pppoe-setup

pppoe-setup

The pppoe-setup command is a shell script used to interactively configure a PPPoE (Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet) client on a Linux system.
It guides the user through a series of prompts to gather necessary information such as the Ethernet interface to use, the username and password provided by the ISP (Internet Service Provider), desired DNS server settings, and firewall configuration. Once the information is collected, it generates the configuration files required by the pppoe command-line tool to establish a PPPoE connection.
This setup process aims to simplify the otherwise complex task of manually configuring PPPoE connections. The script primarily creates or modifies files within /etc/ppp/ and related directories to enable the PPPoE client functionality. The created configuration will allow connection, disconnection, displaying status, start and stop the connection. User should have root privileges to execute this command.

The script's interactive nature means it requires user input during execution. It assumes basic understanding of networking concepts and ISP-provided credentials. It might not cover all possible PPPoE setup scenarios, especially those with advanced configurations. After the setup is complete, you may need to manually adjust the configuration files for specific needs.

The pppoe-setup script primarily modifies or creates files in the /etc/ppp/ directory. These files include chap-secrets, pap-secrets, and configuration files specific to the PPPoE interface (e.g., peers/dsl-provider). These files contain authentication information, interface settings, and connection options.

The script often prompts about firewall configuration, typically using iptables. It might suggest basic rules to allow traffic to pass through the PPPoE interface. However, users should carefully review and customize these rules to ensure proper security for their network.

The script asks about DNS servers and configures the /etc/resolv.conf file (or a distribution-specific equivalent) to use the specified DNS servers. This is crucial for name resolution and internet access.

The pppoe-setup command has been available for many years as a part of the pppoe package, offering a user-friendly way to handle the complexities of PPPoE configuration on Linux systems. The precise history of its development is often tied to the evolution of broadband internet access and the need for easily configurable PPPoE clients.

pppoe(8), pppoe-start(8), pppoe-stop(8), pppoe-status(8), ifconfig(8), route(8)