I have strange problem with IPX over PPP, probably connected with
kernel. We have NetWare 4.11 lan with Win95 workstations and Debian
Linux box, directly connected to Internet. Linux box has kernel
2.0.33, pppd 2.3.5, ipxripd 0.7-4 and works as dial-up PPP server,
IPX over Ethernet works well.
Symptoms: TCP/IP works always well. If on Win95 client side is allowed
only IPX, it works also well. If on Win95 client side are allowed both
TCP/IP and IPX, TCP/IP works always well, IPX connections come up
accidentally and in most cases fails, but if once started, works well.
I tried with binary pppd from debian package, pppd compiled myself,
also binary pppd, which worked with IP and IPX on another Linux box,
results was same.
Logfiles: Different logfiles was investigated: syslog with debug and
kdebug options, ipxripd logfiles, ipx_up and ipx_down scripts logged
parameters of IPX layer, also copied /proc/net/ipx_interface and
/proc/net/ipx_route just after ipxcp come up and after "killall -HUP
ipxd" (to be sure, that file /proc/net/ipx_interface is rescanned).
Results: In all cases ipxcp layer come up (syslog with debug, ipxd
logs shows right in time SAP from ppp0 net, logfiles of ipx_up and
ipx_down scripts shows always correct parameters of ipx interface). If
IPX works, correct are also copies of ipx_interface and ipx_route
files, but if IPX fails, in both files ppp as ipx interface was
absent. Another difference: in _all_ cases if IPX fails, ipxcp layer
was up _before_ ipcp layer (syslog with debug).
That looks like ipxcp layer itself works (also in case if ipcp layer
is up already), but if ipxcp layer is up first, ipcp layer when come
up in some way disturbs writing of ipx info to ipx_interface file,
which causes fail of ipx routing.
I hacked ipxcp.c and added delay to ipxcp negotiations. It has
actually effect to both ipxcp and ipcp, but effect to ipxcp is a bit
greater and now ipx over ppp at least works somehow. To find real
reasons of problem I sent letters to linux-ppp and linux-net mailing
lists.
As one answer I received copy of one thread from april 1998, where
just same problem was described (with 2.0.33 kernel and pppd-2.3.4).
There was also tried 2.1.94 kernel and bug was no longer in! But
ipx-routers don't worked with this kernel.
Finally that all looks like kernel problem. (As I wrote above, I tried
different pppd binaries, also one from system where both IP and IPX
works well). I just tried kernel 2.0.34, but with just same result as
2.0.33.
Can anybody help ?
Best regards,
Valentin Abramov
E-Mail: valja@tartu.customs.ee
WEB: http://www.tartu.customs.ee/valentin.shtml
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