Connecting to a PPP Server without dialing to it directly.
This might be helpful for people wanting to connect to a PPP Server being the PPP Server the one who originates the call and the client is needed to answer, I have this dilemma and it was really hard to get it to work but actually is a very simple thing, I use Sco Openserver 5.0.5 as the PPP server and Linux Mandrake 9.0 (8.2 works fine as well) also I have used it with Slackware linux 8.0 and works fine, but with Redmond Linux it just doesn't work (mainly I think because of how kppp is installed by default but dunno for sure).
I installed the PPP Server thru netconfig > add wan device > PPP Stack, on the scopenserver side , created when prompted the nppp account designed for Dial in access with the proper TCP/IP addresses on both the server part and the client part, it is important here that when the system asks if you want to give the nppp user a number you give it ( I used 121, but others apply well just as fine) also pick the password and put one there when asked it is better to let the server generates you one than to make your own to avoid possible security issues, I did not wanted to make it harder using other options like authorizations other then the plain terminal login so I didn't set up that, recompile your kernel and everything or it won't work, the program does this all for you just answer yes when prompted (netconfig).
Also I setup a little script that just do this command:
ct -s57600 82-9-4152092
ct is used to spawn a terminal process thru the telephone to a remote PC that can answer the telephone via the modem (s0=1, on the modem command line will answer after 1 ring usually or directly typing ATA).
The -s option is the speed (57600 in this case) if your modem have other speeds put the one you want to use here, as in scopenserver if you don't give it the speed that your modem is configure with it will not find a dialer and nothing will work. Also here you might have problems if you didn't set up your serial ports with the speed of the modem, in openserver this is easy thru the scoadmin utility, be sure to check all this or will not work.
I put that command in a little script (just that line actually) and then with the command "at" I programmed it to call me when I want to enter to the net, I also made a little program to make this even easier on foxplus. see (man at for details).
That's it for the server part.
On the client I use linux, have tried to do this with windows dialer but no luck so far, also in linux I use the kppp dialer because is the more complete one I have found, and the gnome dialer hasn't work fine with this particular configuration, (by the way I prefer gnome to kde any day) maybe is just a matter to look a bit harder to make it work with any other dialer, I dunno, specially because it doesn't have the wait for tone before dialing feature (to disable that of course not to enable it!!). So it is probably fair to say that any dialer that allows that feature (to be disable) would work with this setup, or if you are savvy than do that thru the modem commands ( don't know about that).
In the Kppp dialer in configuration > modem get rid of the wait for tone before dialing option (unchecked it) > then on modem commands where it says dialing string put ATA instead of ATDT (or whatever is there).
And alternative to this is to put in the initialization string something like "ats0=1" and just leave the kppp dialer on (using the connect botton) and wait for the connection to stablish itself, better yet use a script to logon and then you wouldn't even need to type your user-password it will be completely automatic the whole thing, haven't tried this yet but is reasonably possible (and not too hard). This would be useful for example to receive your emails at certain without having to log on to anything and without you being there necessarily complement this with auto start the computer auto shutdown the computer (apm + linux) and you could have some sort of mail server, I dunno just figure.
Create a new account in kppp in the tab conexions > new > don't configure thru dialogs manually is faster and better (for me) for the telephone number you want to just type "," (without the quotes) and for authentification options you want to use the "terminal based" option (this is because I don't want to mess up with other (PAP/CHAP) authentification options, because I dunno how to setup that on the server (and don't care for the moment).
That's it, make the server call you, start kppp on the side of the client computer when the phone rings click connect (for that you should now at what time ther server will call you so that you don't miss other calls), it will go thru the normal sounds of the modems connecting and it will present you with the terminal based log on screen type in the user nppp (if that's the user you set up on your server for ppp) and the password you assigned than if your are using openserver and entered your user and password correctly it will send the string Sco Openserver PPP server and some garbled characters (don't worry it won't hung up) then press Continue bottom of kppp terminal login, and that's it you will be connected to the server via PPP
sometimes ( i dunno why ) you would have to issue a command like this (while being root on your local system):
route add default ppp0
most of the time you don't, but in case nothing seem to work do that and it will.
Now I am working on other options like making default connections, connecting two lans thru PPP, arp, etcetera reading the apropiate HOW TO'S but once you get this working the other things can continue to be studied and used. This procedure was really hard to develop and unfortunately there is little or no info about something like this in the web (so far as for the 2 or so months I looked for).
I want to make this in linux (being linux the ppp server) but I don't know what to use for the caller program (ct in openserver what in linux???)... if you have suggestion for this they're most appreciated.
