Subject: IPCP Option Required?

From: "Michael Koller" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 12 Jan 2001 19:39:11 -0000

Does anyone know if it is necessary to include an option when 
performing IPCP negotiation? Thanks.

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From: James Carlson <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 12 Jan 2001 14:43:53 -0500 (EST)

> performing IPCP negotiation? Thanks.

No, it's an option.

However, see RFC 1547 for the reason this option was put into PPP.
When you don't negotiate the addresses, you end up operating the way
SLIP once did.  It's far too easy to misconfigure the endpoints and
end up with an unusable link (at best) or a complete disaster
(forwarding loops and black holes).

There are folks doing things with Mobile IP (see IS-835) where the
IPCP IP-Address option isn't used, but in general I think you need a
*really* compelling reason before you decide not to implement it.
(And I'm not sure I believe the aforementioned folks are necessarily
correct.)

-- 
James Carlson                                  <[email-masked]>
"PPP Design and Debugging" --- http://people.ne.mediaone.net/carlson/ppp