Re: [SLUG] Telstra Bigpond Direct permanent modem:

[Robin Whittle <rw@nospam.firstpr.com.au>]

This service uses CHAP authentication.  So there is no user - password
dialogue.

In my RedHat 6.1 system there is a dial in script and the configuration
for PPPD in /etc/ppp/.  One of these is the file "chap-secrets".

I would have to dig around to remember exactly all the files which are
relevant.  If you have some automated setup utility, you need to tell
it:

1 - The username of your accoung with TI.

2 - The CHAP password.

3 - Whatever you need to get it to dial the router at TI, and to 
    retry as you desire if it does not succeed.  (I find this an
    extraordinarily reliable service, at most a few hours downtime
    in nearly three years.)

4 - The IP address range you have been assigned.

5 - The IP address at your end of the PPP link.

6 - (I think you need this.) The IP address of the router's end
    of the PPP link.

7 - I can't remember if you need to set up your machine to know
    about TI's name servers - maybe that happens via PPP.


Then you need to organise routing for your machine to your LAN and to
the PPP link, which is ppp0 on my system.  

If, like me, you are running Windows machine on your LAN, you should
*******definitely******* set up a packet filtering script when your PPP
link comes up to stop NetBIOS packets going to or from the outside
Internet.  Otherwise your Windows machines are likely to be hacked - as
mine were when someone attacked my gateway machine and disabled packet
filtering.  The packet filtering also needs to filter out NFS packets
too.   I have a script a friend uses and gave to me, which I could post
to the list - just modify a few parts of it according to your IP
addresses.

You need to keep your software up to date and install any security
updates your OS provider recommends.  See, for instance, the security
errata at:

  http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/rh61-errata-security.html

If you fail to keep up, then your machine will be running vulnerable
software and sooner or later you will be hacked.

- Robin


===============================================================

Robin Whittle    rw@nospam.firstpr.com.au  http://www.firstpr.com.au
                 Heidelberg Heights, Melbourne, Australia 

First Principles Research and expression: Consulting and 
                 technical writing. Music. Internet music 
                 marketing. Telecommunications. Consumer 
                 advocacy in telecommunications, especially 
                 privacy. M-F relationships. Kinetic sculpture.
                  
Real World       Electronics and software for music including:
Interfaces       Devil Fish mods for the TB-303, Akai sampler 
                 memory and Csound synthesis software. 

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