Re: HylaFAX vs Solaris PPP

[Matthias.Apitz@SOFTCON.de (Matthias Apitz)]

D. Hugh Redelmeier wrote:
    
    I am using hylafax-v4.0pl0 under Solaris 2.5.
    
    When I use the Solaris 2.5 bundled PPP for a dial-out connection, I
    get a lot of angry mail from HylaFAX.  Here is an example:
    
    	From fax Thu Jan  2 00:41:02 1997
    	Return-Path: <fax>
    	Date: Thu, 2 Jan 1997 00:41:01 -0500
    	To: FaxMaster
    	From: The HylaFAX Receive Agent <fax>
    	Subject: modem on /dev/cua/a appears wedged
    	Content-Length: 241
    
    	The HylaFAX software thinks that there is a problem with the modem
    	on device /dev/cua/a that needs attention; repeated attempts to
    	initialize the modem have failed.
    	?
    
    	Consult the server trace logs for more information on what is happening.
    
    The system log (/var/adm/messages) is full of messages like:
    	Jan 2 00:37:07 redline FaxQueuer[213]: MODEM /dev/cua/a appears to be wedged
    
    I think that what is going on is that aspppd is not creating a lock
    file, so HylaFAX thinks that the modem should be acting as if it were
    idle and available.  When I do a truss of aspppd (-f, to follow
    children too), I find that a lock is created for the dialing and
    connecting phase, but is blown away once the connection is made.
    
    I think that this is a bug in the Solaris bundled ppp.  I have
    installed SunSolve's patch 103009.  I'll submit a bug report to Sun
    unless we figure out that it isn't a bug.
    
    Does anyone have any experience with this combination?  Any easy
    fixes?

I don't know the Solaris bundled ppp. But I think many ppp
implementations are using a tool "chat" to do the dialing and
login-chatting with the peer and chat creates the lock before dialing
and removes it after login. Try finding out if you can avoid
creation of lock by chat (check the flags) or aspppd (if
aspppd creates the lock). If you can switch of lock file
creation you could write a wrapper script which creates the
lock before calling aspppd or chat. I'm starting chat and
pppd from such a script on my SVR4.2 box and it works fine.
I could send you this script for pattern.

	matthias
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