---
name: "pppoe-connect"
section: "8"
platform: "linux"
package: "pppoe"
version: "3.15-2"
release: "Debian 12 (Bookworm)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/pppoe-connect"
---

# pppoe-connect(8)

Shell script to manage a PPPoE link

## NAME

pppoe-connect - Shell script to manage a PPPoE link

## SYNOPSIS

**pppoe-connect \[*config\_file*\]**

**pppoe-connect *interface user* \[*config\_file*\]**

## DESCRIPTION

**pppoe-connect** is a shell script which manages a PPPoE connection using the Roaring Penguin user-space PPPoE client.  If you omit *config\_file*, the default file **/etc/ppp/pppoe.conf** is used. If you supply *interface* and *user*, then they override the Ethernet interface and user-name settings in the configuration file.

Note that normally, you should *not* invoke **pppoe-connect** directly.  Instead, use **pppoe-start** to bring up the PPPoE connection.

**pppoe-connect** first reads a configuration file.  It then brings up a PPPoE connection.  If the connection ever drops, a message is logged to syslog, and **pppoe-connect** re-establishes the connection.  In addition, each time the connection is dropped or cannot be established, **pppoe-connect** executes the script **/etc/ppp/pppoe-lost** if it exists and is executable.

The shell script **pppoe-stop** causes **pppoe-connect** to break out of its loop, bring the connection down, and exit.

## TECHNICAL DETAILS

**pppoe-connect** uses the following shell variables from the configuration file:

- **ETH**

  The Ethernet interface connected to the DSL modem (for example, eth0).

- **USER**

  The PPPoE user-id (for example, b1xxnxnx@sympatico.ca).

- **PIDFILE**

  A file in which to write the process-ID of the pppoe-connect process (for example, **/var/run/pppoe.pid**).  Two additional files ($PIDFILE.pppd and $PIDFILE.pppoe) hold the process-ID's of the **pppd** and **pppoe** processes, respectively.

By using different configuration files with different PIDFILE settings, you can manage multiple PPPoE connections.  Just specify the configuration file as an argument to **pppoe-start** and **pppoe-stop**.

## AUTHOR

**pppoe-connect** was written by Dianne Skoll \<dianne@skoll.ca\>.

The **pppoe** home page is *https://dianne.skoll.ca/projects/rp-pppoe/*.

## SEE ALSO

[pppoe(8)](/pppoe/8.md), [pppoe-start(8)](/pppoe-start/8.md), [pppoe-stop(8)](/pppoe-stop/8.md), [pppd(8)](/pppd/8.md), [pppoe.conf(5)](/pppoe.conf/5.md), [pppoe-setup(8)](/pppoe-setup/8.md), [pppoe-status(8)](/pppoe-status/8.md), [pppoe-sniff(8)](/pppoe-sniff/8.md), [pppoe-server(8)](/pppoe-server/8.md), [pppoe-relay(8)](/pppoe-relay/8.md)