Setup Dialup Multilink PPP in Ubuntu Linux
whosbest54
I have access to a dialup ISP that supports multilink PPP with 2 analog
modems and 2 phone lines. None of the GUI dialers for Ubuntu I could
find support multilink analog modem PPP connections.
After extensive searching, I found a forum post:
---
MLPPP on Linux is trivial, for the most part:
1) Add "mp" to your PPPd config file
2) Duplicate it
3) Change the device in the second file to where your second modem is
plugged in
4) Run PPPd on both files instead of just the one
Only trick from there is that you may have to retry the second
connection until it hits the same gateway as the first.
Not much detail in the post, but it got me on my way.
Setup the dialup connection using pppconfig & pon/poff. This is
described here:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/DialupModemHowto/SetUpDialer
This will create the pppd config file, located in /etc/ppp/peers.
You�ll need to open the file in the text editor with a sudo command in
terminal, as the files in that directory are protected.
Add "mp" to the first line of that file and save it.
Make a copy of the file and save it with another name in that directory.
Open the second file and change the modem device to the second modem.
So, if the first file has /dev/ttyS3 as the device, and the second modem
is on /dev/ttyS0, then change the line in the second file to /dev/ttyS0.
Then, you dial the connection in terminal by typing pon and then the
name of the first config file in terminal and then pon and the second.
The filename is case sensitive. For the above example, if the file
names are ISP1 and ISP2, the commands would be:
pon ISP1
pon ISP2
I found I can disconnect normally by ending just one of them, e.g.:
poff ISP1
I don�t see a reason this wouldn�t work in other versions of Linux that
support pppconfig & pon/off.
whosbest54
--
The flamewars are over...if you want it.
Unofficial rec.audio.opinion Usenet Group Brief User Guide:
http://whosbest54.netau.net/rao.htm
Unofficial rec.music.beatles Usenet Group Brief User Guide:
http://whosbest54.netau.net/rmb.html
Moe Trin
comp.os.linux.hardware, in article
<20090602-2...@whosbest54.news.shared-secrets.com>, whosbest54
wrote:
[Not sure why you chose c.o.l.hardware - this is more on-topic in the
group comp.os.linux.networking where some die-hard dialin support
people hang out]
>I have access to a dialup ISP that supports multilink PPP with 2 analog
>modems and 2 phone lines.
Analog modems are getting to be a bit on the rare side, but I see a
number of dialin service points offering to negotiate multilink.
>None of the GUI dialers for Ubuntu I could find support multilink
>analog modem PPP connections.
ALL GUI tools/applications/helpers will only do what the author
decided you might need. If they don't think you need it, it's almost
always impossible to kick the GUI in a way to make it do what _you_
want. The so-called helper GUIs for pppd are generally poorly
written crap created by those wishing to show off their object-oriented
programming skills, but who never bothered to read the RFCs that
define ppp, and didn't spend much time reading the pppd man page
either. And it shows.
>After extensive searching, I found a forum post:
man pppd
>Setup the dialup connection using pppconfig & pon/poff.
which is another set of helper tools for those who don't read the man
pages.
>This will create the pppd config file, located in /etc/ppp/peers.
>You?ll need to open the file in the text editor with a sudo command
>in terminal, as the files in that directory are protected.
>
>Add "mp" to the first line of that file and save it.
>
>Make a copy of the file and save it with another name in that directory.
> Open the second file and change the modem device to the second modem.
>Then, you dial the connection in terminal by typing pon and then the
>name of the first config file in terminal and then pon and the second.
The whole idea of setting up a multilink connection is to cause two
instances of pppd to run at the same time. GUIs waste so much memory
and CPU cycles, that they often refuse to run two or more instances
of the same application at the same time. All that is needed is a
simple script (one per modem). AN EXAMPLE of such a script would be
[galileo ~]$ cat /usr/local/bin/dialin.example
exec /usr/sbin/pppd user ibup...@example.com lock crtscts nodetach
defaultroute modem 115200 noipdefault /dev/ttyS0 connect "/usr/sbin/chat
ABORT BUSY \"\" AT\&F1 OK ATDT2662902 CONNECT \"\c\d\""
[galileo ~]$
CAUTION: That is a single very long (198 characters) line. Some "user
friendly" text editors can't create lines that long unless you read
the manual page to find out how to turn off "line-wrap".
