[pptp-server] PTY read or GRE write failure

[Daniel Slatford]

Greetings all,

Anybody able to shed any light on whats going on here? Trying to get a basic
pptp server running for doze 98SE client, running pptpd 1.0.0, pppd 2.3.11
and kernel 2.2.16, SuSE 6.4 box. The box it's running on is a masq box for
my home LAN.

Can establish a connection momentarially from windows, but it immediately
disconnects. Logfile thus:

pptpd[1144]: MGR: Launching /usr/local/sbin/pptpctrl to handle client
pptpd[1144]: CTRL: local address = 192.168.1.100
pptpd[1144]: CTRL: remote address = 192.168.1.234
pptpd[1144]: CTRL: pppd speed = 115200
pptpd[1144]: CTRL: pppd options file = /etc/ppp/options.pptp
pptpd[1144]: CTRL: Client 213.48.114.184 control connection started
pptpd[1144]: CTRL: Received PPTP Control Message (type: 1)
pptpd[1144]: CTRL: Made a START CTRL CONN RPLY packet
pptpd[1144]: CTRL: I wrote 156 bytes to the client.
pptpd[1144]: CTRL: Sent packet to client
pptpd[1144]: CTRL: Received PPTP Control Message (type: 7)
pptpd[1144]: CTRL: Set parameters to 0 maxbps, 16 window size
pptpd[1144]: CTRL: Made a OUT CALL RPLY packet
pptpd[1144]: CTRL: Starting call (launching pppd, opening GRE)
pptpd[1144]: CTRL: pty_fd = 5
pptpd[1144]: CTRL: tty_fd = 6
pptpd[1145]: CTRL (PPPD Launcher): Connection speed = 115200
pptpd[1145]: CTRL (PPPD Launcher): local address = 192.168.1.100
pptpd[1145]: CTRL (PPPD Launcher): remote address = 192.168.1.234
pptpd[1144]: CTRL: I wrote 32 bytes to the client.
pptpd[1144]: CTRL: Sent packet to client
pptpd[1144]: GRE: read(fd=5,buffer=804dac0,len=8196) from PTY failed: status
= -1 error = Input/output error
pptpd[1144]: CTRL: PTY read or GRE write failed (pty,gre)=(5,6)
pptpd[1144]: CTRL: Client 213.48.114.184 control connection finished
pptpd[1144]: CTRL: Exiting now
pptpd[1099]: MGR: Reaped child 1144

As I can't even seem to get this bit working I've not tried recompiling pppd
with appropiate encryption patches yet.

The seperate pppd options file /etc/ppp/options.pptp is necessary because I
also have to use pppd to dial into my ISP, the two configurations conflict.
Even tho there's a seperate instance of pppd running each with its own
config file, would that cause a problem for pptpd?

I'm not 100% sure either if the localip should be any free IP address on the
subnet (which it is in the above example) or the address of an existing
interface, ie eth0. I always thought it was the former reading the pptpd
docs, however I've been playing with seawall firewall script lately and that
tells me the latter. (either way, it doesn't work, and using my old (basic)
ipchains script still produced the same problem).

**

Also, assuming I manage to clear up this problem - what, in the opinion of
people far more experianced with pptpd than I, is the feasability of using
poptop on a corporate LAN? In our office (A job I've just started - they're
all NT based, eurgh) we plan to have a leased line installed, and need a
firewall/VPN solution. Currently we have neither, just an MS proxy server,
*gulp*. As my experiance with poptop is so far less than impressive (but I
still have faith in it!) is it up to the task of serving, say, up to a dozen
concurrent connections reliably? (it's this requirement that introduced me
to poptop to begin with, then I realised as sometimes travel about a bit how
cool it'd be to have a VPN link to my home lan :)



--
Dan Slatford
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Email: daniel at unity.f9.co.uk Mobile: 07787 778186
URL  : http://www.unity.f9.co.uk    ICQ: 12576446
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