How can i make dial up PPP easy? !!!

[Joe Altman]

On Sun, Jul 20, 2003 at 05:04:31AM -0500, sweetleaf wrote:
> I am trying to setup a friends computer with freebsd 5.1. He has used 
> windows for the last 5 years and has never used a unix based 
> computer.......so i need to make things as easy and "point and click" as 
> possible.
> He uses a dial up isp "everyones internet" for internet service and i 
> dont have any idea on how to make this easy as i have always used a 
> cable modem. What should i use? I have heard that ppp is what most use. 
> Whatever solution, I will need it to have a good gui interface so he can 
> jut click connect and disconnect etc... and username : password.  Any 
> good suggestions.
> 
> Also, I cant seem to find the modem showing up in dmesg.  The modem is a 
> astec pci - modem,,, here is my dmesg.

I can't speak to the issue of the modem directly, but you may wish to
investigate xisp for the gui:

/usr/ports/net/xisp/pkg-descr reads:

The xisp package implements a user-friendly X interface to pppd/chat
and provides maximum feedback from the dial-in and login phases on a
browser screen, as well as a manual login terminal window. It also
provides greater versatility in interrupting a call in progress and in
general enhances the user's feeling of "what's going on", especially
if he/she is not all that well acquainted with the intricacies of
system log files. Xisp also has means to track your phonecosts.

WWW: http://xisp.hellug.gr/


As to the modem, someone has speculated that it may be a WinModem...if
you can query[1] it via MS windows, then you may be able to determine
if it is a WinModem that way; otherwise (if, for instance, you don't
have an MS OS on that box) you can open the box, and see if WinModem
or softmodem or words to that effect are printed on a label or on the
modem itself.

If you still cannot determine its nature, you could go here with the
model number:

http://www.fcc.gov/oet/fccid/help.html

or here:

http://www.driverzone.com/fcc_id_search.htm

or here:

http://www.fcc.gov/oet/fccid/Welcome.html

I think this latter one is the one most likely to bear fruit; but I
could be wrong. For the last two years, maybe longer, it seems that
manufacturers have not (are not required?) provided this info....so
the modem may not be listed.

HTH.

[1] Something like Control Panel -> Modems -> (More info or Query Modem)

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