NOTE: The 'user ibup...@example.com' has to match the username at
the ISP, and the line in /etc/ppp/pap-secrets and/or etc/ppp/chap-secrets
and/or /etc/ppp/srp-secrets depending on the authentication scheme used
by your ISP. SEE THE MAN PAGE! Some of the options included here could
equally be moved to /etc/ppp/options if desired.
NOTE: The 'AT\&F1' (the \ is escaping or hiding the & character from
the shell) is suited for US Robotics modems. Many others use 'AT\&F0'.
These reset the modem to "factory" defaults. "ATZ" is often seen in
modem scripts, and may or may not work as it is resetting the modem to
some undefined "saved" configuration. Use ATZ at your own risk.
NOTE: This script assumes you have set /etc/resolv.conf to contain one
to three 'nameserver' declarations.
To make this into the multilink capable script, you need to add the
'mr' or 'multilink' keyword (perhaps between the 'lock' and 'crtscts'
keywords), and correct the device number. Oh, and this/these scripts
have to be executable - 'man chmod'.
>I don?t see a reason this wouldn?t work in other versions of Linux
>that support pppconfig & pon/off.
Minor problem there. 'pppconfig' and pon/poff' are Debian tools,
and are only found on Debian and clones. However nothing is preventing
you from using any simple script - even one as crude as the one I show
above. Neither pppd or Multilink is that complicated - Linux people
have been using pppd for 15 years, and multilink for more than 8 years.
Old guy
whosbest54
ibup...@painkiller.example.tld says...
>
>[Not sure why you chose c.o.l.hardware - this is more on-topic in the
>group comp.os.linux.networking where some die-hard dialin support
>people hang out]
>
which groups had the most posts related to them. Based on your
suggestion, I will post in this in comp.os.linux.networking as well.
Man-wai Chang ToDie (+MS=V32B)
> pon ISP2
> poff ISP1
I think pon/poff/pppoeconf are for PPPOE connections, not PPP dial-up!
Here are the files I used to call a local dial-up PPP account:
*** /etc/ppp/peers/isp
###
#
connect "/usr/sbin/chat -f /etc/ppp/peers/isp.chat"
lock
modem
/dev/ttyS1 115200
crtscts
defaultroute
asyncmap 0
# netmask 255.255.255.0
# phone number
user "12345678"
idle 180
#debug
hide-password
mtu 576
bsdcomp 15,15
vj-max-slots 15
deflate 15,15
ipcp-accept-remote
ipcp-accept-local
**** /etc/ppp/peers/isp.chat
REPORT CONNECT
ABORT BUSY
ABORT "NO DIALTONE"
"" "ATM0DT21921400"
CONNECT ""
**** /etc/ppp/ppp-secrets
# Secrets for authentication using PAP
# client server secret IP addresses
"12345678" * "password"
After you created these files, you could call the ISP by
pppd call isp
--
@~@ Might, Courage, Vision, SINCERITY.
/ v \ Simplicity is Beauty! May the Force and Farce be with you!
/( _ )\ (Ubuntu 9.04) Linux 2.6.29.4
^ ^ 11:42:02 up 13 days 23:45 2 users load average: 1.10 1.21 1.18
???! ???! ???! ???! ???! ???! ????? (CSSA):
http://www.swd.gov.hk/tc/index/site_pubsvc/page_socsecu/sub_addressesa
Moe Trin
<20090603-2...@whosbest54.news.shared-secrets.com>, whosbest54 wrote:
>ibup...@painkiller.example.tld says...
>>[Not sure why you chose c.o.l.hardware - this is more on-topic in the
>>group comp.os.linux.networking where some die-hard dialin support
>>people hang out]
>It was based on a google groups (usenet) search for the related terms
>and which groups had the most posts related to them.
Good technique - but probably the old problem of "wrong search words".
On the 15th of each month, there is a posting to the Usenet newsgroups
news.announce.newgroups, news.groups and news.lists.misc with the
subject "List of Big Eight Newsgroups". There are 17 groups listed in
the comp.os.linux.* hierarchy, and specifically
comp.os.linux.hardware Hardware compatibility with the Linux operating system.
comp.os.linux.networking Networking and communications under Linux.
Old guy