> Last week we upgraded my school's linux gateway to 2.0.31-9, it is
> a 486DX2 Acer with a N2000 comp. network card, and installed a 56k
> modem. After the recompile pppd-2.3.0 wouldn't connect properly. In
> /var/log/messages it says that the modem dials out fine but when it
> trys to activate a connection at ppp0 it freezes. It just stays there
> until the isp disconnects it. Thank you for any help
>
> gilbert@softhome.net
This is a concequence of the fact that there are two copies of the ppp
kernel driver: the copy in the "offical" kernel (i.e. linux-2.0.30.tar.gz +
pre-2.1.31-9.diff.gz), and the copy in the ppp package (i.e.
ppp-2.3.1.tar.gz). At the moment, the kernel copy is from the 2.2.0 version
(?), and the newest version of the ppp package is 2.3.1 (if anybody knows of
a newer version, please reply privatly). A pppd can only be used with the
matching version of the kernel driver. So, to solve your problem, you need
to update the version of the kernel driver to match the userspace program.
(Hint: get ppp-2.3.1.tar.gz and follow it's instructions).
Is anybody working on syncing the kernel drivers in linux proper with those
in the ppp tarball? If not, I'm going to start doing it myself. Just a
couple of questions:
1) Should I bother with a 2.0.x version? (I think this goes under the
heading of new features, so no.)
2) Was ppp 2.3.1 written with the features added to the linux tree ported
back in to the ppp package? (I hope so, since this makes my job almost
trivial.)
3) Would Linus consider having the ppp stuff be "properity of Al Longyear"?
(Who appears to be the current maintainer.) That is, keep an eye on the
newest ppp relase (If you asked, I'm shure he would mail you whenever a new
version was relased), and sync the kernel tree with it. Otherwise, just
forward all ppp patches over to him. (OK, and do a bit of fiddling when the
kernel interfaces change.)
-=- James Mastros
PS - OK, so I can't count...
--- "Shooting as [a] communications method is obsolete even here in Bosnia, so I'll skip over it." -=- Dragisha Durich