SLIP, the older protocol, supports a wide
range of hardware and is straightforward to configure.
PPP was created to enhance the capabilities of
SLIP, and is required by products such as
the SCO Global Access™ web browser.
Each protocol supports the following:
multiple simultaneous links (64 for PPP and SLIP)
communications initiated from either the local or remote host
dynamic acquisition of serial lines, allowing for lines to
be shared with programs such as uucp
dynamic link configuration, negating the need for kernel relinks
packet filtering based on packet type
gateway services
asynchronous communications
PPP offers the following capabilities in addition to
those offered by SLIP:
Authentication
Authentication of connection requests with CHAP
(Challenge-Handshake Authentication Protocol) or PAP
(Password Authentication Protocol), which provides additional security.
Debugging
Multiple levels of debugging data, which appear on
the console and in the system logfile.
Error detection
Error detection through the use of a checksum program.
Negotiation
Connect-time negotiation of IP addresses, authentication methods,
compression, and other configurable parameters.
Packet priority handling
Two-level packet handling, where telnet, rlogin, and
ftp packets have a higher priority than all other packets.
Protocol support
Support for multiple protocols. SLIP only supports the
IP protocol.
SCO Global Access
Support for the SCO Global Access browswer and other products
(such as other World Wide Web browsers) that make use of
an httpd server.
SNMP MIB support
Support for SNMP queries for objects in the
PPP Link Control Protocol MIB and
the PPP Network Control Protocol MIB.
NOTE:
If your network is simple, static, and does not have use for the
capabilities of PPP, use SLIP. If you are
connecting to a service provider to use the SCO Global Access browser, or
want to use the additional features provided, use PPP.
Configuring serial lines
To configure serial lines:
Install and configure TCP/IP with
the Network Configuration Manager.
Configure
SLIP
or
PPP
links with the Network Configuration Manager.
Administering serial lines
Serial line administration consists of:
Adding or deleting links with
the Network Configuration Manager.