Dear friends:
Below is a solution to a problem that can drive newbies up the wall and
straight into a mental asylum. It is completely unnecessary and, in my
opinion, should be automatically incorporated into Mandrake's routines.
I use the U. S. Robotics 56k external modem, which, according to our
resident gurus, is probably the best modem to use with Linux (at any
rate, it must be an external modem. Internal modems cause too many IRQ
problems).
Using kppp or any dialer, you dial in, the modem rings, you go through
the normal logging routines, and just as you are about to connect, the
modem pulls back and STARTS DIALING AGAIN. OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
The solution, apparently, has nothing to do with the connection speed.
If your modem "connects" to
the Internet and then, at the last second, disconnects and RESTARTS the
process ad infinitum, the problem is one of authentification. The
solution has to be one of the simplest in the whole of Linux.
I learned this from a kind list member. I am just passing it on.
Make sure you etch it on your forehead in case you
need to restore your system or you will not remember the solution.
Here it is:
[sher@adsl-77-233-178 sher]$ cd /etc/ppp
[sher@adsl-77-233-178 ppp]$ ls
chap-secrets ioptions ip-down* ip-up* options pap-secrets peers/
[sher@adsl-77-233-178 ppp]$ cat options |more
lock
noauth
[sher@adsl-77-233-178 ppp]$
1) Open any text editor and go to /etc/ppp, then open the file called
"options". You will probably see the one word "lock" (as above) without
the quotes, of course. Now just add the one word "noauth", which means
"no authorization". This tells pppd (or kppp) NOT to look for any
further authentification. And suddenly, you are on the Net.
2) If you get a "lock" message when trying to connect, be sure to go to
/var/lock and just delete the "LCK..ttyS1" file.
Print this out and save it in a safe place in case you forget.
Benjamin
--
Benjamin and Anna Sher
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sher's Russian Web
http://www.websher.net
