Using GNOME-PPP to Connect with Eskimo North

The following are comprehensive instructions and window snapshots on getting GNOME-PPP, a dialup utility for users of X window managers using the GNU Network Object Model Environment, to connect to Eskimo North. More information about GNOME can be found at http://www.gnome.org/. The "PPP Dialup Utility" is listed in the default GNOME system menu under the section labeled "Internet". If it is not shown there in your configuration, you may need to run the command "gnome-ppp &" from a console or terminal window.

Start the PPP dialup utility as described above, and you'll see an empty utility with only a few options available:

Select the "Account" menu and choose "New...". In the new window, the first tab called "Dial" has some general information about the entry we're creating. Enter a name (anything you want) in the "Account Name" box, then enter your local access number into the "Phone Number" entry box and click the "Add" button.

In the "Authentication" tab, enter your account's login and password. This would be one of three pairs of information:

• Your 56k/ISDN login and password for accessing the 56k/ISDN lines,
• Your email login and Non-Dedicated PPP password for those with the PPP setup on the v.34 lines (Western WA only), or
• Your email login and email password for those using Emulated SLIP/PPP on the v.34 lines (Western WA only) or through a remote shell.

Because GNOME stores this information in a text configuration file, be sure to follow the Security Note at the end of the setup for added security.

Set all three options in the "IP Address" tab to "Dynamic".

Click the "DNS" Tab. Add the Eskimo North DNS Servers (one at a time) into the "IP Address" box and click "Add" for each entry. The name servers are "204.122.16.8" and "204.122.16.9".

Click the "Script" tab. Add entries by selecting an action from the drop-down list on the top of the section, entering any needed text in the available box, and clicking "Add". You can remove entries by selecting them and clicking "Remove". There are different requirements for the script based on different types of dialup access.

• 56k/ISDN (shown below)
  • Receive the text "login:"
  • Send User Name
  • Receive the text "Password:"
  • Send User Password
  
  
• V.34 Non-Dedicated SLIP/PPP (Snapshot available)
  • Receive the text "==>"
  • Send the text "p" for PPP, or "s" for SLIP
  • Receive the text "Username:"
  • Send User Name
  • Receive the text "Password:"
  • Send User Password
  • Receive the text "PPP" (or "SLIP")
  
  
• V.34 Emulated SLIP/PPP (Snapshot available)
  • Receive the text "==>"
  • Send the text "4"
  • Receive the text "login:"
  • Send User Name
  • Receive the text "Password:"
  • Send User Password
  • Receive the text "Command?"
  • Send the text "i.s -P"
  • Receive the text "Ready"

Click the "PPP" tab. Be sure the "Add Default Route" and "Lock Dialout Device" are turned on (checked or indented), and click "OK".

Security Note: GNOME-PPP stores it's setup information, including any user names and passwords, in a text configuration file. On a default system, this should be in "$HOME/.gnome/Gnome-PPP", but you may need to explore directories if it's not stored there on your system. Once you find the file, be sure to set permissions on it so that only your userid (and root) can read it.

chmod 600 $HOME/.gnome/Gnome-PPP

To dial the created entry, click the "Connect" button in the main PPP Dialup Utility window. For troubleshooting, you can watch the script as it parses by opening the "View" menu and selecting "Debug Terminal". While connected, you cannot close the GNOME-PPP window (although you can certainly iconify it), and it will show you the process id used by the connection.

To hangup, click the "Disconnect" button in the main PPP Dialup Utility window.