2. Preparing for the installation

2.1. System requirements

I have tested these instructions on my i386 system. I started with a fresh, clean, base installation of Debian 2.2 r4. I then installed The X Window System (core) and the Gnome desktop. You don't need to work within X, but you may wish to test the installation using a browser.

You should already have ppp installed. (This is part of the standard base install, so it should already be there unless you have removed it. If it has been removed, it should automatically be re-installed as a dependency of pppconfig in the next section ("Installing pppconfig").

You may wish to have a browser installed so that you can test your connection with it. You can install Mozilla with the command apt-get mozilla.

2.2. Gathering information about your modem

Really, all you need to know is that your modem is

In my case, I bought the cheapest brand new modem I could find. It was up-to-date enough to support 56k V92. I was concerned that it might be too modern for Debian 2.2r4. In fact, it installed and ran perfectly first time.

2.3. Gathering information about your dial-up connection

2.3.1. Information you need

  • name of ISP (Internet Service Provider) - this is not essential, but useful if you have more than one ISP

  • IP addresses of DNS (Domain Name Servers) - these are numbers of the form nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn

  • ISP's IP address. This is only needed if your ISP uses a static IP address instead of a server-assigned IP address. The static IP address is of the form nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn

  • authentication method - if you cannot find out, assume this is PAP

  • your username at the ISP - eg username.provider.net

  • your password at the ISP

  • whether your telephone uses pulse or tone dialing - you have pulse dialing if your telephone earpiece produces a short series of musical notes when you dial a number

  • the telephone number of your ISP connection

2.3.2. Where to find the information

You can find out this information by telephoning your ISP's "customer services" or "support" hotline. You can also find the information direct from a MS Windows machine with an existing connection to your ISP. The exact format may vary in different flavours of MS Windows, but the basic procedure is the same.

Open "Dial-Up Networking" from the "Start" menu and find the page with the ISP and modem details. In Windows 98:

Start->Programs->Accessories->Communications->Dial-Up Networking

right-click on ISP icon 
Properties

or in Windows NT4:

Start->Programs->Accessories->Dial-Up Networking

Choose ISP from drop-down menu  
More->Edit entry and modem properies
				

Use the Basic and Server tabs to find the information you need. The TCP/IP Settings... button will give you any static IP address and DNS server addresses.