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Platform Notes: SPARCstation Voyager Software Guide

Chapter 6 Configuring for Point-to-Point Protocol Connections

This chapter provides the information you need to set up your SPARCstation Voyager so that you can use PPP to create a network connection when you are not able to use an Ethernet connection. It is assumed that you are familiar with basic system adminstration procedures and that you can use an editor to modify the configuration files. If you feel uncomfortable doing this, contact a system administrator for advice.

Configuring PPP

The Solaris PPP daemon, aspppd, is started automatically at boot time if the /etc/asppp.cf is present. The file contains the configuration parameters for the PPP system. You will need to edit or create this file before you can use PPP.

The following procedure, with minor changes, will create a configuration file that should work in most cases.

  1. Obtain the following information:

    • An IP address/name that can be used for PPP. If your SPARCstation Voyager is connected to the Ethernet, then this will be a second, and different, IP address from the Ethernet IP address. In the following example we use "voyager."

    • The IP address/name for the remote PPP server you will be connecting to. In the following example, we use "PPPserver."

  2. Add lines similar to the following to the /etc/inet/hosts file: 

    192.11.117.26     voyager
192.26.32.114     PPPserver

    Be sure you use the actual names and addresses you obtained in Step 1.

  3. Add lines similar to the following lines to the /etc/asppp.cf file: 

    ifconfig ipdptp0 plumb voyager PPPserver private up
path
interface ipdptp0
peer_system_name PPPserver
inactivity_timeout 300
debug_level 5

Again, use the actual names you obtained in Step 1.

You can leave out the inactivity_timeout line if you want to use the default timeout of 120 seconds. The above specifies a timeout of 300 seconds. You can also leave out the debug_level line, or change its value depending on the how much information you want reported in the /var/adm/log/asppp.log file.

See the PPP man page, aspppd, the ifconfig man page, and the relevant chapters in SunOS 5.3 Administering TCP/IP and PPP for a more thorough discussion of the contents of the /etc/asppp.cf file.

Configuring the UUCP Dialing Facility

Solaris PPP uses the UUCP dialing facility to create a connection with the remote dial-in PPP server. Parameters specific to the modem and the remote server are defined in the UUCP configuration files, /etc/uucp/System, /etc/uucp/Devices, and /etc/uucp/Dialers. You will have to add entries to these files to describe the Sun PCMCIA modem, to specify the phone number for the PPP server, and to specify the login name and password that your SPARCstation Voyager will use to connect to the server.

It is not possible to provide a detailed procedure for editing the UUCP configuration files that will work in all cases. However, the following procedure is similar to what you need to do if you are using the Sun PCMCIA modem and connecting to a PPP server that is running the Solaris 7 PPP software.

  1. Obtain the following information:

    • The peer system name for the remote PPP server. In the following example we use "PPPserver."

    • The phone number for the PPP server. In the following example, we use "5551212."

    • The login name that you can use. In the following example, we use "voyager."

    • The password associated with the above login name. In the following example, we use "Secret!"

  2. Add a single line similar to the following to the /etc/uucp/Systems file: 

    PPPserver Any PCMCIA 38400 5551212 "" P_ZERO "" \r\n\c ogin: voyager ssword: Secret!

    Be sure you enter the line as one line.

    Table 6-1 Systems File Elements

    Element 

    Definition 

    PPPserver

    This is the peer system name. It is the same name you assigned to the peer_system_name keyword when you created the /etc/asppp.cf file.

    Any

    The number can be dialed at any time. 

    PCMCIA

    Use the PCMCIA device. 

    38400

    The modem/computer speed. 

    5551212

    The phone number for the PPP server. 

    P_ZERO

    No parity. 

    \r\n\c

    Send a carriage return and line feed character to the remote system. 

    ogin:

    Expect to see a string ending in "ogin:" sent by the remote system.  

    voyager

    The login name you use to log into the remote server. It is sent to the remote server. 

    ssword:

    Expect to receive a string ending in "ssword:". 

    Secret!

    The password associated with the login name. It is sent to the remote system. 

  3. Add the following line to the /etc/uucp/Devices file: 

    PCMCIA cua/0 - 38400 sun-pcmcia

    The line specifies that the PCMCIA device is plugged into socket 1, runs at 38400 bps between the computer and the modem, and is a Sun PCMCIA modem. If you want to plug the Sun modem into socket 2, change cua/0 to cua/1.

