Your last question:

dontsellthis@hotmail.com (lil fos) writes:
>
> - Is PPP required, or are there other protocols that work?
>

Can only be answered by the documentation for your Cisco box.
I.e. whether the Cisco product can support other protocols
besides PPP, and whether the configuration you've put into
it will support other protocols.

-Greg
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dontsellthis@hotmail.com (lil fos) writes:

]Hi there,

]We have implemented a Web application for a customer who has both
]users with existing internet connections and users with modems, but no
]ISPs. We have installed a Cisco 3620 router to terminate a PRI
]circuit on which users will dial-in. The router dumps the users into
]the DMZ and gives them access to our Web app. Internet users also
]have access to the DMZ, so we're covered on that front.

]Does anyone have a list or a link to a site that explains what the
]minimum requirements are for a client to dial up establish a
]connection to our network to access our application (browser
]compatibility aside)? We have no problem using Windows Dial-up
]Networking to create a PPP connection bound to TCP/IP, but we want to
]make this as platform-independent as possible. The kinds of questions
]we have are:
] - what dialers are available for other OSes, like UNIX, Linux, Mac,
]AIX, and OS2?
] - are there other dialers for Windows besides DUN?
] - Is PPP required, or are there other protocols that work?

ppp would be prefered. Others (eg slip) are less well supported on every
platform and is also harder to set up. ppp is also supported on all
platforms.


]If anyone knows of any generic how-to guides to setting up a client
]connection, that would be useful, too. The users will probably need a
]lot of hand holding.

Well there is www.theory.physics.ubc.ca/ppp-linux.html, but most of it
is there in order to determine what the ISP wants in the way of ppp.
since you control the ISP end (your router is acting as an ISP) you can
determine what is required, and can notify your customers of what is
required.

For authentication, use chap MD5, not any of the MS versions of chap.
You could use pap, but it is far less secure against eavesdropping.
But do not use any of the possible MS proprietary protocols, ( MSChap 80
or 81, or any of the compression/encryption that they offer). Being
proprietary means they will NOT be supported on the other platforms.

One of the ppp standards in the nonWindows world is the ppp originally
developed at the Australian National University, and is thus called
anu-ppp. (The maintainer is now with Samba.org, and the code is
obtainable from ftp.samba.org). This is used(ie comes packaged with) in Linux and some of the
commercial versions of Unix. I believe it also runs on OS2.

If you set up ppp on the dialin end properly , it is amazingly simple to
get working, and little handholding will be needed. Most of the problems
come because of incompetence at the ISP end.

unruh@string.physics.ubc.ca (Bill Unruh) writes:
> One of the ppp standards in the nonWindows world is the ppp originally
> developed at the Australian National University, and is thus called
> anu-ppp.

Just to be pedantic about it ...

That code actually originated at Carnegie-Mellon University (much of
it by Greg Christy). ANU picked it up and maintained it, and produced
the best-known distribution of it.

--
James Carlson, Solaris Networking
Sun Microsystems / 1 Network Drive 71.234W Vox +1 781 442 2084
MS UBUR02-212 / Burlington MA 01803-2757 42.497N Fax +1 781 442 1677

Thanks folks. This is good information. I guess I'm learning that
PPP capability is very widespread and that I should worry less about a
user's software limitations and more about their ability to configure
their own machines. We are implementing a very basic system (much
like an ISP, yes), and do not plan to make users jump through any
hoops to establish a connection.

Our users are typically operators who perform a prescribed sequence of
keystrokes and mouseclicks that was written down for them by a vendor
who is long gone, so we're concerned as to what kind of chaos will
unfold when we ask them to abandon their vt100 emulators in favor of
this new fangled Web technology.

I haven't used a SLIP connection since my University supported only
PINE email, and my only experience with HTTP on UNIX has been with
workstations on a LAN. I'm glad to know I don't have to conjure up
any of that to support our users.

dontsellthis@hotmail.com (lil fos) writes:
> Thanks folks. This is good information. I guess I'm learning that
> PPP capability is very widespread and that I should worry less about a
> user's software limitations and more about their ability to configure
> their own machines. We are implementing a very basic system (much
> like an ISP, yes), and do not plan to make users jump through any
> hoops to establish a connection.

In that case, minimize the configuration that is necessary: make sure
that your dial in lines either run PPP all the time, or are capable of
automatic detection of PPP. After modem problems (which are rampant,
but about which you can do nothing), unnecessary scripting caused by
command-line interfaces presented to dial-up users is a big cause of
trouble.

> I haven't used a SLIP connection since my University supported only
> PINE email, and my only experience with HTTP on UNIX has been with
> workstations on a LAN. I'm glad to know I don't have to conjure up
> any of that to support our users.

There are likely to be other (perhaps smaller) issues that you'll need
to deal with -- such as making sure that your clients have the right
networking configuration information (not specifically related to
PPP), such as DNS server addresses.

--
James Carlson, Solaris Networking
Sun Microsystems / 1 Network Drive 71.234W Vox +1 781 442 2084
MS UBUR02-212 / Burlington MA 01803-2757 42.497N Fax +1 781 442 1677