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PPP, SLIP and PLIP connections

The final client configuration task is the configuration on PPP, SLIP and PLIP connections. These are external connections to the system that can be used to create remote connections. You can use any one of these methods to connect a home system to an ISP for Internet access or to gain remote access to a corporate system for administrative purposes. These access methods all provide different features, but PPP is the most commonly used.

3.2 Configure the client’s workstation for remote access (e.g., ppp, ISDN)

The Point-to-Point Protocol, or PPP, is used to create a connection over a serial device — usually an analog or ISDN modem for client systems, and a high-speed connection for WAN connections. For the purpose of this book, we will only discuss the use of PPP over serial modems (including standard analog and ISDN); however, you should be aware that PPP can also be used in high-speed digital connections as well. If you select PPP/SLIP/PLIP from the menu in Figure 7-3, a menu displays, which enables you to configure the logical device. Choose from the following selections:

Dismiss and return to the previous screen

Ask for help

Add a device configuration

By selecting this last option, you can move forward, and a menu appears, as shown in Figure 7-9.

Some facts to keep in mind:

PPP is used for most modem connections.

SLIP also provides for modem connections, but to a very limited extent. PPP has mostly replaced SLIP except in very basic environments.

PLIP is used to create local connections with the parallel port; this is useful for connecting systems that are closely located and to provide a faster interface than the serial port.

If you select PPP from the PPP, SLIP, and PLIP menu, the PPP configuration screen displays, as shown in Figure 7-10.

218 Part III Configuration

Figure 7-9: Select the type of interface to be configured.

Figure 7-10: Configure the PPP connection

Chapter 7 Configuring Networking 219

To configure the PPP connection, simply insert the following:

The name of the configuration, such as Dial-ISP

The telephone number to be dialed

The modem port to be used (usually /dev/ttys0 for com1 or serial A and /dev/ttys1 for com2 or serial B)

The authentication method (check the ISP instructions; they may indicate that PAP authentication is to be used)

The login name (usually the user name created when the account is established)

The password with confirmation

This is usually enough information to configure a PPP connection with linuxconf or netconfig. However, you may be able to set more advanced features using the customize option. Select the customize option to display the menu shown in Figure 7-11.

Figure 7-11: Customizing the PPP connection