Debian bug report logs - #1212
ppp configuration ugliness

Message received at debian-bugs:

From cus.cam.ac.uk!iwj10 Tue Aug  8 04:45:22 1995
Return-Path: <iwj10@cus.cam.ac.uk>
Received: from pixar.com by mongo.pixar.com with smtp
	(Smail3.1.28.1 #15) id m0sfn62-000Dd7C; Tue, 8 Aug 95 04:45 PDT
Received: from bootes.cus.cam.ac.uk by pixar.com with SMTP id AA06911
  (5.67b/IDA-1.5 for debian-bugs-pipe@mongo.pixar.com); Tue, 8 Aug 1995 04:45:15 -0700
Received: by bootes.cus.cam.ac.uk 
	(Smail-3.1.29.0 #36) id m0sfmH4-000C0SC; Tue, 8 Aug 95 11:52 BST
Received: by chiark
	id <m0sfcfF-0002YPZ@chiark.al.cl.cam.ac.uk>
	(Debian /\oo/\ Smail3.1.29.1 #29.33); Tue, 8 Aug 95 01:37 BST
Message-Id: <m0sfcfF-0002YPZ@chiark.al.cl.cam.ac.uk>
Date: Tue, 8 Aug 95 01:37 BST
From: Ian Jackson <iwj10@cus.cam.ac.uk>
To: debian-bugs@pixar.com
Subject: Re: Bug#1212: ppp configuration ugliness

Alvar Bray writes ("Bug#1210: lost bug? ppp configuration ugliness"):
> Maybe the solution would be to have a base ppp package that only
> contained the binaries, man pages etc. and then to have various ppp
> configurations; ppp-static for static lines; ppp-dynamic for my type of
> useage; ppp-dip for people who use dip etc.

No, I don't think that's a good idea.

It puts too much configuration decision-making into the package
selection stage.  There is limited scope there for assisting the user
or for `non-standard' configurations, and this kind of thing makes
CDROM distribution very difficult.

I think a default configuration script is the way to do.

Bruce Perens writes ("Bug#1212: ppp configuration ugliness"):
> I bypassed the normal PPP configuration start it from inittab.
> The line is almost always connected if I'm awake - whether I'm at
> work or home, since there's no cost to the call. Pacific Bell must
> hate me.
> 
> I think it would be nice to have a script to auto-configure PPP in
> response to user input. It would be difficult to make that general
> enough for most users.

However, if we are going to provide any auto-configuration at all this
is where it should go.  Our configuration strategy is sophisticated
enough to allow users to do things much more sophisticated than any
script we could ever hope to write.

A script that does most of the work for most users is better than none
at all.

>   The script should support dial-on-demand.

This is the job of a separate program - diald (which also supports
SLIP).  This is not yet a Debian package.  I use 0.4 (in /usr/local)
and find it very useful, but I don't have time to maintain it as a
Debian package.  I saw 0.9 (I think) announced in cola - anyone want
to be the maintainer ?

Ian.

Message received at debian-bugs:

From pixar.com!bruce Mon Aug  7 09:51:32 1995
Return-Path: <bruce@pixar.com>
Received: from pixar.com by mongo.pixar.com with smtp
	(Smail3.1.28.1 #15) id m0sfVOK-000DOoC; Mon, 7 Aug 95 09:51 PDT
Received: from mongo.pixar.com by pixar.com with SMTP id AA12693
  (5.67b/IDA-1.5 for debian-bugs-pipe@mongo.pixar.com); Mon, 7 Aug 1995 09:50:59 -0700
Received: by mongo.pixar.com (Smail3.1.28.1 #15)
	id m0sfVN6-000DDtC; Mon, 7 Aug 95 09:49 PDT
Message-Id: <m0sfVN6-000DDtC@mongo.pixar.com>
To: Alvar Bray <alvar@meiko.co.uk>, debian-bugs@Pixar.com
Cc: rdr@tad.micro.umn.edu, bruce@Pixar.com
Subject: Re: ppp configuration ugliness 
In-Reply-To: Your message of "Mon, 07 Aug 1995 10:21:27 PDT."
             <9508070921.AA19395@charon.meiko.co.uk> 
Date: Mon, 07 Aug 1995 09:49:47 -0700
From: Bruce Perens <bruce@Pixar.com>


I bypassed the normal PPP configuration start it from inittab.
The line is almost always connected if I'm awake - whether I'm at
work or home, since there's no cost to the call. Pacific Bell must
hate me.

I think it would be nice to have a script to auto-configure PPP in
response to user input. It would be difficult to make that general
enough for most users. The script should support dial-on-demand.
Want to write it?

	Bruce

Your message didn't have a Package: line at the start (in the pseudo-header following the real mail header), or didn't have a psuedo-header at all.

This makes it much harder for us to categorise and deal with your problem report; please ensure that you say which package(s) and version(s) the problem is with next time. Some time in the future the problem reports system may start rejecting such messages.

Full text available.