The ECN No Name Newsletter is no longer being published. This is an archived issue.
[previous article] [next article]
George Bailey
http://www.ecn.purdue.edu/ECN/FAQ/internet/web_authoring_and_cgi/apache
In order to run many Internet programs on a computer using a dialup connection to the ECN, an IP link will need to be established. Not all engineering schools provide a true IP connection such as Point to Point Protocol or Serial Line Internet Protocol (from now I'll refer to these two protocols as PPP/SLIP). Emulators are available to provide connection to the ECN which look and function like standard PPP/SLIP.
PPP/SLIP Overview
PPP/SLIP provides the ability to transport TCP/IP traffic over serial lines,
such as dial-up telephone lines, between two computers. Both computers run
TCP/IP based network software. This allows a home user to get direct internet
access from his/her own PC with a simple modem and a telephone line. For
many users, this is an exciting way to gain internet connectivity at a low
cost. With PPP/SLIP, you can run your favorite GUI based web browser, ftp
client, etc. - right from your own PC. PPP/SLIP is really a form of direct
internet connection in the sense that:
PPP/SLIP vs Host Dial-Up Access
Both PPP/SLIP and normal dial-up access involve dialing into a remote computer
system (which is directly on the internet) and logging in. Some people may
have difficulty understanding the difference. The key distinction is that
with PPP/SLIP, your home PC is communicating using native IP with other
computers on the internet while with normal host dial-up, your PC simply acts
as a dumb terminal to the remote computer which then communicates with other
computers on the internet using native IP. When you run a ftp client with
host dial-up, the files you receive are stored on the remote computer. With
PPP/SLIP, however, the files are received directly on your own PC. You can
run GUI based clients (telnet,web browsers,etc.) on your own PC and directly
make use of internet services.
What Hardware Do I Need?
To use PPP/SLIP, you need a computer, modem and telephone line. This may
sound like nothing more than what you may already use for normal host dial-up
access.
While normal host dial-up access is usually text based, direct access with PPP/SLIP will probably lead you to use more of the GUI based applications. This means that you will want to have a computer that can run Windows, OS/2, Linux or other GUI based operating systems and/or environments reasonably well.
With direct internet access, you may also find yourself transferring more information between your computer and the internet. This will especially be true if you want to ftp many files or browse the World Wide Web with full graphics. As a result, you should consider at least a 14.4Kbps modem. If you are preparing to connect for the first time, you may benefit from reading the ECN FAQ on dialup procedures. To the FAQ URL given above, append "/dialup/How_do_I_dialup_with_a_modem" to guide you along the connecting procedure,
Using PPP/SLIP requires that you have a clean 8-bit data connection that uses hardware flow control between your computer and the ECN. Refer to the ECN FAQ for detailed instructions to obtain a 8-bit connection by appending the following to the FAQ URL given above "dialup/clean8bit.html" .
What Software Do I Need?
The software requirements are quite different from what you use for normal
host dial-up. First and foremost, you must have suitable TCP/IP networking
software installed on your computer. This depends largely on the operating
system or platform you are on. With Windows 3.x, you need a TCP/IP
stack with SLIP software such as Trumpet Winsock or Internet
Chameleon. With OS2 Warp, Linux or Windows 95 you do not need
anything extra because TCP/IP networking and PPP/SLIP are already available
out of the box. OS/2 Warp and Windows 95 is a good choice
because it includes everything you will need and yet avoids the complexities
inherent in a UNIX environment.
You will also need internet applications or tools in order to make good use of the internet services. Many of these are normally included as part of your network software. You will need, among others, tools for:
Many commercial versions of these tools are available, but before spending any money on software that you have not tested visit the Shareware.com home page at "http://www.shareware.com/" to search for a particular tool.
SLIRP
Once you have connected to the ECN and have logged into your account,
in order to gain an IP address, a TCP/IP emulator needs to be started.
The ECN supports the free TCP/IP emulator called SLiRP.
To start slirp type the command from a UNIX prompt "slirp".
This will generate an available IP address and you will then be able to use
internet applications as if you were sitting in a lab on campus.
To gain more information on SLiRP visit its web page at:
"http://blitzen.canberra.edu.au/~danjo/" .
Or view the SLiRP FAQ page which is tailored for Purdue Faculty,
Staff and Students at:
"http://cartoon.ecn.purdue.edu/~mmatthew/slip_faq/" .
Good luck and have fun exploring the internet from home. If you have any questions feel free to e-mail me.
HTML