-This is the README file for ppp-2.2, a package which implements the
+This is the README file for ppp-2.3, a package which implements the
Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) to provide Internet connections over
serial lines.
+In this first beta release, the ports for SunOS, Solaris, NetBSD and
+Digital Unix (OSF/1) are believed to be working correctly. The Linux
+port mostly works, but still has some known bugs (demand dialling
+doesn't work correctly). The remaining ports haven't been tested
+extensively. The NeXTStep port is not included here since it hasn't
+been updated from 2.2 yet. For information on its current status, see
+http://www.thoughtport.com:8080/PPP/.
+
Introduction.
*************
-The Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) provides a standard way to transmit
-datagrams over a serial link, as well as a standard way for the
-machines at either end of the link (the `peers') to negotiate various
-optional characteristics of the link. Using PPP, a serial link can be
-used to transmit Internet Protocol (IP) datagrams, allowing TCP/IP
-connections between the peers. PPP is defined in several RFC (Request
-For Comments) documents, in particular RFCs 1661, 1662, 1332 and 1334.
-Other RFCs describe standard ways to transmit datagrams from other
-network protocols (e.g., DECnet, OSI, Appletalk), but this package
-only supports IP.
+The Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) provides a standard way to establish
+a network connection over a serial link. At present, this package
+supports IP and the protocols layered above IP, such as TCP and UDP.
+The Linux port of this package also has support for IPX.
This software consists of two parts:
- Kernel code, which establishes a network interface and passes
packets between the serial port, the kernel networking code and the
PPP daemon (pppd). This code is implemented using STREAMS modules on
-SunOS 4.x, AIX 4.1 and OSF/1, and as a line discipline under Ultrix,
-NextStep, NetBSD, FreeBSD, and Linux.
+SunOS 4.x, Solaris 2.x, System V Release 4, and OSF/1, and as a
+line discipline under Ultrix, NextStep, NetBSD, FreeBSD, and Linux.
- The PPP daemon (pppd), which negotiates with the peer to establish
the link and sets up the ppp network interface. Pppd includes support
that system. The supported systems, and the corresponding README
files, are:
- SunOS 4.x README.sun
- NetBSD, FreeBSD README.bsd
- Ultrix 4.x README.ultrix
+ Digital Unix (OSF/1) README.osf
Linux README.linux
- OSF/1 README.osf
- AIX 4.x README.aix4
+ NetBSD, FreeBSD README.bsd
NeXTStep README.next
- Solaris 2 README.svr4
+ Solaris 2 README.sol2
+ SunOS 4.x README.sunos4
+ System V Release 4 README.svr4
+ Ultrix 4.x README.ultrix
+
+(Unfortunately, AIX 4 is no longer supported, since I don't have a
+maintainer for the AIX 4 port. If you want to volunteer, contact me.)
In each case you start by running the ./configure script. This works
out which operating system you are using and creates symbolic links to
details.
-What is new in ppp-2.2.
-***********************
+What's new in ppp-2.3.
+**********************
+
+* Demand-dialling. Pppd now has a mode where it will establish the
+network interface immediately when it starts, but not actually bring
+the link up until it sees some data to be sent. Look for the demand
+option description in the pppd man page.
-* More systems are now supported:
+* Idle timeout. Pppd will optionally terminate the link if no data
+packets are sent or received within a certain time interval.
- AIX 4, thanks to Charlie Wick (cwick@quaver.urbana.mcd.mot.com)
- OSF/1 on DEC Alpha, thanks to Steve Tate (srt@zaphod.csci.unt.edu)
- NextStep 3.2 and 3.3, thanks to Philip-Andrew Prindeville
- (philipp@res.enst.fr) and Steve Perkins (perkins@cps.msu.edu)
- Solaris 2
+* Pppd now runs the /etc/ppp/auth-up script, if it exists, when the
+peer successfully authenticates itself, and /etc/ppp/auth-down when
+the connection is subsequently terminated. This can be useful for
+accounting purposes.
-in addition to NetBSD 1.0, SunOS 4.x, Ultrix 4.x, FreeBSD 2.0, and
-Linux.
+* A new packet compression scheme, Deflate, has been implemented.
+This uses the same compression method as `gzip'. This method is free
+of patent or copyright restrictions, and it achieves better
+compression than BSD-Compress. It does consume more CPU cycles for
+compression than BSD-Compress, but this shouldn't be a problem for
+links running at 100kbit/s or less.
-* Packet compression has been implemented. This version implements
-CCP (Compression Control Protocol) and the BSD-Compress compression
-scheme according to the current draft RFCs. This means that incoming
-and outgoing packets can be compressed with the LZW scheme (same as
-the `compress' command) using a code size of up to 15 bits.
