series of quoted expect and send string pairs. The first string is what to expect or look for from the remote communications server (eskimo). The second string is what to send when the first string is received. The column beginning with a '#' is a comment to explain each lines function. Use the script appropriate for the type of dial-up connection that you have. The INIT string "at&f1" assumes that this is the correct INIT string for the default hardware flow control profile for your modem. When in doubt, check your modems manual. If hardware flow control is not enabled, your data connection will not be reliable.

Lines beginning with '#' are comments; do not enter those into the script.

"" "at&f1" #Your modem INIT string
"OK" "atdt 2068120138" #The access number
"CONNECT"   # Wait for CONNECT string.

/etc/ppp/pap-secrets

This third script is the configuration file that contains the usernames and passwords for PAP-authentication. Each line follows the format:

# client server secret
dial-username * dial-password

Save this script and be sure to change the permissions on it to 600.

chmod 600 /etc/ppp/pap-secrets

IMPORTANT: Before you try to connect, change the permissions of the ppp directory.

chmod 700 /etc/ppp

As root...
To connect type: /usr/sbin/pppd
To connect with logs (^C to stop logs), type: /usr/sbin/pppd; tail -f /var/log/messages
To disconnect type: kill `cat /var/run/ppp0.pid`

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