Setting up a Linux PPP connection with iiNet

Note: These instructions are only valid for a single dialup machine running Red Hat Linux. If your Linux box makes use of a default route via a network gateway, please examine the parameters passed to pppd very carefully. A ppp connection requires ppp to be compiled into the kernel - please refer to the Linux Kernel HOWTO and the Linux PPP HOWTO in the Other Resources section below.

There are couple ways to setup your linux machine to the Internet.

• Try: Setting up ppp under linux using the netcfg tool

  Or follow the instructions below.

Setting up DNS

This step involves setting up your machine to use the iiNet nameserver. Add the following lines to the file /etc/resolv.conf with a text editor such as vi or pico:

search iinet.net.au
nameserver 203.0.178.191

Setting up PPP

Before your modem can dial out, you'll need to find out what COM port it's plugged into and make a symbolic link from /dev/modem -> /dev/ttySx where X is the number of your COM port. COM ports under Linux are numbered from 0, so COM 1 under Windows is /dev/ttyS0, COM 2 under Windows is /dev/ttyS1. For example, if your modem is on /dev/ttyS2, make a symbolic link like so:

[you@yourmachine /dev]$ln -s /dev/ttyS2 /dev/modem

Please note that iiNet's servers will not allow a CHAP (script) based login. All authentication must be performed by PAP.

First of all, we need to create or modify a PAP secrets file, this is normally in the /etc/ppp/ directory, and it is normally called pap-secrets. A default /etc/ppp/pap-secrets file looks like:

    # Secrets for authentication using PAP
    # client        server  secret                  IP addresses
    USERNAME        iinet   PASSWORD

and then modify the /etc/ppp/options file to read:

   asyncmap 0
   crtscts
   debug
   defaultroute
   lock
   modem
   mru 576
   mtu 576
   passive
   /dev/modem 115200
   name iinet
   user USERNAME
   connect '/usr/sbin/chat -v              \
           ABORT           BUSY            \
           ABORT           "NO CARRIER"    \
           ""              "atINIT"        \
           OK              atdtNUMBER      \
           CONNECT'

You will need to replace some parts of the above file with your own details. Replace INIT with the modem initialisation string that you wish to use - consult Modem Troubleshooting page for suggested initialisation strings to use. Also replace NUMBER with the iiNet connection number that you wish to use, USERNAME with your unique iiNet username in lowercase, and PASSWORD with your secret iiNet password.

Connecting to the Internet

Now that everything has been setup, all you need to do to connect is login as root and type:

[you@yourmachine /]$pppd

[you@yourmachine /]$killall pppd

Sometimes it is useful to allow non root users to access the PPPd on your computer, this is most commonly done where people are using the computer as a workstation rather than a server, and do not normally dial into the console as root. (A good security precaution.) Now you have to log in as root to actually make these changes, so we will assume you are logged is as root from now on.

The first then you need to do to allow non root users to dial is change the pppd executable to be setuid root. The pppd is usually in /usr/sbin/ so the command to make it setuid would be:

chmod +s /usr/sbin/pppd

These files have to be stored in /etc/ppp/peers/ and they are a copy of the options file, so the best thing to do is copy the options file into the peers directory, we suggest:

cp /etc/ppp/options /etc/ppp/peers/iinet

/usr/sbin/pppd call iinet

call iinet

/usr/sbin/pppd

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