Solstice PPP 3.0.1 Administration Guide

Solving Common Problems

The following sections describe common problems you may encounter when installing, configuring, or using Solstice PPP.

Problems Installing Solstice PPP

Problem:

Cannot start pkgadd(1M).

Solution:

You must log in as root or become superuser before you can run the pkgadd.

Problem:

Cannot find the packages for Solstice PPP.

Solution:

Check that you typed the source directory correctly. If the Volume Manager (vold) is running on your machine, the Solstice PPP packages are located in /cdrom/ppp_3.0. If you are not running the Volume Manager (vold) on your machine, you need to mount the CD-ROM manually. See Solstice PPP 3.0.1 Installation Guide and Release Notes for detailed instructions.

Problems with Licensing

Problem:

Cannot start the lit. Command fails with error message: permission denied.

Solution:

You must log in as root or become superuser before you can start the lit.

Problem:

Cannot start the lit. Command fails with error message: Cannot open connection to window server.

Solution:

You must enable root access to your Xserver.

prompt% $OPENWINHOME/bin/xhost + root@local_host

Problem:

The Select Product pull-down menu does not show a license for Solstice PPP.

Solution:

Each time you install the lit package (SUNWlit) associated with a product, it overwrites any previously installed version. If you are installing several licensed products you should either ensure that you install each license before installing the next product, or you should backup the license file LIC_CONFIG_FILE.combined to safeguard the product-specific information it contains.

Problem:

The Server Options button is disabled (grayed out).

Solution:

You cannot change the license server configuration once you have installed a license server on your machine. The Server Options button is disabled and the name and hostid of the current server(s) are displayed.

Problem:

Cannot start Solstice PPP. Command fails with error: Cannot find license file

Solution:

You must install a license server and run the license installation script (LIC_CONFIG_SCRIPT) on each machine running Solstice PPP.

Problem:

Cannot start SunLink PPP. Command fails with error: Feature has expired

Solution:

Indicates that the license for Solstice PPP has expired. If the license obtained was for a demonstration copy, it is no longer valid. You must purchase a new license and obtain a new license password from the license distribution center.

Problem:

Cannot start Solstice PPP. Command fails with error: Encryption code in license file is inconsistent

Solution:

Any incorrect or missing license information (for example, number of RTUs, license password, expiration date) will disable your license when SunLink PPP attempts to establish a session. Restart the lit and re-enter the license information correctly.

Problem:

Cannot start Solstice PPP. Command fails with error: Cannot connect to licence server

Solution:

This indicates a severe problem with the license server. Check that the licence server machine is up and that the license daemon lmgrd.ste is running.

Try restarting the license daemon:

prompt# /etc/rc2.d/S85lmgrd start

Problem:

Cannot start Solstice PPP following a system crash. Right to Use license is reported to be in use.

Solution:

If the system crashes while a licensed product is in use, the license may not be released correctly.

To check the current status of a license server:

prompt# cd /etc/opt/licenses
prompt# ./lmstat -c licenses_combined
lmstat - Copyright (C) 1993 Globetrotter Software Inc
Flexible License Manager status on datestamp

License server status:

	hostname: license server UP (MASTER)

Vendor daemon status:

	lic.SUNW (version): UP

Feature usage info:

	Users of PPP: (Total of <rtu> licenses available)

To recover a lost license for SunLink PPP:

prompt# cd /etc/opt/licenses
prompt# ./lmremove -c licenses_combined -v PPP

Problems Configuring Solstice PPP

Problem:

Cannot configure modem using pppinit or pppsetmod. Operation fails with the error message:

"Warning: unable to set server mode on dialup_device pppdevn for modem_name"

Solution:

You have selected a modem configuration that does not correspond to the modem connected to your machine. Select another modem from the modem database, or add a new modem configuration to the database, based on the information contained in the manufacturer's documentation for your modem. See "Editing the Modem Database File (modems)"for help.

Problems Using Solstice PPP

Problem:

Solstice PPP stops working after upgrading to Solaris 2.5.

