dialup dropout using pon

[rapattack]

Hi I am still pretty new to Linux. Used Ubuntu on the laptop for a few months and now have Debian on my desktop machine but am struggling to get it connected via dialup. I printed out the How to configure a dialup modem for desktop or laptop. I got up to tying in the konsole pon. It connects but then disconnects straight away. My external modem makes all the right noises connecting. I know what I am supposed to do for Ubuntu but Debian is a little different so I am not sure if the "stupid mode" thing applies here? I must admist I couldn't get the pon/poff thing working in Ubuntu so it will be interesting to see it actually happen.
I was going to use kppp by te way but even though there is an icon in my menu there is no executable for it. Well that is the error when I click the icon. I also tried to install it by downloading from the debian site and transfering it over to the appropriate drive but it didn't work for some reason. It replaced files but nothing changed. I would appreciate the help as I know it must be a small thing and I am hating using windoze after using Ubuntu for a few months. I had it installed on the drive that now has Debian but my friend installed Debian the other day saying that I would get more out of it plus there were some vital problems that seemed unresolvable. Thanks!

[cage47]

OK to get KPPP working there are a few things you need to do. First go to /usr/bin and find kppp and edit the permissions to make the group dialout. Then make sure you are part of the dialout group in kuser. Now go to /etc/ppp find the options file. find the line

auth

and change it to

# auth

basically deactivating it. Now Kppp should work. go setup your account info. But when you go to setup the modem make sure to give it a name in the modem tab in the setup. If you don't do this you can query the modem and all but it won't save the settings until you give it a name (in other words the OK button will be grayed out, I just figured this out two weeks ago.)

Otherwise install pppconfig to make sure you have ppp setup and can use pon correctly. Any other problems write back and I can help.

[rapattack]

Will try what you suggest. I am hoping my Linux friend that is coming over tomorrow may help me some more but it depends on time. It is good if I try to solve things myself anyway. Well with your help....ha ha.

[rapattack]

Hi I tried to access those files but I just don't know how to do it. Also I have a suspiciion that I accidentally deleted the ppp file last time I was trying to copy i so I could email it to someone so he could tell me what to do.

[cage47]

No prob. Go to the menu and under system there will be at the bottom "other applications" or somethign similar. It's a submenu under the system menu. In there you will find Konqueror superuser mode. OPen that and then enter into the prompt your root password. This will give you root access to the files. You can open the /etc/ppp/options file byright clicking on it and choose open with and choose Kate. The /usr/bin/kppp file, simply find it in konqueror superuser mode and right click on it and go to the permissions tab and change the group to dialout.

If you deleted any of those files by accident just simply in aptitude, remove kppp and reinstall it. And then install pppconfig. It should recreate those files if you deleted them.

first look to see if those files exist in the directories I gave you.

Oh one other thing I forgot. when you setup your modem in KPPP make sure it is pointing to the right device. it defaults /dev/modem. but it isn't always created and it's only a link to the acutal device anyhow. you might need to point KPPP to /dev/ttyS? where ? is the port your modem is on. 0 for com1 1 for com2.

[rapattack]

OK will do that soon. I have to do a few things on the crappy windoze drive and then I can boot into the Debian drive.
Yep the modem is ttyS0.
Funny thing I noticed too is there is no office suite. I would have thought that would be packaged with it like in Ubuntu.

[rapattack]

Nothing worked for me. Like there is no program called Kate, I couldn't uninstall kpp or pppconfig. I do not remember what the thing said. The files were blank that I opened and there was no tabs to choose from.

My friend finally came over and he suggested since the dialup connection is working well on my laptop that I should copy /etc/ppp directory over to this machine but I can't seem to do it. I was told to do: sudo cp /old_location/ /new_location but it didn't work for me. I typed sudo cp /etc/ppp/ /media/usbdisk . Ofcourse I realise I will have to change a couple of things once I have replaced this file like the ttyS?. Anyway lemme know what you think.

[cage47]

Debian is not as preconfigured as Ubuntu. You have to do much more yourself. That includes installing programs, like kate. apt-get install kate will install it. It's simply a text editor. You are obviously a very new newbie. Which is not a bad thing but you are describing doing things the extremely hard way. If you are tryiing to copy the /etc/ppp directory simply log into KDE. then plug in your usb drive and it will register and pop up a window asking to open the directory/drive. Click yes. Then open another instance of Konqueror and go to /etc then drag the entire /ppp directory to the open usb drive and copy it. You don't need root permission to copy it. That MIGHT get your dialup working. But still my previous suggestions would be the easiest route. To remove kppp in a console type "apt-get remove kppp" (without quotes) and then again "apt-get install kppp"

[rapattack]

The test editors are all there . It is my mistake. Sorry not able to uninstall or reinstall kppp. definately not happening. I did the apt-get command as I have done that in ubuntu before. Also not able to get all the files within ppp over on the ubuntu machine/drive. It won't allow it. Leaves out two files. I can't remember what they are right now as I do not have that machine on. I tried many times . I did try something else which is to save provider(both of them in /etc/ppp/peers/provider and /etc/chatscripts/provider then replace them on the debian drive but that did no good. This was another suggestion by someone else. I did realise that I would have to be more proactive in using debian but believe me it was painful getting on the net in ubuntu too. The only time it was easier is when I put a pcmcia card into laptop otherwise on 3 other machines it was weeks before I got it happening.

[cage47]

The fact that you can't apt-get remove kppp is a problem and it means that there is a more serious issue with your system. You might want to have a shot at reinstalling the system from scratch. Granted it took me 6 installs once I got my Etch cd's to get a feel for the new system and get it correct. And took a good week of tweaking this and that to get it to where I like it.