Chapter 3 : Configuring an Internet connection

We are going to configure and use an Internet connection using two tools: Kppp and LinuxConf.

With Kppp

Kppp can be found in the KDE menu under the Internet submenu. The window for Kppp is shown in figure 6.1.

Select Setup, you will then display the screen shown figure 6.2.

Few things to be done here. If you wish, you can change the speed of the serial port in the Device menu to 115200 and adjust the options in the PPP heading to your preferences. To create an account, choose New..., and you will see a window as in figure 6.3.

Section by section:

• Dial: enter the phone number of your Internet provider. The connection name is random -- you can enter whatever you like. You can also choose the programs to start before and after disconnection (Netscape on connection, for example). Pay attention to the choice of identification: most providers use PAP, but others use CHAP, and -- more rarely -- a script-based connection. Contact your ISP to obtain this information;
• IP: unless your ISP advises you otherwise, you should leave the default option (Dynamic IP address) as it is. Since the names given by the ISPs to the connections are usually rather weird, you will want your machine to keep its name :)
• DNS: the domain name is optional, you can ignore it. However, you must enter the IP address (and not the name!) of your provider's name server(s). The first entered is the first on the list, and the servers will be queried in their order of appearance;
• Gateway: (unless you are told otherwise) leave the default options as they are;
• Login script: leave this tab as it is;
• Accounting: if you want an estimate of the cost of your call, enable the option Enable accounting. You will then have to choose between the various invoicing methods given: for France, for example, you will find France/Local.

And that's all! Then click on OK to validate, click on OK a second time in the configuration panel and you will return to the main screen.

From here, you will simply need to enter the user name and password for your ISP account (not those of your user account!), then click on Connect...

With LinuxConf

Configuring an Internet connection with LinuxConf is a little more complicated than with Kppp, but LinuxConf has a much wider range than Kppp: you can use it to configure almost all aspects of your system, and the aspect that we are interested in here is the network. Be careful, you have to start it as root. Tip: you are not obliged to log in as root to be root. On a normal user terminal, type su. You will be asked for your root password.

LinuxConf also has the advantage of functioning in text mode, but here we will use graphical mode. You can launch LinuxConf directly from a terminal and select the Networking heading or type netconf directly. In either case, the same screen will appear, and it is shown in figure 6.4.

Here are the various sections you will have to edit, in the right order, and what you will have to do:

• Name server specification (DNS): disable the option DNS is required for normal operation, specifying a default domain is optional. You must then enter the addresses of your ISP's name servers in the text boxes with the same name. You may specify one or more search fields, but they are optional;
• PPP/SLIP/PLIP: you must configure the connection itself in this tab. Click on Add, select PPP as the interface type, then Customize and you will see the screen displayed figure 6.5.

Section by section:

• Hardware: the only option to change here is permission for any user to enable/disable the interface;

• Communication: you may leave the initialization chain and modem call command fields as they are (resp. ATZ and ATDT). However, in the Chat section, delete all and simply enter TIMEOUT and 5 respectively in the first two boxes;
• Networking: enable, (if this has not already been done), the Set default route option;
• PAP: reenter your user name in the Username field and your password in Secret.

And that's it! To control the interfaces configured by this means, you will have to use the program called usernetctl but this too can be accessed via the K menu named: Personal/Linux Mandrake/Networking/Usernet. It is fairly user-friendly -- you simply have to click on the interface name to connect and disconnect.