tlug: Aterm troubles solved

["Francks Trane (Tokyo PO)" <Francks@example.com>]

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tlug note from "Francks Trane (Tokyo PO)" <Francks@example.com>
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Greetings,

Well, I finally solved the infamous Aterm problem. As
was expected, it wasn't an ISDN problem at all. It was
all a matter of authentication.

Some background: GOL uses a standard clear-text login
process for users dialing in with modems. Subsequently,
after logging in successfully, ppp is started automagically;
likely thanks to mgetty, but I'm only guessing.

What I didn't realize was that ISDN users must use PAP
only -- clear text is not an option. This explains why I wasn't
seeing any login prompt when using minicom. I arrived at
these conclusions after setting the Aterm up under NT and
logging in successfully the first time. Authentication was
set to "anything including clear text." Since clear text
wasn't an option, it would either be CHAP or PAP, and
CHAP isn't supported at GOL. GOL didn't explain this
to me because I asked all the wrong questions. Silly me.<g>

So, I read up on PAP, created a pap-secrets file, turned
on PAP on the pppd command line, and then went about
figuring out how to massage diald's default connect script
to deal with no login prompting.

Took a while, but I muddled through it. The office is now
at 64K and we're waiting to have our account upgraded
to 128K. A simple change of init string should take care
of that move nicely, once I've installed the Hayes ESP
card and hacked setserial to handle 230.4kbps.

In case anybody's wondering, the init strings to use for
the Aterm IT65Pro DSU are:

For 64K:

 ATQ0V1X3$N1=1&D2&K3

For 128K multilink-PPP:

 ATQ0V1X3$N11=1&D2&K3

As always, be sure to precede the $ and & signs with
a backslash so they'll be passed unscathed by bash.

Hope this helps somebody else get ISDN working with
Linux and the Aterm. It seems to be a fine unit so far.
Gotta love those 3-second connections.

Thanks for all the help and advice, gang.

trane



Next TLUG meeting is Saturday October 11, 1997
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