Sharp Zaurus SL-C700 Tip #16

When you create a Dial-up PPP connection in the Network setup app (e.g. see here) the SL-C700 creates a file called DIALUPxxxxxxxxxx in the /etc/ppp/peers subdirectory. This file has the info shown in the first two screenshots below. The passwords are stored (apparently in clear text) in the chap-secrets and pap-secrets files in the /etc/ppp subdirectory. Note, if you choose IrDA during setup you get a file named IRDAxxxxxxxxxx, also in the /etc/ppp/peers subdirectory.

Some of the parameters do the following:

115200 sets the serial interface rate speed. This is always set at the maximum value to keep data compression running at full capacity.
The 'Abort' part tells chat what the fatal errors should be i.e. the script will terminate if it receives a 'No Carrier","No Dialtone" or "Busy" response.
crtscts tells pppd to set the serial port to use hardware flow control.
lock tells pppd to establish a lock file to claim exclusive access.

Other options you could add are debug (I tried this but could not find where the output went), nodetach, and persist. Basically, the process goes as follows: a serial connection is created with a remote PPP server using the modem - the local serial port and modem parameters are set, the modem is instructed to dial, and when the remote modem answers the two modems negotiate the best link speed possible. User account authentication info is supplied to the PPP server (this can be via clear text, PAP, CHAP, or another method), PPP starts on the client, the PPP server assigns an IP address from the available pool and sends it to the client, and finally the server initiates a binary data stream to link the PPP client and server. Chat executes a script that runs through this process. All commands need to be in pairs - an expected response followed by a send string e.g. when the modem responds OK the dialing string is sent, when user is received the loginID is sent, when sword is received the password is sent, etc. So far I've had success connecting with my Netcom (now Earthlink) account, but am unable to get a connection with Compuserve. This is probably because Compuserve expects some other stuff e.g. see the script on my Nokia & Compuserve page which has a successful script for the Nokia...

You can get a log of your connect attempt in the /dev/shm/tmp subdirectory in a file named qpe-pppd-log The following is this log after a dialup connection to Netcom:


Jun  4 23:37:32 localhost pppd[849]: pppd 2.4.0 started by root, uid 0

Jun  4 23:37:33 localhost chat[851]: abort on (NO CARRIER)

Jun  4 23:37:33 localhost chat[851]: abort on (NO DIALTONE)

Jun  4 23:37:33 localhost chat[851]: abort on (BUSY)

Jun  4 23:37:33 localhost chat[851]: send (ATZ^M)

Jun  4 23:37:33 localhost chat[851]: expect (OK)

Jun  4 23:37:33 localhost chat[851]: ATZ^M^M

Jun  4 23:37:33 localhost chat[851]: OK

Jun  4 23:37:33 localhost chat[851]:  -- got it

Jun  4 23:37:33 localhost chat[851]: send (ATDT2511991^M)

Jun  4 23:37:34 localhost chat[851]: expect (CONNECT)

Jun  4 23:37:34 localhost chat[851]: ^M

Jun  4 23:38:00 localhost chat[851]: ATDT2511991^M^M

Jun  4 23:38:00 localhost chat[851]: CONNECT

Jun  4 23:38:00 localhost chat[851]:  -- got it

Jun  4 23:38:00 localhost pppd[849]: Serial connection established.

Jun  4 23:38:00 localhost pppd[849]: using channel 3

Jun  4 23:38:00 localhost pppd[849]: Using interface ppp0

Jun  4 23:38:00 localhost pppd[849]: Connect: ppp0 <--> /dev/ttyS3

Jun  4 23:38:01 localhost pppd[849]: sent [LCP ConfReq id=0x1 asyncmap 0x0 magic 0xab396dd0 pcomp accomp]

Jun  4 23:38:01 localhost pppd[849]: Timeout 0x20084bc:0x203b440 in 3 seconds.

Jun  4 23:38:01 localhost pppd[849]: rcvd [LCP ConfReq id=0x1  00 04 00 00 mru 1524 asyncmap 0x0 auth pap pcompaccomp mrru 1524 endpoint [MAC:00:c0:7b:9b:62:28]]

Jun  4 23:38:01 localhost pppd[849]: lcp_reqci: rcvd unknown option 0

Jun  4 23:38:01 localhost pppd[849]: lcp_reqci: returning CONFREJ.

Jun  4 23:38:01 localhost pppd[849]: sent [LCP ConfRej id=0x1  00 04 00 00 mrru 1524]

Jun  4 23:38:01 localhost pppd[849]: rcvd [LCP ConfAck id=0x1 asyncmap 0x0 magic 0xab396dd0 pcomp accomp]
Jun  4 23:38:02 localhost pppd[849]: rcvd [LCP ConfReq id=0x2 mru 1524 asyncmap 0x0 auth pap pcomp accomp endpoint [MAC:00:c0:7b:9b:62:28]]

Jun  4 23:38:02 localhost pppd[849]: lcp_reqci: returning CONFACK.

Jun  4 23:38:02 localhost pppd[849]: sent [LCP ConfAck id=0x2 mru 1524 asyncmap 0x0 auth pap pcomp accomp endpoint [MAC:00:c0:7b:9b:62:28]]

Jun  4 23:38:02 localhost pppd[849]: Untimeout 0x20084bc:0x203b440.

