Subject: Re: Some Win95 PPP "How to?" questions

From: "Ian Puleston" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 1 Dec 1997 14:38:43 -0800

>> - CHAP periodic rechallenge of Win95. It seems to me that Win '95 ignores
any
>> CHAP challenge sent to it after the authentication phase has completed.
Is
>> there a way to enable Win '95 to be compliant with RFC 1994?
>
>No.

I heard somewhere that Microsoft are planning to fix that, but when I don't
know. Maybe in Windows 98 ?

>> - Win95 CHAP authentication of peer. I don't know of a way to get Win95
to
>> authenticate it's peer via CHAP (or PAP for that matter). Is this
possible or
>> does Win95 only provide for authentication of itself to the peer, not the
other
>> way around?
>
>No.  Win95 PPP appears to believe in the "client/server" model of
>computing, rather than PPP's standard peer-to-peer model.  Since it's
>always a "client" (by definition; if you want a "server," then you run
>NT), there's no need to validate the peer.

Not quite true. If you install the ISDN accelerator pack (a freebie from MS
for 95, and built into Win-98) then Windows 95 can function as a server (the
Dial-Up Server as it is known) and will authenticate incoming calls with
CHAP, PAP or MS-CHAP.

---

From: John Martz <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 1 Dec 1997 17:56:25 -0500

James,

> I'm not trying to flame your request, but it would probably be better
> to contact the folks at Microsoft directly.
What you suggest makes a lot of sense. However, I have a very low opinion of my
own understanding of Win95. It seemed more reasonable and expedient to post to
this list and get some assurance that the problem was not me before attempting
to get feedback from MicroSoft.
>> Has anyone put together a list of what (otherwise mandated) portions of the
>> RFC's are not supported in the Win95 PPP implementation? If so, I'd
appreciate
>> a pointer to it.

> If Microsoft doesn't publish such a specification, then I strongly
> doubt that it exists.
> If you do obtain one under terms which will permit you to post it to
> this list, please do.  I think we'd all be interested.

I have no desire to feel the wrath of Microsoft either. <g> But I hope there is
nothing inappropriate in asking for comments/advice on interacting with the
Win95 PPP implementation. If an incorrect statement is posted, I'm sure that
Microsoft will post a correction ASAP. No?

I'll try not to make a nuisance of myself. (At least no more than in the past
... that leaves quite a lot of wiggle room I suppose :)

-john martz
IBM AS/400 PPP development

---

From: Bruce Johnson <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 1 Dec 1997 16:27:02 -0800

The released versions of Windows 95 will not respond to multiple CHAP
challenges.   This has been fixed in a Dial-Up Networking update
(MSDUN12.EXE) for Windows 95 & OSR2.  The update can be downloaded from
Microsoft at http://www.microsoft.com/windows95/info/dialup.htm.  

Windows 95 Dial-Up Networking does not support authenticating a peer when
functioning as a dial-in client. 

If you have further questions, you can contact me at [email-masked].

Bruce Johnson
Microsoft

> ----------
> From: 	John Martz[SMTP:[email-masked]]
> Sent: 	Monday, December 01, 1997 11:52 AM
> To: 	[email-masked]
> Subject: 	Some Win95 PPP "How to?" questions
> 
> Folks,
> 
> I really, really, really do NOT want to start a flame war here. So please
> take
> 10 deep breaths before replying to this post.
> 
> Over the last few days I've been getting some questions about how to do
> some
> things in Win95 PPP that I think are just not supported. However, I have
> no way
> of knowing whether something is not supported in the Win95 PPP
> implementation
> or whether I just do not know how to do it. Was hoping I could find out by
> posting to this list.
> 
> If there *IS* a way to do the following under Windows '95, would someone
> please
> tell me how to do it?
> 
> CHAP challenge sent to it after the authentication phase has completed. Is
> - Win95 CHAP authentication of peer. I don't know of a way to get Win95 to
> authenticate it's peer via CHAP (or PAP for that matter). Is this possible
> or
> - Win95 CHAP periodic rechallenge of peer. (If I can't get Win95 to issue
> a
> CHAP challenge, then I certainly don't know how to get it to periodically
> rechallenge it's peer :-).
> 
> Thanks,
> -john martz, IBM AS/400 PPP development
>