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

NAME

       pppconfig - configure pppd to connect to the Internet

SYNOPSIS

       pppconfig [--version] | [--help] | [[--dialog] | [--whiptail] | [--gdialog] [--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 information 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  'the-
       office'	and  your university 'theschool'.  Then you can connect to your isp with 'pon', your office with 'pon theoffice', and your univer-
       sity 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/resolv.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" directives 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 name-
       servers 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 default 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 resolv.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/resolv.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

       pon(1), poff(1), gpppon(1), plog(1), pppd(8), chat(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)