Solution:

Solaris 2.5 creates a default file /etc/ttydefs, which overwrites some changes made by Solstice PPP. Safeguard the configuration files ppp.conf, ppp.link, and the CHAT scripts. Reinstall Solstice PPP to correct the problem.

Problem:

Cannot establish PPP link. Operation fails with the status message:

"PPP error on ip_interface: Maximum number of   configure requests exceeded"

Solution:

PPP Configure-request frames are generated to start the link establishment phase. After a certain number of frames (defined by the keyword lcp_max_restart) are generated without a valid response, the connection initiator assumes that the remote host is unreachable. This may indicate one of the following:

There is a problem with the physical connection between the two hosts. Check the cables to and from the modems at each end of the link.
PPP is not running on the remote host. Check that PPP is configured and started at both ends of the link.
The link establishment phase is not completed, because the configuration negotiation does not converge. Check for configuration problems at both ends of the link.
If you are trying to establish a link over a long-delay network, such as a satellite connection, or over a congested line, the maximum number of configure requests may be exceeded before the negotiation is completed. Increase the maximum number of configure requests sent (lcp_max_restart) and the time between retries (lcp_restart_timer). See "Defining Asynchronous Paths (dialup_path)" for detailed instructions.

Problem:

Cannot establish PPP link. Operation fails with the status message: "Authentication failed"

Solution:

The peer authentication phase failed. Check that the PAP and CHAP parameters set on the two hosts are coherent. If one host requests authentication using either PAP or CHAP, the other host must participate in the authentication phase, or the link is closed.

Problem:

Cannot establish PPP link. Operation fails with the status message: "Loop back detected"

Solution:

The PPP frames generated by the local host are being reflected by the remote host. The magic numbers contained in the PPP frames indicate a loop back condition. This may indicate one of the following:

There is a problem with the physical connection between the two hosts. Check the cables to and from the modems at each end of the link.
The UNIX login sequence is not completed successfully. Check that the login id and password set in the CHAT script are correct, and that a corresponding user account exists on the remote host. Check that the rest of the login dialog defined in the CHAT script is correct. If the remote host is not running a Solaris environment, you may need to modify the login sequence provided in the template file created by pppinit(1M).
The remote host fails to respond quickly enough, and the maximum number of configure requests is exceeded before the negotiation is completed. Increase the maximum number of configure requests sent (lcp_max_restart) and the time between retries (lcp_restart_timer). See "Defining Asynchronous Paths (dialup_path)" for detailed instructions.

Problem:

Modem dials unexpectedly, or when the machine is rebooted.

Solution:

The IP interfaces associated with asynchronous PPP links are usually marked up, by default. In this way, the PPP link manager initiates the PPP link automatically, when an IP datagram is passed to the interface by the IP layer.

Some applications and processes broadcast requests occasionally. For example, when searching for a license daemon, or when the machine is rebooted. The PPP link manager responds to the broadcast and tries to dial the remote host.

To prevent this behavior, mark the relevant IP interface down, and use pppconn(1M) to initiate connections as required. See "Establishing PPP Links" for detailed instructions.

Problem:

IP datagrams are not routed correctly across a synchronous PPP link used to connect to local area networks (LANs).

Solution:

The two hosts at the endpoints of the PPP link act as IP routers in this configuration. Ensure that the file /etc/gateways exists on each host.

Problem:

LCP negotiation fails with the error message: "PPP error on ipdptp1: Negotiation of mandatory options failed"

Solution:

Check that the IP interface used to initiate the connection, and the IP interface associated with the dialup path used to accept the connection have coherent IP addresses. The source address on host must match the destination address on the other.

Problem:

Cannot make rsh(1) or rlogin(1) connection to the remote host. Operation fails with the message "Permission denied"

Solution:

Check for the hostname, or IP address, of your local host in the files /etc/.rhosts and /etc/hosts.equiv on the remote host. A + character in these files enables access for all hosts.