The new ISP account is up and running fine. For your information,
and ForWhatIt'sWorth, I found out the following:
1. It is NOT a problem with MS-CHAP. MS-CHAP is a fairly restricted
protocol, used primarily on Windows VirtualPrivateNetworks. And,
it will almost surely NEVER be encountered by any one of us trying
to connect to a pay-dialup-ISP. So, I have to apologize for jumping
to conclusions about "Microsoft buggered up the PAP/CHAP protocol"
- in this case they are NOT guilty.
The applicable RFCs are 1334, 1994, 2433, and 2759. Anyone interested
can do a Google-FeelLucky search (with quotes) for "RFC xxxx" and it
will bring the page right up. Personally, I have learned more about
PAP/CHAP than I ever hoped to learn, or than I ever WANTED to learn.
<g g g>
.
2. The problem was identified by my normal ISP Owner, and confirmed
by checking the login script after the newISP's installation software
was run. That this problem MAY be encountered by one of us in the
future is a distinct possibility. My normal ISPOwner tells me that
they (my normal ISP) had their servers set up to do it this way about
five (5) years ago, but discontinued it as unnecessary and as
contraproductive. He said that he knew of others who had used/were
using this procedure.
.
3. The problem was - my new ISP has their server set up so that
giving the bare "LOGIN Username" when connecting will allow the
user to be given ONLY an SLIP connection - a PPP connection will
NOT be allowed. The PPP connection will only be allowed if the
NormalUsername "joeuser" is preceeded by a Capital P (e.g. only
when LOGIN: is answered with "Pjoeuser" will the server authenticate
for a PPP Connection).
.
4. To do this in Arachne, it is only necessary to prepend a capital
P to the username, in the PPP Section of ARACHNE.CFG......and then
dial as usual. Once this is done, everything goes smoothly on to a
successful PPP Connection.
SO - ...NO scripts are necessary....NO special protocols, etc. Just
prepend the required letter to the "normalusername" and go about
business as usual.
.
5. This seems so simple, and STUPID....<g> Why would they do this..??
My NormalISPOwner was frantically busy straightening out some problems
with his DSL lines, and didn't have time to explain WHY he had been
originally doing this, and only briefly mentioned that they had
abandoned the practice several years ago...so...can't answer the WHY??
.......gregy
-- This mail was written by user of Arachne, the Ultimate Internet Client
