Topic: Connection Problems using Modem

[James Shields]

I have installed 4.1.1 and intend connecting permanently using a Modem. My ISP has provided me a dialin number, a username, password, Hostname, Gateway IP, Customer WAN IP, Customer WAN IP Mask and an IP address for a DNS Service.

The e-smith server is dialing, handshaking for about 5 seconds, then disconnecting. I have double checked the settings, but no luck. I have confirmed my ISP account is working, by using a Windows ME computer to connect as a dial-up account, with the only change being the specifying of the IP address.

What appears to be the problem, is I cannot seem to find where I configure the "external IP and IP mask" in the e-smith server. I have isolated this as the problem, as I can get the e-smith server to connect using a dial-up account that uses dynamically assigned IP address from the ISP.

Can anybody help ?

[Charlie Brady]

James Shields wrote:

> What appears to be the problem, is I cannot seem to find
> where I configure the "external IP and IP mask" in the
> e-smith server. I have isolated this as the problem, as I can
> get the e-smith server to connect using a dial-up account
> that uses dynamically assigned IP address from the ISP.
>
> Can anybody help ?

Yes, your ISP can help (*). It is the responsibility of their PPP server to allocate the correct IP address to you.

Failing that, you will have to make a custom template containing the local (and perhaps remote IP address) of the PPP link.

Create a directory /etc/e-smith/templates-custom/etc/diald-conf.
Create the file pppd-options in that directory contianing:

pppd-options name "{ $DialupUserAccount }" noauth x.x.x.x: ipparam diald

(one line - it seems to wrap in Phorum). Put your IP address in place of x.x.x.x.

You do not normally specify an IP mask for PPP links - they are point to point links, and you specify the IP address of each "point".

After making this change, do:

/sbin/e-smith/signal-event post-upgrade
/sbin/e-smith/signal-event reboot

and you link should come up. If it doesn't, look in /var/log/messages for lines containing "pppd", and repost them here and ask for further advice.

(*) OTOH, your ISP may have no clue,

Charlie

[James Shields]

Charlie,

I created the directory as advised. I assume the last directory name was not to have the period included. I then used vi to create a file called "pppd-options" containing the line exactly as you described (inserted IP address as advised).

I then ran two commands lines as advised. On reboot I still have the same error.

Any further suggestions ?

[Charlie Brady]

James Shields wrote:

> I then ran two commands lines as advised. On reboot I still
> have the same error.
>
> Any further suggestions ?

See my earlier advice - search through /var/log/messages for lines containing "pppd" and repost them here.

Charlie

[James Shields]

Back one step. In your first reply, you said to create a directory /diald-conf.
Is it supposed to have the period (.) as part of the directory name ?

Also, I am a bit confused with the syntax of the file contents. If my username is jamess0 and my assigned IP is 139.130.141.21 should the contents be:

pppd-options name jamess0 noauth 139.130.141.21: ipparam diald

In regards to the syntax, should the username have quotation marks(") around it, and is the IP address supposed to have a colon ( at the end of it ?

Thanks in advance.

[Ross Laver]

James,

The directory diald-conf should not have a period.

Charlie's instructions were to create the file pppd-options in that directory containing:

pppd-options name "{ $DialupUserAccount }" noauth x.x.x.x: ipparam diald

(where x.x.x.x is your ip address)

You appear to have written:

pppd-options name jamess0 noauth 139.130.141.21: ipparam diald

Note the difference - you wrote jamess0 in place of "{ $DialupUserAccount }"

Perhaps you can refer back to Charlie's instructions and try it again.

Cheers

[Ross Laver]

BTW, if that doesn't work it would be a good idea to contact an e-smith authorized partner in your area or consult your ISP, since the main issue here appears to be an ISP setup problem.

[James Shields]

Thanks to Charlie Brady & Ross Laver for helping me resolve my connection problems. Being a Linux newbie, I had no idea how to create a directory or a file. So after much fumbling and getting the syntax correct my e-smith server is now connected.

Thanks again for the advice.

[Ross Laver]

Delighted to hear that, James. The credit belongs to Charlie; I'm still learning. For example, I believe your use of jamess0 in place of "{ $DialupUserAccount }" should not have made any difference, since the latter simply calls up your user account id.

In any event, hope you enjoy your e-smith server.