SETTING UP FREEPPP 2.5 TO CONNECT TO PANIX

FreePPP is the dialer that ships with the Panix Mac Pack, and is our dialer of choice for the Macintosh. Version 2.5 differs from its predecessors in a number of ways:

• You access it through a pulldown menu (the icon looks like a phone in front of a globe) instead of the "Config PPP" Control Panel,

• It supports multiple accounts and dialing locations, complete with different modem settings for each, and

• It gives up the familiar "2-dialog" approach in favor of a multi-layered "index tab" interface.

As a result, FreePPP configuration is sometimes daunting. This document is intended to guide you through the process of creating a Panix session in it.

STEP 1. Verify Your FreePPP Installation

Look on the right side of your pulldown menu bar, for your FreePPP Menu icon. (It looks like a phone in front of a globe.) Pull down this menu, and go to 'Open FreePPP Setup'.

(If the menu doesn't work, or is all greyed out, go to the "~FreePPP Menu" Control Panel and make sure 'Active' is checked.)

The "FreePPP Setup" dialog should appear. If it does, go to Step 2.

If this menu doesn't appear, or if FreePPP Setup doesn't open when you select it, you may have a control panel or extension in the wrong place. Check your System Folder for the following:

• The 'Control Panels' folder should contain a file called "~FreePPP Menu".
• The 'Extensions' folder should contain a file called "FreePPP".

If these files aren't in the right place, look for them and put them there. "Find File" in the Apple Menu can help.

Once your files are all in the right place, just restart your Mac, open FreePPP Setup, and continue with...

STEP 2. FreePPP Setup - The 'General' Tab

The FreePPP Setup dialog has three index-tab sections: General, Accounts, and Locations. We'll start with General.

General contains 6 checkboxes. Here are some suggestions:

• "Allow applications to open connection": your choice.
• "Disconnect if idle": leave this box unchecked.
• "Check line": leave this box unchecked.
• "Show alerts": your choice.
• "On connect, open FreePPP Setup": leave this box unchecked.
• "Open application on connect": leave this unchecked.

Now click the 'Modem Setup' button. This will open the 'FreePPP Modem Setup' dialog. Here are the settings:

• "Connected to:" choose the port your modem is on.
• "Dial Type": usually 'Tone', meaning touch-tone.

• Of the 5 checkboxes, only 'Hangup on disconnect' needs to be checked; I suggest leaving "Modem speaker on while connecting" checked as well, especially if you're troubleshooting.

• Under "Modem Init String Settings:", choose 'Use init string from account configuration'. This way, the Panix-preferred init string will only be used for Panix.

Now click 'OK' to return to the "FreePPP Setup" dialog.

STEP 3. FreePPP Setup - The 'Accounts' Tab

Click the 'Accounts' index tab. If the list on the left has a Panix account in it already, just select it and click 'Edit...'. If the list doesn't contain a Panix account, just click 'New...' to create one. Either way, this will pull up an account-editing dialog.

This dialog contains 3 index tabs. The 'Account' tab will be open when the dialog first pops up, so we'll start there:

• 'Server name:' If you clicked 'Edit...', this will already have a name in it. If you clicked 'New...', just enter a descriptive name like "Panix NYC 28.8" or "Panix 14.4 Nassau", etc.

• 'Phone number:' Enter the Panix dial-in phone number for the area and modem speed you use. If you include the area code, be sure to put it in parentheses.

• The "Dial as long distance" and "Dial area code" can be unchecked, unless you're calling from someplace where they're needed. (Calling Manhattan from Brooklyn, for instance.)

• 'Connect:' Set this to 'Directly' unless you have a special connection type requiring a script.

• You may enter your Panix username and password in the blanks provided if you like; if you don't do it, FreePPP will prompt you for these when you dial up anyway.

Now click the 'Connection' tab, and verify these settings:

'Port speed:' should be 115200 in most cases.

'Flow control:' if you know that your cable supports hardware handshaking, you can set this to 'CTS & RTS (DTR)'. Otherwise, you should set it to 'None'.

'Modem init string:' Consult your modem manufacturer for recommended init strings; also, Panix has init strings for many popular modem brands on file.

ISDN USERS NOTE: Panix supports "data-over-voice" ISDN calling, which can save you from surprising per-minute charges on your phone bill. To learn more about "DOV", just ask.

Now click the 'Options' tab.

This tab should be left alone, in general. 'Domain name:' will say "I'm not used", 'Primary DNS' should say "Me either", and 'Secondary DNS' should say "Ditto". Just leave this as is.
'IP Address' should say "Assigned by PPP Server".