Jun  4 23:38:02 localhost pppd[849]: sent [PAP AuthReq id=0x1 user="snirody@ix.netcom.com" password=hidden]

Jun  4 23:38:02 localhost pppd[849]: Timeout 0x200ebbc:0x203b6e0 in 3 seconds.
Jun  4 23:38:02 localhost pppd[849]: rcvd [PAP AuthAck id=0x1 ""]

Jun  4 23:38:02 localhost pppd[849]: sent [IPCP ConfReq id=0x1 addr 0.0.0.0 compress VJ 0f 01 ms-dns1 0.0.0.0 ms-dns3 0.0.0.0]

Jun  4 23:38:02 localhost pppd[849]: Timeout 0x20084bc:0x203b6a0 in 3 seconds.

Jun  4 23:38:02 localhost pppd[849]: sent [CCP ConfReq id=0x1 bsd v1 15]

Jun  4 23:38:02 localhost pppd[849]: Timeout 0x20084bc:0x203b7a0 in 3 seconds.

Jun  4 23:38:02 localhost pppd[849]: rcvd [IPCP ConfReq id=0x1 compress VJ 0f 01 addr 209.183.65.3]

Jun  4 23:38:02 localhost pppd[849]: ipcp: returning Configure-ACK

Jun  4 23:38:02 localhost pppd[849]: sent [IPCP ConfAck id=0x1 compress VJ 0f 01 addr 209.183.65.3]

Jun  4 23:38:02 localhost pppd[849]: rcvd [IPCP ConfNak id=0x1 addr 209.183.70.172 ms-dns1 207.69.188.187 ms-dns3 207.217.120.83]

Jun  4 23:38:02 localhost pppd[849]: Untimeout 0x20084bc:0x203b6a0.

Jun  4 23:38:02 localhost pppd[849]: sent [IPCP ConfReq id=0x2 addr 209.183.70.172 compress VJ 0f 01 ms-dns1 207.69.188.187 ms-dns3 207.217.120.83]

Jun  4 23:38:02 localhost pppd[849]: Timeout 0x20084bc:0x203b6a0 in 3 seconds.

Jun  4 23:38:02 localhost pppd[849]: rcvd [LCP ProtRej id=0x3 80 fd 01 01 00 07 15 03 2f]

Jun  4 23:38:02 localhost pppd[849]: Untimeout 0x20084bc:0x203b7a0.
Jun  4 23:38:02 localhost pppd[849]: rcvd [IPCP ConfAck id=0x2 addr 209.183.70.172 compress VJ 0f 01 ms-dns1 207.69.188.187 ms-dns3 207.217.120.83]
Jun  4 23:38:02 localhost pppd[849]: Untimeout 0x20084bc:0x203b6a0.

Jun  4 23:38:02 localhost pppd[849]: ipcp: up
Jun  4 23:38:02 localhost pppd[849]: local  IP address 209.183.70.172

Jun  4 23:38:02 localhost pppd[849]: remote IP address 209.183.65.3
Jun  4 23:38:02 localhost pppd[849]: primary DNS address 207.69.188.187

Jun  4 23:38:02 localhost pppd[849]: secondary DNS address 207.217.120.83

Jun  4 23:38:02 localhost pppd[849]: Script /etc/ppp/ip-up started (pid 858)
Jun  4 23:38:02 localhost pppd[849]: Script /etc/ppp/ip-up finished (pid 858), status = 0x0

Jun  4 23:39:10 localhost pppd[849]: Terminating on signal 15.

Jun  4 23:39:10 localhost pppd[849]: ipcp: down

Jun  4 23:39:10 localhost pppd[849]: Untimeout 0x2013d0c:0x0.

Jun  4 23:39:10 localhost pppd[849]: Script /etc/ppp/ip-down started (pid 866)

Jun  4 23:39:10 localhost pppd[849]: CCP: Down event in state 1!

Jun  4 23:39:10 localhost pppd[849]: sent [LCP TermReq id=0x2 "User request"]

Jun  4 23:39:10 localhost pppd[849]: Timeout 0x20084bc:0x203b440 in 3 seconds.

Jun  4 23:39:10 localhost pppd[849]: Script /etc/ppp/ip-down finished (pid 866), status = 0x0

Jun  4 23:39:10 localhost pppd[849]: rcvd [LCP TermAck id=0x2]

Jun  4 23:39:10 localhost pppd[849]: Untimeout 0x20084bc:0x203 b440.

Jun  4 23:39:10 localhost pppd[849]: Connection terminated.

Jun  4 23:39:10 localhost pppd[849]: Connect time 1.2 minutes.

Jun  4 23:39:10 localhost pppd[849]: Sent 5481 bytes, received 123359 bytes.

Jun  4 23:39:11 localhost pppd[849]: Exit.

What's next?

I need to figure out how to get a connection to Compuserve via the CF modem.

I also need to figure out how to get an IR connection to Netcom. Setting it up in the Network Setup app produced an IRDAxxxxxxxxx file, but the process is not getting through the authentication phase. Interestingly enough, when you try an IrDA connection a file named connect-errors is created in the /etc/ppp subdirectory that logs both sides of the process, which is a real help figuring out exactly where you are going off track.