Can't remember who was having problems with dialup a couple of meetings back, but a similar issue has come up on the nzlinux mailing list so this information may be useful to someone. Or you can bring it along (again) to the saturdayworkshop end of year BBQ Nov 28th and we'll take another look at it. (useful ppp options down the bottom of the following mail) ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Graham Lauder <gl(a)openopportunities.co.nz> Date: 2009/10/22 Subject: Re: [nzlug] Dialup on Slingshot To: NZLUG Mailing List <nzlug(a)linux.net.nz> On Wednesday 21 October 2009 08:58:39 Mark Foster wrote: [...]
Having been on the other side (Helpdesk'r for several years - including for Slingshot ironically enough (though a very long time ago) - try it from a helpdesk's POV.
- Probably nil experience with Linux and linux software. - Fault unable to be duplicated from a windows box? (I think that's what I read). - Working from one OS and not another would point to an OS specific fault, not an ISP specific fault. I would doubt that many ISPs actually provide helpdesk services with Linux in mind.
[....] Yep all of the above, interestingly, I'll give them ups for one thing the first guy I talked to had a pretty good shot at trying to help which was very good considering that he was probably doing it blind not being able to pull up an OpenSuSE desktop in front of him.
Have to say that my answer would've been similar at any of the three ISP's I performed tech support for.
Unfortunately while there's essentially one way to configure dialup under Windows, Linux offers too many gotchas around modem drivers, dialup software, GUI vs CLI, for support staff to be proficient with the environment (Unless, somehow, they have both time and inclination to fiddle with many of these.)
Most helpdesk'rs I have known are afforded precious little professional development time, so what they know = what they are experienced with.
(The social win, as it were, would be to improve linux experience levels amongst those who work on helpdesks. This will have a flow-on effect to the capabilities the ISPs provide).
Agreed, toward that, I'm going to email the fix to them and the ppp/options file, you never know it may be useful to them.
Anyone know any ISPs who explicitly provide Linux tech support? (And more importantly, where that offer is not tied to the skills of one or two individuals (aka SPOF's))?
I'm not sure here but is /etc/ppp/options common to all distros and/or Desktop Environments. I'm using KDE and Kinternet and the assumption is that all distros running KDE should be the same. Does the Gnome desktop use the same location and options file? That's obviously significant because of Ubuntu's position in the market. If I'm going to help the Helpdesk'rs that would be useful for them to know. One of the advantages of course is that we're dealing with a text file. A text file looks the same in windows or whatever. Of course there are certain questions here, Does the user know how to open a terminal and run it as a superuser/root ? Does the user know how to use a text editor? Does the user know what KDE or Gnome is? Given that there are more and more "less than technical" endusers of Linux out there, affirmative answers to all of the above are not so much a given any more However assuming a reasonable level of knowledge a process could be: What's your Desktop environment: Gnome or KDE KDE: Open Konsole Do su Enter super-user password at request type kate at the prompt in the address field type /etc/ppp/options Gnome : Open terminal do sudo gedit Enter password at request in the address field type /etc/ppp/options then it's simply a matter of stepping through the text file.
From Johns mail
In KDE on OpenSuSE
============= lock (This one was already set) noauth (same here) defaultroute (wvdial does this by default in any case) ipcp-max-configure 65 (This doesn't appear to be necessary) ipcp-accept-local (uncomment this line) ipcp-accept-remote (uncomment this one as well) idle 600 (already set)
=============
So then, at least in my system receive-all (add this line) ipcp-accept-local (uncomment this line) ipcp-accept-remote (uncomment this one as well) That's a relatively easy fix. The question is, is /etc/ppp/options the same on other distros, particularly Ubuntu. It would be good to know before I ping this off to the Slingshot helpdesk. Any other comments? Cheers GL -- Open Opportunities Ltd http//:www.openopportunities.co.nz Open Technologies Migration and Change Management Consultants Front Office ICT Training and Certification Web Presence Management Consultancy SuSE Linux Enterprise and OpenOffice.org specialists _______________________________________________ NZLUG mailing list NZLUG(a)linux.net.nz http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/nzlug -- Disclaimer: By sending an email to any of my addresses you are agreeing that: 1. I am by definition, "the intended recipient" 2. All information in the email is mine to do with as I see fit and make such financial profit, political mileage, or good joke as it lends itself to. 3. I may take the contents as representing the views of your company. 4. This overrides any disclaimer or statement of confidentiality that may be included on your message.