RE: PPP connection sometimes fails. -- MIDRANGE-L

Hi Rick:
My general feeling is that any type of communications (but probably more so
for dial up) is going to fail for some reason some of the time.  The key is
to programmatically trap the error and redial again until you get a good
connection.
Perhaps, just as a quick though, after you start your PPP connection you
could ping an address on the banks network and if you don't get a response,
end the PPP session and try again.
cjg

Carl J. Galgano
EDI Consulting Services, Inc.
550 Kennesaw Avenue, Suite 800
Marietta, GA  30060
(770) 422-2995 - voice
(419) 730-8212 - fax
mailto:cgalgano@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.ediconsulting.com
AS400 EDI, Networking, E-Commerce and Communications Consulting and
Implementation 
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-----Original Message-----
From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of
rick.baird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Thursday, September 25, 2003 4:02 PM
To: midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: PPP connection sometimes fails.


Hey all,

I'm trying to do a PPP connection to a bank from the iseries for an ftp
download.

it's all set up and works 90% of the time.   sometimes though, for no rhyme
or reason, the dial up fails when trying to negociate with the banks RAS
server.

I look a the logs generated by the STRTCPPTP command, and as I watch them
spool, I can tell whether it will connect, and let me in the network, and
when it will not.

a good log is almost identical to a bad log, up to specific spot.  it's
there that I can tell if it's going to work or not.

here is that spot in a GOOD log:

08:35:54.772 === LCP ENTERING AUTHENTICATION PHASE. 08:35:54.789 ===
Starting authentication of AS/400 by peer. 08:35:55.283 ==>
UPAP/OPENEDAutReq id 0x1E len 22 flags 0x00000000 ID: MYUSERID PWD: ********
08:35:58.673 <== UPAP/OPENEDAutAck id 0x1E len  5 flags 0x00000002
08:35:58.674 === LCP ENTERING NETWORK PHASE. 08:35:58.675 <== LCP UP FROM
LINE: MYMODEM JOB: 526929/QTCP/QTPPPSSN 08:35:58.686 === BEGINNING NETWORK
PHASE. STARTING IPCP NEGOTIATIONS. 08:35:58.686 === IPCP ENTERING ESTABLISH
PHASE 08:35:58.709 ==> IP NCP/REQSENT  CfgReq/0x01 id 0xA3 len 10 <IP-ADDR
0.0.0.0> 08:35:58.756 <== IP NCP/REQSENT  CfgReq/0x01 id 0x03 len 10
<IP-ADDR xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx> 08:35:58.757 ==> IP NCP/REQSENT  CfgAck/0x02 id
0x03 len 10 <IP-ADDR xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx> 08:35:58.815 <== IP NCP/ACKSENT
CfgNak/0x03 id 0xA3 len 10 <IP-ADDR xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx> 08:35:58.815 === Peer
suggests our IP address xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx 08:35:58.828 ==> IP NCP/ACKSENT
CfgReq/0x01 id 0xA4 len 10 <IP-ADDR xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx> 08:35:58.935 <== IP
NCP/ACKSENT  CfgAck/0x02 id 0xA4 len 10 <IP-ADDR xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx>
08:35:58.936 === NOTE: AS/400 LOCAL  IP ADDRESS 205.XXX.XXX.XXX 08:35:58.937
=== NOTE: REMOTE PEER'S IP ADDRESS 205.XXX.XXX.XXX

-------at this point, i have my connection, and can log into the FTP server.

here is the same spot in the BAD log:

09:20:46.944 === LCP ENTERING AUTHENTICATION PHASE. 09:20:46.973 ===
Starting authentication of AS/400 by peer. 09:20:47.208 ==>
UPAP/OPENEDAutReq id 0xA1 len 22 flags 0x00000000 ID: MYUSERID PWD: ********
09:20:50.290 <== UPAP/OPENEDAutAck id 0xA1 len  5 flags 0x00000002
09:20:50.290 === LCP ENTERING NETWORK PHASE. 09:20:50.345 <== IP
NCP/STARTING CfgReq/0x01 id 0x03 len 10 <IP-ADDR xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx>
09:20:50.345 === WARNING: IPCP: IGNORING unexpected FSM_INPUT event in
STARTING state. 09:20:50.346 <== LCP UP FROM LINE: MYMODEM JOB:
527392/QTCP/QTPPPSSN 09:20:50.347 === BEGINNING NETWORK PHASE. STARTING IPCP
NEGOTIATIONS. 09:20:50.347 === IPCP ENTERING ESTABLISH PHASE 09:20:50.348
==> IP NCP/REQSENT  CfgReq/0x01 id 0x19 len 10 <IP-ADDR 0.0.0.0>
09:20:50.458 <== IP NCP/REQSENT  CfgNak/0x03 id 0x19 len 10 <IP-ADDR
xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx> 09:20:50.459 === Peer suggests our IP address
xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx 09:20:50.711 ==> IP NCP/REQSENT  CfgReq/0x01 id 0x1A len 10
<IP-ADDR xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx> 09:20:50.815 <== IP NCP/REQSENT  CfgAck/0x02 id
0x1A len 10 <IP-ADDR xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx> 09:21:02.749 ==> IP NCP/REQSENT
CfgReq/0x01 id 0x1A len 10 <IP-ADDR xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx> 09:21:02.852 <== IP
NCP/REQSENT  CfgAck/0x02 id 0x1A len 10 <IP-ADDR xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx>
09:21:14.789 ==> IP NCP/REQSENT  CfgReq/0x01 id 0x1A len 10 <IP-ADDR
xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx> 09:21:14.943 <== IP NCP/REQSENT  CfgAck/0x02 id 0x1A len 10
<IP-ADDR xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx> 09:21:26.823 ==> IP NCP/REQSENT  CfgReq/0x01 id
0x1A len 10 <IP-ADDR xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx> .....etc.

The last two messages are repeated over and over until I cancel the job.

notice, that after the LCP ENTERING NETWORK PHASE, I get a different message
in the bad log, and then a WARNING: IPCP: IGNORING unexpected FSM_INPUT
event in STARTING state.

The help desk at the bank is less than worthless.  I talked with 4 guys
there, and every one of them kept saying "you know, your file just might not
be there yet" and "did you double click your dialup icon on your desktop?"
and "what's an as/400?" over and over.

They think it's an FTP problem, even though I kept telling them over and
over, it was a dialup RAS over PPP connection problem, that I never even get
to the point where I can issue the FTP command to log into the server.

I'm afraid that you all just might be my last hope on this, at least until i
get IBM support involved, and that's a scary proposition too. ;)

thanks!

Rick



Rick Baird
317-655-7318


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