Prerequisites
- In order to connect to MVA.NET using Linux, you will need to have PPP
compiled into the kernel. For the vast majority of recent distributions of
Linux, this is included by default. If you have an old kernel, you may need to
recompile it to include support for PPP.
- Secondly, you will need to get the OS to
recognize your modem. Utilities such as minicom are available to verify that
your modem is setup properly. For more information on the basics of setting up
a modem (and much more) under Linux, take a look at the
PPP-HOWTO at www.linuxdoc.org
- Thirdly, connecting to an ISP from Linux
generally requires that you have root privileges on the system from which you
intend to connect. You need the root password.
Configuration
Once you have PPP set up and your modem is
working, then become root, and perform the following steps to connect to MVA.NET .
1. Edit the file
/etc/resolv.conf and add the
following lines. (If you have data in
this file from an old ISP, you will need to replace that information instead of
adding to it).
nameserver 208.243.100.10 nameserver 140.186.144.11 search
mva.net
2. MVA.NET uses PAP for
authentication. So you will need to edit the file /etc/ppp/pap-secrets. As
an example, if your login name is 'albertus' and your password is 'magnus', then
the pap-secrets file should look like this
# Secrets for authentication using PAP # client server secret
acceptable local IP addresses albertus * magnus
3. Lastly, it is best to have a
shell script to handle the actual connection process. You may either write your
own, or use this one, which has been used successfully to
connect to MVA.NET. You will need to edit this
file to reflect your username and your local access number. Replace the two
strings that look like this: ******* with the appropriate information, and save
it somewhere in your path. Then, as root, make the script executable
~$ chmod 0755 ppp.sh
you can then execute it simply by typing
this (provided it is in your current directory),
~$ ./ppp.sh
This script will toggle your connection,
i.e. if you are not connected when you run it, it will establish a connection,
and if you are connected, running the script will terminate the
connection.
For some systems there may be easier ways
to setup a connection. For example, if you have gnome or KDE, you might try
using their native PPP tools. Consult your system documentation for more
information. Good luck! |