Enjoy.
This might be helpful for people wanting to connect to a PPP Server being the PPP Server the one who originates the call and the client is needed to answer, I have this dilemma and it was really hard to get it to work but actually is a very simple thing, I use Sco Openserver 5.0.5 as the PPP server and Linux Mandrake 9.0 (8.2 works fine as well) also I have used it with Slackware linux 8.0 and works fine, but with Redmond Linux it just doesn't work (mainly I think because of how kppp is installed by default but dunno for sure).
I installed the PPP Server thru netconfig > add wan device > PPP Stack, on the scopenserver side , created when prompted the nppp account designed for Dial in access with the proper TCP/IP addresses on both the server part and the client part, it is important here that when the system asks if you want to give the nppp user a number you give it ( I used 121, but others apply well just as fine) also pick the password and put one there when asked it is better to let the server generates you one than to make your own to avoid possible security issues, I did not wanted to make it harder using other options like authorizations other then the plain terminal login so I didn't set up that, recompile your kernel and everything or it won't work, the program does this all for you just answer yes when prompted (netconfig).
Also I setup a little script that just do this command:
ct -s57600 82-9-4152092
ct is used to spawn a terminal process thru the telephone to a remote PC that can answer the telephone via the modem (s0=1, on the modem command line will answer after 1 ring usually or directly typing ATA).
The -s option is the speed (57600 in this case) if your modem have other speeds put the one you want to use here, as in scopenserver if you don't give it the speed that your modem is configure with it will not find a dialer and nothing will work. Also here you might have problems if you didn't set up your serial ports with the speed of the modem, in openserver this is easy thru the scoadmin utility, be sure to check all this or will not work.
I put that command in a little script (just that line actually) and then with the command "at" I programmed it to call me when I want to enter to the net, I also made a little program to make this even easier on foxplus. see (man at for details).
That's it for the server part.
On the client I use linux, have tried to do this with windows dialer but no luck so far, also in linux I use the kppp dialer because is the more complete one I have found, and the gnome dialer hasn't work fine with this particular configuration, (by the way I prefer gnome to kde any day) maybe is just a matter to look a bit harder to make it work with any other dialer, I dunno, specially because it doesn't have the wait for tone before dialing feature (to disable that of course not to enable it!!). So it is probably fair to say that any dialer that allows that feature (to be disable) would work with this setup, or if you are savvy than do that thru the modem commands ( don't know about that).
In the Kppp dialer in configuration > modem get rid of the wait for tone before dialing option (unchecked it) > then on modem commands where it says dialing string put ATA instead of ATDT (or whatever is there).
And alternative to this is to put in the initialization string something like "ats0=1" and just leave the kppp dialer on (using the connect botton) and wait for the connection to stablish itself, better yet use a script to logon and then you wouldn't even need to type your user-password it will be completely automatic the whole thing, haven't tried this yet but is reasonably possible (and not too hard). This would be useful for example to receive your emails at certain without having to log on to anything and without you being there necessarily complement this with auto start the computer auto shutdown the computer (apm + linux) and you could have some sort of mail server, I dunno just figure.
Create a new account in kppp in the tab conexions > new > don't configure thru dialogs manually is faster and better (for me) for the telephone number you want to just type "," (without the quotes) and for authentification options you want to use the "terminal based" option (this is because I don't want to mess up with other (PAP/CHAP) authentification options, because I dunno how to setup that on the server (and don't care for the moment).
That's it, make the server call you, start kppp on the side of the client computer when the phone rings click connect (for that you should now at what time ther server will call you so that you don't miss other calls), it will go thru the normal sounds of the modems connecting and it will present you with the terminal based log on screen type in the user nppp (if that's the user you set up on your server for ppp) and the password you assigned than if your are using openserver and entered your user and password correctly it will send the string Sco Openserver PPP server and some garbled characters (don't worry it won't hung up) then press Continue bottom of kppp terminal login, and that's it you will be connected to the server via PPP
sometimes ( i dunno why ) you would have to issue a command like this (while being root on your local system):
route add default ppp0
most of the time you don't, but in case nothing seem to work do that and it will.
Now I am working on other options like making default connections, connecting two lans thru PPP, arp, etcetera reading the apropiate HOW TO'S but once you get this working the other things can continue to be studied and used. This procedure was really hard to develop and unfortunately there is little or no info about something like this in the web (so far as for the 2 or so months I looked for).
I want to make this in linux (being linux the ppp server) but I don't know what to use for the caller program (ct in openserver what in linux???)... if you have suggestion for this they're most appreciated.
Enjoy.
