Sometimes you may have difficulty making a PPP connection by using
wvdial. In such a case, it's helpful to know how to
make a PPP connection manually. Once you make a connection, you can
use email and Usenet newsgroups to seek the help you need to resolve
your problem in using
wvdial.
Before making the PPP connection, you must have:
-
Established the name server configuration, as described in Chapter 10.
-
Established the PAP configuration, done for you by
pppconfig as described earlier in this
chapter.
If you're unsure whether you've performed these operations, do
them again, just to be safe.
To make a PPP connection manually, log in as
root, launch
minicom and dial
your ISP. If your ISP prompts for a userid or password, reply
appropriately. Most ISPs now use automatic authentication, so it isn't
usually necessary to enter your user information. Once authentication
is complete, nonsense characters should begin to appear on
minicom's screen. Type
Ctrl-A then
J to
suspend
minicom and launch a shell. At the shell
prompt, issue the commands:
route del default
pppd -detach defaultroute /dev/modem 38400 &
In a short while, the PPP connection should be made. To verify
that the connection is working, use a web browser to contact a remote
server. If this doesn't work, check your configuration
carefully.
To shut down the PPP connection, issue the command:
poff
After a short pause, the modem will hang up. To resume
minicom, type the command:
fg
You can then exit
minicom normally.
