1. Introduction

This description has been made to answer a few questions about how dial-up ISP (Internet Service Provider) subscribers may configure and use Linux.

To aid those who will connect their Linux based machines to an ISP for the first time, an attempt has been made to cover most issues encountered. This quite unavoidably will create a certain degree of overlap with other Linux Howto-documents and LDP books. Reference should be made to these documents to provide better understanding and detail.

Much of the existing documentation is targeted towards users with a certain degree of experience, and first time users will often have trouble sorting out the relevant information.

To simplify, the examples given will assume the following:

• User name: dirk
• Password: PrettySecret
• Internet service provider: acme.net
• Email server: mail.acme.net
• News server: news.acme.net
• Name server: 193.212.1.0
• Phone number: 12345678

Our dirk will be calling his machine roderick.

All references in the table above should naturally be replaced by whatever is valid for the ISP one is using. Often, just a minimum of changes will otherwise be required for users with different ISPs. I would like to be informed about what problems you encounter on this account.

1.1 New versions of this document

New versions of this document will be periodically posted to comp.os.linux.answers. They will also be added to the various anonymous FTP sites who archive such information, including:

ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/docs/HOWTO

In addition, you should generally be able to find this document on the Linux WorldWideWeb home page via:

http://sunsite.unc.edu/mdw/linux.html

Finally, the very latest version of this document should also be available in various formats from:

ftp://ftp.sn.no/user/egilk/ISP-Hookup-HOWTO.txt

ftp://ftp.sn.no/user/egilk/ISP-Hookup-HOWTO.ps.gz

ftp://ftp.sn.no/user/egilk/ISP-Hookup-HOWTO.tar.gz

http://home.sn.no/~egilk/ISP-Hookup-HOWTO.html

1.2 Feedback

All comments, error reports, additional information and criticism of all sorts should be directed to:

egilk@sn.no

http://home.sn.no/~egilk/

1.3 Disclaimer

No liability for the contents of this documents can be accepted. Use the concepts, examples and other content at your own risk. Additionally, this is an early version, with many possibilities for inaccuracies and errors.

One of many possible setups will be described. In the Linux world, there is usually a number of ways in which to accomplish things. Paragraphs containing hints to alternatives are marked by ALT: Please also note that FTP-references often will change slightly as new versions of programs arrive.

As far as I know, only programs that under certain terms may be used or evaluated for personal purposes will be described. Most of the programs will be available complete with source under GNU-like terms.

1.4 Copyright information

This document is copyrighted (c)1996 Egil Kvaleberg and distributed under the following terms:

• Linux HOWTO documents may be reproduced and distributed in whole or in part, in any medium physical or electronic, as long as this copyright notice is retained on all copies. Commercial redistribution is allowed and encouraged; however, the author would like to be notified of any such distributions.
• All translations, derivative works, or aggregate works incorporating any Linux HOWTO documents must be covered under this copyright notice. That is, you may not produce a derivative work from a HOWTO and impose additional restrictions on its distribution. Exceptions to these rules may be granted under certain conditions; please contact the Linux HOWTO coordinator at the address given below.
• If you have questions, please contact Greg Hankins, the Linux HOWTO coordinator, at

gregh@sunsite.unc.edu Finger for phone number and snail mail address.