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tkAutoPPP
© 1997 by Karsten Mueller

tkAutoPPP is a pretty simple Tcl/Tk-script which handles the connection to an Internet Service Provider with the PPP-Protocol. I developed it because I wanted to make this stuff as easy as possible. (I personally start it with a single click on an icon in fvwm(95).) Btw.: the Auto in tkAutoPPP stands for Automatic redialing, not for things like mgettys AutoPPP feature.
INSTALLATION Untar/gunzip the archive (I think you already have done that, since you can read this ;-) ) Change to the tkAutoPPP directory. Edit install-sh AND userinstall-sh to configure things the way you prefer. You may edit 'user/phones' and 'user/options' if you want them to be installed with default values that make more sense than my defaults ;-) The 'user/options' file works good with my ISP but may fail with yours. Change it with help from PPP-HOWTO and/or 'man pppd'. Run install-sh to install all necessary scripts in proper places. After that, every user who wants to use tkAutoPPP has to run userinstall-sh to create required directories and configuration files in their home directories.
REQUIREMENTS Additional to stuff like Linux / modem / X / Tcl/Tk you also need to have a working nslookup (bind package), a suid'd /usr/sbin/pppd and a working /etc/resolv.conf.
IF YOU CHANGE THE DEFAULT INSTALLATION DIRECTORY At this time it's not recommended to change the default installation directory since most of the scripts depend on it...BUT... If you change it anyway, you HAVE TO edit 'src/tkAutoPPP' and 'src/connect' since there are paths that have to be changed too. (I may fix this in future releases). If you have problems installing or using this software even after following the above steps or you have suggestions for future releases, bug-reports/fixes or whatever, please feel free to email me at tkAutoPPP@TheArtOfWeb.com and I'll try to help if I can.
USING tkAutoPPP
Although tkAutoPPP is quite self explaining, I'll try to explain it anyway. The main window consists of a menu located on the top, two status areas and buttons for connecting, disconnecting and quitting the program. With the menu you are able to select to what ISP you want to connect to. By pressing the 'Connect!' button the connection to the selected ISP will be initiated. ^() If the dialed number is busy, tkAutoPPP* tries to redial until either the connection succeeds or you press the 'Quit/Abort' button. The Status of the connection, dialattempt, onlinetime etc. is displayed in the status area during the whole session. The IP and the hostname, your ISP has assigned to you are displayed in the 'IP / Hostname' area as soon as they are available. Once you are connected, a click on the 'Disconnect' button will shut down the connection after you've been queried if you really want to do that. To leave the program, just click on the 'Quit' button and it will terminate, except if you are connected, which will lead you through the same procedure like if you had pressed the 'Disconnect' button with the only difference that the program will exit after disconnection.
^()NOTE:* Once a connection is in progress, you aren't able to use the 'Quit' button because the connection itself is made by an external script and tkAutoPPP has to wait for it to finish (which means after a successful connect or fail to connect).