PPP Network Interfaces

PPP enables asynchronous devices, such as modems, to become network interfaces. Solaris PPP enables you to configure two types of virtual network interfaces, ipdptpn and ipdn. (The letter n represents the device number you assign to the interface.)

PPP network interfaces are considered virtual network interfaces because they do not involve network hardware, as does, for example, an Ethernet interface. Moreover, they are not associated with any particular serial port. The PPP network interfaces reside in the /devices directories along with the physical network interfaces. (For information on physical network interfaces, see "Network Interfaces".)

The type of network interface you use depends on the PPP communications link you want to set up. The ipdptp interface supports point-to-point PPP links; the ipd interface supports point-to-multipoint links (called "multipoint links").