When you've verified all that, click 'OK' to return to FreePPP Setup.

STEP 4. FreePPP Setup - The 'Locations' Tab

Click the 'Locations' index tab. If the list on the left has a location in it already, just select it and click 'Edit...'.
If the list doesn't contain a location, just click 'New...' to create one. Either way, this will pull up a location-editing dialog.

Here are some suggestions for the dialog entries:

• 'Location name:' If you clicked 'Edit...', this will already have a name in it. If you clicked 'New...', just enter a descriptive name like "Home" or "New York office", etc.

• 'Location specific modem settings': This should only be checked if you regularly dial in with two or more different modem brands. If you do this, please read the tips in Appendix I: Multiple Dial-out Configuration.

  If you always use the same modem on this computer, leave it blank.

• 'Area code:' Enter the area code you're calling from.

• 'Long distance prefix:' This is usually "1".

• 'When account area code does not match location area code:' Normally, you should choose "Do nothing". If you want to play around with this, look at Appendix I: Multiple Dial-out Configuration.

• 'Dial prefix:' If you need to dial 9 for an outside line before the number, enter a 9 and a comma (9,) here. Similarly, if you need to disable call waiting before dialing, enter a *70 and a comma (*70,) here.

• 'Long distance access code:' If you need to type a special code to dial long distance (as on ROLM systems), enter the code here.

• 'Dial suffix:' If you dial in with a calling card, or have to dial anything after the phone number, put it here.

Now click 'OK' to return to FreePPP Setup for the last time.

STEP 5. Dialing Panix!

Now your FreePPP is almost ready to go. In the FreePPP Setup window, choose the proper account from the 'Connect to:' popup menu, and the proper dial-out location from the 'From:' popup menu. Now quit FreePPP Setup to save your changes.

Now you can dial Panix by going to the FreePPP Menu (that phone/globe icon on the right side of the menu bar) and choose 'Open PPP Connection' from it.

(FreePPP may prompt you for your Panix username and password; if the connection is successful, these will be saved so you don't have to enter them again.)

FreePPP will dial, log in, and if all goes well, you'll get a "Connection established!" message within seconds. If you get an error, write it down and let us know. We'll do our best to help.

STEP 6. What Now?

Now you're connected to Panix, and can use any email, Web, or other Internet programs you choose. When you're done using the Internet, just go back to the FreePPP Menu and choose 'Close PPP Connection'. This will hang up the modem, and reset your FreePPP so it's ready for the next time.

APPENDIX I: Multiple Dial-out Configuration

Some users of FreePPP (especially laptop computer users) will want to configure it for multiple dial-out locations and multiple dial-IN locations (Panix POPs); sometimes even using different modems!

FreePPP has this capability, but the configuration is a bit complex. Here are a few tips:

Tip 1. The Way Phone Numbers Should Look in "Accounts"

If you're dialing into multiple area codes from different area codes, FreePPP has to keep track of the dialing method. It needs a way to "parse" the area code, so it doesn't try dialing a local call as long distance...

If you're setting up multiple accounts, make sure the 'Phone Number' includes the area code, in parentheses, with a space between it and the rest of the number. Like so: (212) 741-4791

Now FreePPP can tell what's the area code and what's the rest.

Tip 2. Changes To Location Setup for Multiple Dial-Out Locations

Now that you've put all the account phone numbers in proper syntax, you need to modify your 'Location's.

In the Location Setup, there are three changes needed:

• 'Area code:' should be the area code of that dial-out location.

• 'Long distance prefix:' should be the long-distance prefix for that location. (this is usually "1".)

• 'When account area code does not match location area code:' change this to "Add long distance prefix to phone number."

Now FreePPP will know what to do with long distance numbers.

Tip 3. Changes to FreePPP for Multiple Dial-Out Modems

If you're using different modems in your locations, there are a few more settings you may need to change:

1. In the Location Setup, you'll notice the "Location specific modem settings" box. If one of your dial-out modems doesn't work well with the 'General' and 'Account' modem configurations, you can override those settings here. Just check the box, and a button called 'Edit modem settings...' will appear.

2. If you click this button, you'll see five overrides: Port, Dial Type, Flow Control, Port Speed, and Init String.

3. Normally, you'll just have to override the init string; as long as the modems are similar speeds, the phone lines all support touch-tone, the cables all support hardware handshaking, and you plug the modems into the same port on the back of your Mac, the rest of them can stay the same.

4. Whichever overrides you choose, just check the box and set the option accordingly. Now, dialing from this location will use these modem settings instead of the ones in 'General' and 'Accounts'.

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