  4. Add the following single line to the /etc/uucp/Dialers file: 

    sun-pcmcia =,-, "" \dA\pT&F2\r\c OK\r \EATDT\T\r\c 
CONNECT\s14400/ARQ STTY=crtscts

    Be sure the line is entered as a single line consisted of 82 characters. This line describes the "AT" commands that are sent to the Sun PCMCIA modem to initialize it for PPP operation and to dial the phone number for the remote PPP server.

For a more detailed explanation of the contents of the UUCP configuration files, see Appendix A of SunOS 5.3 Administering TCP/IP and PPP.

Initiating a Connection to the Remote PPP Server

Before a connection can be established, you must bring up the PPP interface specified in the /etc/asppp.cf file (ipdptp0) and establish a default route to the remote server. The default route allows you to communicate with other hosts on the network connected to the remote PPP server.

  1. Bring up the interface with the ifconfig command. 

    %ifconfig ipdptp0 up

  2. Establish a default route with the route command: 

    %route add default PPPserver 1

    In the command, PPPserver should be replaced by the actual name of the remote PPP server you are connecting to. This is the same name that was used as the second address in the ifconfig command added to the /etc/asppp.cf file.

  3. Initiate a connection with the ping command: 

    %ping PPPserver 120

    Again, PPPserver is an example name and should be replaced with the actual name of your PPP server. The above command specifies a timeout limit of 120 seconds.

    If the ping command succeeds, it will return the result: 

    PPPserver is alive

    If the ping command fails, it will return the result: 

    no answer from PPPserver

To determine how the connection is working, watch the log file with the command tail -f /var/adm/log/asppp.log.

If the ping command failed, it means that the ipdptp0 interface is not configured properly or is not up, the route table is not configured properly, or that the UUCP files are not configured properly. If, after checking the status of the interface with the ifconfig command and checking the route table with the netstat command, you believe your UUCP files may be configured incorrectly, inspect the /var/adm/log/asppp.log file for clues. You may also find it beneficial to seek the advice of a system administrator familiar with the Solaris 7 PPP system.

Terminating the Connection

Normally the PPP connection will terminate automatically when the PPP daemon notices the line has been idle for a period longer than the period specified by the inactivity_timeout keyword in the /etc/asppp.cf file. If you want to terminate the connection earlier, you must send the SIGHUP signal to the aspppd daemon.

  1. Find the process ID for aspppd with the ps and grep commands. 

    ps -e | grep aspppd

    A result similar to the following will appear: 

    73?				0:02 aspppd

    The 73 is the process ID number of aspppd.

  2. Send the SIGHUP signal with the kill command. 

    kill -HUP 73

    The PPP connection is terminated.

Automatic Connections

Solaris 7 PPP will automatically connect to the PPP server whenever a process on the SPARCstation Voyager generates an IP datagram for delivery to a host on the remote network. The first access can take several minutes to complete because PPP dials the remote system, logs in, and sets up the correct routing configuration. To avoid additional delays due to a command "backing off" because it does not receive an immediate reply from the remote end of the connection, establish the connection first by executing a simple command such as ping.

If you do not want connections to occur spontaneously, you must turn off the PPP interface by marking it down with the ifconfig command. 

%ifconfig ipdptp down

Remember to turn on the interface when you want connections to start again. 

%ifconfig ipdptp up

Boot Issues

After configuration, PPP will be enabled automatically when the system boots. If you use the NIS name service, PPP will attempt to dial the remote PPP server when the NIS daemon, ypbind, is started. If you do not want PPP to allow automatic connections, change the ifconfig line in the /etc/asppp.cf file so the interface is marked down. In the earlier example, the line would appear as: 

ifconfig ipdptp0 plumb Gypsy PPPserver private down

After boot, it is necessary to reestablish the default route, using the route command. 

% route add default PPPserver 1

Other Issues

If you want to connect your SPARCstation Voyager to Ethernet, mark the PPP interface down and remove the default route before you plug in the Ethernet cable. Otherwise, your SPARCstation Voyager may act as a router. 

% ifconfig ipdptp down
% route delete default PPPserver

Remember to replace the name PPPserver with the name of your PPP server.

Additional Information

For more detailed information about PPP, refer to SunOS 5.3 Administering TCP/IP and PPP and the aspppd man page. Refer to the relevant man pages for more information on the commands used to administer the PPP interface and the system routing table.