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In the last decade, the Internet has grown from a network that connected a few universities and research centers to a network that links many businesses and households all over the country. That expansion occurred for many reasons, but the technological advance that facilitated this growth was an obscure protocol called PPP.
PPP isn't talked about as much as TCP and IP, but it plays a crucial role in extending networks into remote locations. The Point-to-Point Protocol enables telephone lines and other point-to-point connections to carry Internet traffic. It's the protocol that establishes and maintains the connection between your home and an Internet service provider. This book provides in-depth coverage of PPP for network administrators and others who are involved in the care and maintenance of PPP connections. It provides a thorough introduction to how PPP works, which will help you diagnose and troubleshoot problems. It discusses in detail how to set up dial-in and dial-out PPP on the most important platforms, including Windows, Linux, and Solaris. Whether you're a sophisticated user responsible for your own connection or a network administrator providing dial-up services for hundreds of remote users, you'll find this book an essential addition to your library. Covers: PPP implementations in Windows 95/98/NT, Solaris, and Linux - Authentication (CHAP, PAP, Microsoft variants, and other techniques) - Virtual networks and tunnels, including PPTP - Modems and serial lines - Related technologies, including DNS and ARP - Optimizing and customizing a connection - Debugging techniques.
List of contents
Preface. 1. What Is PPP? Early Remote Access and Networking Serial Line Internet Protocol (SLIP) Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) Open Systems Interconnect Model What You Need to Know 2. Serial Interfaces and Modems Serial Interfacing Modems 3. How PPP Works PPP Frame Format PPP Connection States Link Control Protocol Authentication in PPP Network Control Protocol Internet Protocol Control Protocol Compressed Datagram What PPP Doesn't Provide 4. TCP/IP The Internet Protocol Van Jacobson Compression IP Addresses Media Access Control Addresses Routing 5. Selecting Hardware, Software, and Services Selecting Serial Connections PPP Hardware PPP Software. 6. Dial-out PPP Setup PPP Sign-on Procedures General PPP Setup Steps Linux PPP-2.3 Solaris PPP Windows 3.1 Windows 98 (and 95) Windows NT 4.0 Workstation 7. Dial-in PPP Setup Dial-in PPP Architecture for Internet Access Communication Servers Linux PPP-2.3 Solaris PPP Windows NT 4.0 Server. 8. Network Architectures Incorporating PPP Choosing Network Architectures Proxy ARP Split Subnet Unnumbered PPP in a Subnet Multipoint PPP in a Subnet. 9. Routing to PPP Connections Routing Entries Using Default Routes Using Subnet Routes Using Host-Specific Routes Dynamic Routing Protocols. 10. Domain Name System Domain Name System Hierarchy Using DNS DNS Records for PPP Setting up DNS Name Resolution DNS Servers. 11. Customizing and Tuning PPP PPP Startup Options for Dial-in Servers PPP Startup Options for dial-out Servers Adjustable LCP Options Authentication Policy Adjustable IPCP Options Setting IP Addresses Other Adjustable Settings. 12. Authentication Password Authentication Protocol Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol Microsoft CHAP Authenticating Outside PPP Call Back Security Tokens. 13. Private Networks Private Network Setup Application Layer Proxies Network Address Translation. 14. Virtual Private Networking and Tunneling Virtual Private Network Architectures Tunneling Protocols Redirecting Serial Input/Output Setting up Outgoing PPP Tunnels Setting up Incoming PPP Tunnels Routing with Tunnels Network Security. 15. Troubleshooting Troubleshooting Approaches Trace and Activity Logs Checking the Serial Connection Checking Modems Chat Script Problems PPP Failures Checking TCP/IP. 16. What's New for PPP? Communication Services Network Layer Protocols PPP Extensions Developments Relating to PPP Product Obsolescence A. PPP Assigned Numbers B. Serial Interface Emulation
About the author
Andrew Sun's experience with computers dates back to the early 1980s. He is an electrical engineer by training, with an MSEE degree from Stanford University. Andrew has many years of experience in the telecommunications industry and has performed engineering work for emerging broadband ISDN and ATM products. He currently engineers IT infrastructures, and his areas of expertise include networking, firewalls, email with SMTP, DNS, Usenet, Solaris administration, and of course, dial-up remote access.
Summary
This volume is for network administrators and others who have to set up computer systems to use PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol). It covers all aspects of the protocol, including how to set up dial-in servers, authentication, debugging and PPP options.