+* There is no code in this distribution which is covered by Brad
+Clements' restrictive copyright notice. The STREAMS modules for SunOS
+and OSF/1 have been rewritten, based on the Solaris 2 modules, which
+were written from scratch without any Clements code.
-* Some bug fixes to the LCP protocol code. In particular, pppd now
-correctly replies with a Configure-NAK (instead of a Configure-Reject)
-if the peer asks for CHAP and pppd is willing to do PAP but not CHAP.
+* Pppstats has been reworked to clean up the output format somewhat.
+It also has a new -d option which displays data rate in kbyte/s for
+those columns which would normally display bytes.
-* The ip-up and ip-down scripts are now run with the real user ID set
-to root, and with an empty environment. Clearing the environment
-fixes a security hole.
+* Pppd options beginning with - or + have been renamed, e.g. -ip
+became noip, +chap became require-chap, etc. The old options are
+still accepted for compatibility but may be removed in future.
-* The kernel code on NetBSD, FreeBSD, NextStep and Ultrix has been
-restructured to make it easier to implement PPP over devices other
-than asynchronous tty ports (for example, synchronous serial ports).
+* Pppd now has some options (such as the new `noauth' option) which
+can only be specified if it is being run by root, or in an
+"privileged" options file: /etc/ppp/options or an options file in the
+/etc/ppp/peers directory. There is a new "call" option to read
+options from a file in /etc/ppp/peers, making it possible for non-root
+users to make unauthenticated connections, but only to certain trusted
+peers. My intention is to make the `auth' option the default in a
+future release.
-* pppd now looks at the list of interfaces in the system to determine
-what the netmask should be. In most cases, this should eliminate the
-need to use the `netmask' option.
+* Several minor new features have been added to pppd, including the
+maxconnect and welcome options. Pppd will now terminate the
+connection when there are no network control protocols running. The
+allowed IP address(es) field in the secrets files can now specify
+subnets (with a notation like 123.45.67.89/24) and addresses which are
+not acceptable (put a ! on the front).
-* There is a new `papcrypt' option to pppd, which specifies that
-secrets in /etc/ppp/pap-secrets used for authenticating the peer are
-encrypted, so pppd always encrypts the peer's password before
-comparing it with the secret from /etc/ppp/pap-secrets. This gives
-better security.
+* Numerous bugs have been fixed (no doubt some have been introduced :-)
+Thanks to those who reported bugs in ppp-2.2.
Patents.
Contacts.
*********
-Bugs in the the SunOS, NetBSD and Ultrix ports and bugs in pppd, chat
-or pppstats should be reported to:
+Bugs in the the SunOS, Solaris 2, NetBSD and Ultrix ports, and bugs in
+pppd, chat or pppstats should be reported me at:
+
+ email: Paul.Mackerras@cs.anu.edu.au
- paulus@cs.anu.edu.au
- Paul Mackerras
- Dept. of Computer Science
- Australian National University
- Canberra ACT 0200
- AUSTRALIA
+ mail: Dr Paul Mackerras
+ Dept. of Computer Science
+ Australian National University
+ Canberra ACT 0200
+ AUSTRALIA
+
+ fax: +61-6-249-0010
Bugs in other ports should be reported to the maintainer for that port
-(see the appropriate README.* file) or to the above.
+(see the appropriate README.* file) or to me.
Thanks to:
Copyrights:
+***********
-Most of the code can be freely used and redistributed. The STREAMS
-code for SunOS 4.x, OSF/1 and AIX 4 is under a more restrictive
-copyright:
+All of the code can be freely used and redistributed.
- This code is Copyright (C) 1989, 1990 By Brad K. Clements,
- All Rights Reserved.
- You may use this code for your personal use, to provide a non-profit
- service to others, or to use as a test platform for a commercial
- implementation.
+Distribution:
+*************
- You may NOT use this code in a commercial product, nor to provide a
- commercial service, nor may you sell this code without express
- written permission of the author.
+The primary site for releases of this software is:
- Otherwise, Enjoy!
+ ftp://cs.anu.edu.au/pub/software/ppp/
-This copyright applies to (parts of) the following files:
- sunos/ppp_async.c
- sunos/ppp_if.c
- aix4/ppp_async.c
- aix4/ppp_if.c
- net/ppp_str.h
- pppd/sys-str.c
- pppd/sys-osf.c
- pppd/sys-aix4.c
+($Id: README,v 1.7 1996/08/28 06:30:32 paulus Exp $)
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