Howdy,

I'm on dialup using pppd and loosing the connection often in the
middle of fetching mail or loading some URL in the browser. I'm hoping
for suggestions to help me debug the problem.

root@/deb60:~> grep -v '^s*$|^#' /etc/ppp/options
asyncmap 0
auth
crtscts
lock
hide-password
modem
debug
lcp-echo-interval 30
lcp-echo-failure 4
noipx

My logs show this when I close the connection with 'poff':
Sep 16 08:56:01 playground pppd[13474]: Script /etc/ppp/ip-down
started (pid 13504)
Sep 16 08:56:01 playground pppd[13474]: sent [LCP TermReq id=0x2
"User request"]
Sep 16 08:56:01 playground pppd[13474]: Script /etc/ppp/ip-down
finished (pid 13504), status = 0x0
Sep 16 08:56:01 playground pppd[13474]: rcvd [LCP TermAck id=0x2]

Often I see this:
Sep 16 14:07:23 playground pppd[1762]: Script /etc/ppp/ip-up
started (pid 1773)
Sep 16 14:07:23 playground pppd[1762]: Script /etc/ppp/ip-up
finished (pid 1773), status = 0x0
Sep 16 14:12:52 playground pppd[1762]: Script /etc/ppp/ip-down
started (pid 1955)
Sep 16 14:12:52 playground pppd[1762]: sent [LCP TermReq id=0x2
"Peer not responding"]
Sep 16 14:12:53 playground pppd[1762]: Script /etc/ppp/ip-down
finished (pid 1955), status = 0x0

I also see this:
Sep 20 07:21:36 playground pppd[24179]: Script /etc/ppp/ip-up
started (pid 24185)
Sep 20 07:21:36 playground pppd[24179]: Script /etc/ppp/ip-up
finished (pid 24185), status = 0x0
Sep 20 07:23:56 playground pppd[24179]: Script /etc/ppp/ip-down
started (pid 24208)
Sep 20 07:23:58 playground pppd[24179]: Script /etc/ppp/ip-down
finished (pid 24208), status = 0x0

Here I should think there would be a longer wait if there were a
timeout for lack of response.
Sep 20 09:22:55 playground pppd[24397]: sent [LCP EchoReq id=0x3
magic=0xfc0294d0]
Sep 20 09:22:55 playground pppd[24397]: rcvd [LCP EchoRep id=0x3
magic=0x0]
Sep 20 09:23:25 playground pppd[24397]: sent [LCP EchoReq id=0x4
magic=0xfc0294d0]
Sep 20 09:23:50 playground pppd[24397]: Script /etc/ppp/ip-down
started (pid 24416)
Sep 20 09:23:52 playground pppd[24397]: Script /etc/ppp/ip-down
finished (pid 24416), status = 0x0

Again I expect ip-down came before the timeout:
Sep 20 09:22:55 playground pppd[24397]: rcvd [LCP EchoRep id=0x3
magic=0x0]
Sep 20 09:23:25 playground pppd[24397]: sent [LCP EchoReq id=0x4
magic=0xfc0294d0]
Sep 20 09:23:50 playground pppd[24397]: Script /etc/ppp/ip-down
started (pid 24416)
Sep 20 09:23:52 playground pppd[24397]: Script /etc/ppp/ip-down
finished (pid 24416), status = 0x0

I can see that sometimes my ISP seems to go to sleep but other
times it appears to be some other problem and I just don't know how to
gather the data to make an informed diagnosis.

Any suggestions on how to track pppd's shutdown with greater
resolution will be appreciated.

Thanks;
Mike
--
Satisfied user of Linux since 1997.
O< ascii ribbon campaign - stop html mail - www.asciiribbon.org


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On Thu, 20 Sep 2012 13:21:33 -0700, Mike McClain wrote:

> I'm on dialup using pppd and loosing the connection often in the
> middle of fetching mail or loading some URL in the browser. I'm hoping
> for suggestions to help me debug the problem.

(...)

> My logs show this when I close the connection with 'poff':
(...)
> Sep 16 08:56:01 playground pppd[13474]: sent [LCP TermReq id=0x2 "User request"]

That looks like a manual hang off.

> Often I see this:
(...)
> Sep 16 14:12:52 playground pppd[1762]: sent [LCP TermReq id=0x2 "Peer not responding"]

(...)

You can try by adding/enabling "crtscts" and also the "modem" options at the
config file. depending on the hardware you're using, these were to alleviate
the kind of errors you get although OTOH, dialup links are very unreliable,
it's quite usual to get random disconnects.

> I can see that sometimes my ISP seems to go to sleep but other
> times it appears to be some other problem and I just don't know how to
> gather the data to make an informed diagnosis.
>
> Any suggestions on how to track pppd's shutdown with greater
> resolution will be appreciated.

I think the first to do would be enabling verbose/debug logging for pppd.

Greetings,

--
Camaleón


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On Fri, Sep 21, 2012 at 02:53:52PM +0000, Camale?n wrote:
<snip>
> You can try by adding/enabling "crtscts" and also the "modem" options at the
> config file. depending on the hardware you're using, these were to alleviate
> the kind of errors you get although OTOH, dialup links are very unreliable,
> it's quite usual to get random disconnects.
<snip>
> I think the first to do would be enabling verbose/debug logging for pppd.

Since my first post showed that crtscts, modem and debug are included
in /etc/ppp/options I assume you are saying they should be somewhere
else as well but you forgot to say where.

Thanks,
Mike
--
Though I do use Linux, I don't appreciate being called a Linutic.


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On Fri, 21 Sep 2012 12:40:20 -0700, Mike McClain wrote:

> On Fri, Sep 21, 2012 at 02:53:52PM +0000, Camale?n wrote: <snip>
>> You can try by adding/enabling "crtscts" and also the "modem" options
>> at the config file. depending on the hardware you're using, these were
>> to alleviate the kind of errors you get although OTOH, dialup links are
>> very unreliable, it's quite usual to get random disconnects.
> <snip>
>> I think the first to do would be enabling verbose/debug logging for
>> pppd.
>
> Since my first post showed that crtscts, modem and debug are
> included

Ooops, you're right, I overlooked it.

Try the opposite (#commenting out), as these are hardware related
features maybe your modem does not fully or properly support them.

> in /etc/ppp/options I assume you are saying they should be somewhere
> else as well but you forgot to say where.

No, they should be where they are, it was my head that wasn't in the
right place :-).

As per the "debug" flag, it's quite rare because the verbosity of
messages is very scarce, did you send the complete logs?

Also, you can do a Google search to find out more ideas on how to
overcome the problem:

http://bit.ly/PwxvEx

Greetings,

--
Camaleón


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Have you found the problem yet?

On Thu, Sep 20, 2012 at 01:21:33PM -0700, Mike McClain wrote:
> Howdy,
>
> I'm on dialup using pppd and loosing the connection often in the
> middle of fetching mail or loading some URL in the browser. I'm hoping
> for suggestions to help me debug the problem.

Hopefully, you have an external modem. That way you can make sure the CD
(carrier detect) is on. If the CD is off or flickers, you have a problem
between your modem and the modem at the other end.

--
"If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people
who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the
oppressing." --- Malcolm X


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