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diff --git a/usr.sbin/pppd/RELNOTES b/usr.sbin/pppd/RELNOTES index 8567a7a..2b4b1ab 100644 --- a/usr.sbin/pppd/RELNOTES +++ b/usr.sbin/pppd/RELNOTES @@ -1,3 +1,172 @@ +This is the README file for ppp-2.3, a package which implements the +Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) to provide Internet connections over +serial lines. + + +Introduction. +************* + +The Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) provides a standard way to establish +a network connection over a serial link. At present, this package +supports IP and the protocols layered above IP, such as TCP and UDP. +The Linux port of this package also has support for IPX. + +This software consists of two parts: + +- Kernel code, which establishes a network interface and passes +packets between the serial port, the kernel networking code and the +PPP daemon (pppd). This code is implemented using STREAMS modules on +SunOS 4.x, Solaris 2.x, System V Release 4, and OSF/1, and as a +line discipline under Ultrix, NextStep, NetBSD, FreeBSD, and Linux. + +- The PPP daemon (pppd), which negotiates with the peer to establish +the link and sets up the ppp network interface. Pppd includes support +for authentication, so you can control which other systems may make a +PPP connection and what IP addresses they may use. + + +Installation. +************* + +The file SETUP contains general information about setting up your +system for using PPP. There is also a README file for each supported +system, which contains more specific details for installing PPP on +that system. The supported systems, and the corresponding README +files, are: + + Digital Unix (OSF/1) README.osf + Linux README.linux + NetBSD, FreeBSD README.bsd + NeXTStep README.next + Solaris 2 README.sol2 + SunOS 4.x README.sunos4 + System V Release 4 README.svr4 + Ultrix 4.x README.ultrix + +(Unfortunately, AIX 4 is no longer supported, since I don't have a +maintainer for the AIX 4 port. If you want to volunteer, contact me.) + +In each case you start by running the ./configure script. This works +out which operating system you are using and creates symbolic links to +the appropriate makefiles. You then run `make' to compile the +user-level code, and (as root) `make install' to install the +user-level programs pppd, chat and pppstats. + +The procedures for installing the kernel code vary from system to +system. On some systems, the kernel code can be loaded into a running +kernel using a `modload' facility. On others, the kernel image has to +be recompiled and the system rebooted. See the README.* files for +details. + + +What's new in ppp-2.3. +********************** + +* Demand-dialling. Pppd now has a mode where it will establish the +network interface immediately when it starts, but not actually bring +the link up until it sees some data to be sent. Look for the demand +option description in the pppd man page. Demand-dialling is not +supported under Ultrix or NeXTStep. + +* Idle timeout. Pppd will optionally terminate the link if no data +packets are sent or received within a certain time interval. + +* Pppd now runs the /etc/ppp/auth-up script, if it exists, when the +peer successfully authenticates itself, and /etc/ppp/auth-down when +the connection is subsequently terminated. This can be useful for +accounting purposes. + +* A new packet compression scheme, Deflate, has been implemented. +This uses the same compression method as `gzip'. This method is free +of patent or copyright restrictions, and it achieves better +compression than BSD-Compress. It does consume more CPU cycles for +compression than BSD-Compress, but this shouldn't be a problem for +links running at 100kbit/s or less. + +* There is no code in this distribution which is covered by Brad +Clements' restrictive copyright notice. The STREAMS modules for SunOS +and OSF/1 have been rewritten, based on the Solaris 2 modules, which +were written from scratch without any Clements code. + +* Pppstats has been reworked to clean up the output format somewhat. +It also has a new -d option which displays data rate in kbyte/s for +those columns which would normally display bytes. + +* Pppd options beginning with - or + have been renamed, e.g. -ip +became noip, +chap became require-chap, etc. The old options are +still accepted for compatibility but may be removed in future. + +* Pppd now has some options (such as the new `noauth' option) which +can only be specified if it is being run by root, or in an +"privileged" options file: /etc/ppp/options or an options file in the +/etc/ppp/peers directory. There is a new "call" option to read +options from a file in /etc/ppp/peers, making it possible for non-root +users to make unauthenticated connections, but only to certain trusted +peers. My intention is to make the `auth' option the default in a +future release. + +* Several minor new features have been added to pppd, including the +maxconnect and welcome options. Pppd will now terminate the +connection when there are no network control protocols running. The +allowed IP address(es) field in the secrets files can now specify +subnets (with a notation like 123.45.67.89/24) and addresses which are +not acceptable (put a ! on the front). + +* Numerous bugs have been fixed (no doubt some have been introduced :-) +Thanks to those who reported bugs in ppp-2.2. + + +Patents. +******** + +The BSD-Compress algorithm used for packet compression is the same as +that used in the Unix "compress" command. It is apparently covered by +U.S. patents 4,814,746 (owned by IBM) and 4,558,302 (owned by Unisys), +and corresponding patents in various other countries (but not +Australia). If this is of concern, you can build the package without +including BSD-Compress. To do this, edit net/ppp-comp.h to change the +definition of DO_BSD_COMPRESS to 0. The bsd-comp.c files are then no +longer needed, so the references to bsd-comp.o may optionally be +removed from the Makefiles. + + +Contacts. +********* + +The comp.protocols.ppp newsgroup is a useful place to get help if you +have trouble getting your ppp connections to work. Please do not send +me questions of the form "please help me get connected to my ISP" - +I'm sorry, but I simply do not have the time to answer all the +questions like this that I get. + +If you find bugs in this package, please report them to the maintainer +for the port for the operating system you are using: + +Digital Unix (OSF/1) Farrell Woods <ftw@zk3.dec.com> +Linux Al Longyear <longyear@pobox.com> +NetBSD Matthew Green <mrg@eterna.com.au +FreeBSD Peter Wemm <peter@haywire.DIALix.COM> +NeXTStep Steve Perkins <perkins@cps.msu.edu> +Solaris 2 Paul Mackerras <Paul.Mackerras@cs.anu.edu.au> +SunOS 4.x Paul Mackerras <Paul.Mackerras@cs.anu.edu.au> +System V Release 4 Matthias Apitz <Matthias.Apitz@SOFTCON.de> +Ultrix 4.x Paul Mackerras (for want of anybody better :-) + + +Copyrights: +*********** + +All of the code can be freely used and redistributed. + + +Distribution: +************* + +The primary site for releases of this software is: + + ftp://cs.anu.edu.au/pub/software/ppp/ + +------------------------- This is the README file for ppp-2.2, a package which implements the Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) to provide Internet connections over serial lines. |
