I have a IIcx running NetBSD 1.3.1 that I'm using as a dial in server. Just
this last weekend it broke for no apparent reason. It won't communicate
anything through the box. Here are some more details:

It just wasn't working even after multiple restarts, and checking every
setting I could think of at least four times. So I assumed something must
be corrupted, so I decided to give up on the computer and start over.

I reinstalled NetBSD from my backup of the 1.3.1 sets after re initializing
the Root&Usr partition. The only setup changes I did we to setup networking
according to the HOW-TO, and setup an user account. Then I setup the ppp
dial in.

I use mgetty to manage the modems, but there isn't a perfect port of the
software to NetBSD. The FreeBSD port is close, so I start with that. To get
it working I grabbed the pkgsrc tree from ftp.netbsd.org. Then I grab the
FreeBSD mgetty+sendfax port (what we would call a package) and make that.
It will grab the source, apply some patches, and compile the software, but
it won't install the software without problems. (Maybe later I'll try to
figure out the package system well enough to fix the problems so NetBSD
will have a mgetty package.) Since I use the AutoPPP feature of mgetty, I
need to change an option and then recompile the source. Then I use mgetty's
install procedure (make the install target using mgetty's Makefile), and
edit the configuration files as appropriate.

Next I setup pppd by adding a ppp directory to /etc and an options file
that reads:

	crtscts                 # hardware flow control
	netmask 255.255.255.0   # netmask
	domain thiel.com        # this domain
	passive                 # wait for LCP
	modem                   # modem line
	proxyarp                # allow access to the Ethernet network
	login                   # check against passwd file
	#auth                   # authenticate

I'll turn authentication back on once I get things to work. This step gives
me other troubles, so I'm just trying to tackle one problem at a time.
Since authentication is off I don't really need pap or chap secrets, but I
make those files too.

Then I go over to the remote machine, which for purposes of testing is on
the same desk. It is a MacOS computer and I setup Open Transport with PPP
on this computer. It has a static IP address, and proper DNS information.

When I try to connect, the remote computer dials in, makes the connection,
starts up PPP and thinks it is connected. The remote machine reports that
it is connected to the correct IP address, and the netstat -r command
reports the remote computer's IP address as associated with the PPP port
and the MAC address of the NetBSD computer.

Then I have the remote computer try to access a web site. This fails
because the remote computer can't even access the DNS servers to resolve
the address of the web site. Thinking that the problem is with the DNS
servers, I give the web browser the IP address of a web server on the
network local to the NetBSD box. This doesn't even work.

Now here's something scary. I run netstat -r again, and the remote
computer's IP address is associated with the NetBSD computers MAC address,
but the PPP entry is missing.

Out of utter frustration, I decided that it must be a hardware problem. So
I tried a different modem, and a different computer. I have a second IIcx
(perched on top of the first) running NetBSD 1.3.1 also. This computer is a
web and e-mail server for my family domain, and wasn't running a dial in. I
added mgetty and configured PPP the same on this machine, but I'm getting
the same results.

Help. What else can I try? Could this be caused by anything else on my
network?

Eric Damien Berna
eric@thiel.com

P.S. Sorry this is so long, and I thank you for at least reading this far.