pppoeconf

pppoeconf

pppoeconf is an interactive, menu-driven utility designed to simplify the setup of a Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet (PPPoE) internet connection on Linux systems. It is particularly useful for ADSL and some fiber-optic broadband environments that utilize PPPoE. The tool guides the user through the necessary steps, including scanning for available PPPoE concentrators, prompting for username and password credentials, and configuring DNS servers. It automates the creation and modification of essential configuration files, primarily /etc/ppp/peers/dsl-provider, which the pppd (the PPP daemon) uses to establish the connection. pppoeconf aims to make the often complex process of manually configuring PPPoE accessible even for new users, by abstracting away the intricacies of the underlying pppd and pppoe utilities. It also offers options to configure the system to automatically connect on boot or on demand.

This command requires root privileges to execute, typically by running it with sudo. It is primarily an interactive setup tool and does not provide command-line options for non-interactive configuration. While pppoeconf simplifies initial setup, advanced or very specific PPPoE configurations may still require manual editing of the ppp configuration files located in /etc/ppp. This tool is commonly found on Debian-based distributions (like Ubuntu) and might not be available or function identically on other Linux distributions.

To run pppoeconf, you must typically invoke it with sudo: sudo pppoeconf.
The utility will then guide you through a series of questions to detect your network interfaces, find PPPoE concentrators, and prompt for your connection credentials (username and password). It automatically configures DNS servers and asks if the connection should be established automatically on boot or on demand.

After successfully running pppoeconf, you can initiate the PPPoE connection using the pon command: pon dsl-provider.
To disconnect, use the poff command: poff dsl-provider.
The dsl-provider is the default name given to the connection profile created by pppoeconf in the /etc/ppp/peers/ directory.

pppoeconf emerged as a crucial utility within the Debian ecosystem, specifically designed to ease the configuration of ADSL connections during the early 2000s when PPPoE was the dominant broadband technology. Its development was driven by the need for a user-friendly interactive script that could abstract the complexities of manual pppd and pppoe client configurations. While graphical network managers and more advanced network configuration tools have gained prominence, pppoeconf remains a reliable and straightforward method for setting up PPPoE, especially in server environments or during console-only installations where a graphical interface is not available.

pppd(8), pon(1), poff(1), pppconfig(8), pppoe(8), ip(8), ifconfig(8)