finding out versions

[Adam Hardy]

Hi All,
I think this is probably the easiest thing to do but I can't find out how and I've just spent a couple of hours hunting through the web looking for info with no luck.
How do I find out what versions of glibx and pppd are on my linux machine?
I've been trying to find the files, with no luck - are they actually files? I tried to query rpm with no luck either. Any help would be much appreciated.
Thanks
Adam

[Guy Allard]

Hi Adam - Using rpm should show something, otherwise the packages are probably not installed (or may have been installed not using rpm).
On my system, this:
rpm -qa | grep ppp | sort | less
yields (among other things):
ppp-2.4.1-3
Ditto: rpm -qa | grep glib....
pppd would be a file, normally in /usr/sbin.
Note that if the functions were installed without rpm (./configure, make ...), the location of the installed files may not be standard, and they would not be in the rpm database.
Does the command:
cc -v
work? If so, you do have some version of glibc and the output will show the version number.
What distro and version do you have? That info should let someone be able to say what you should have installed.
Regards, Guy
[ September 15, 2002: Message edited by: Guy Allard ]

[Adam Hardy]

Great, thanks Guy.
I've got a whole bunch of results from rpm -qa |grep glib and when I go
cc -v
it says stuff along the lines of gcc ver 2.96.
I'm not sure what glib is, but that tells me I've got a high enough version.
As for ppp, I have got that as well in version 2.4.x and that's OK too, apart from the fact that the dsl modem install instructions specify pppd, rather than ppp, and pppd isn't there in the rpm output. Could this be a problem?

Thanks
Adam

[Guy Allard]

Hi - pppd should be an executable file that is installed with/by whatever ppp package is installed (output from rpm -qa).
If you are trying to get a DSL system up, make sure you have read the appropriate Linux HOWTOs.
They are at:
http://www.tldp.org
glib stuff is basically libraries (subroutine libraries) that most c or c++ programs require (Linux typically has other compilers as well, Objective C, FORTRAN 77, Java 1.?).
among other places.
Good luck, let us know how you do .......
Guy

[Adam Hardy]

Right! pppd's there. Boy, sometimes the command line option instructions can be obtuse.
Yes I am installing DSL, and I will check out that link. Then I'm going to install ipchains, I think it's called, so I can connect to the net via this DSL from other pc's on my lan. I'll let you know how it goes.
Thanks
Adam

[Guy Allard]

Hi Adam - A short history:
Version 2.0 kernels - IPFWADM Firewall
Version 2.2 kernels - ipchains Firewall
Version 2.4 kernels - iptables Firewall
However, most 2.4 distro's install with ipchains active, iptables not.
If you are setting up a new 2.4 system, I would suggest.
1) Disable and uninstall ipchains.
2) Install (if necessary) and activate iptables.
Use this as the basis for a firewall, packet routing, etc ....
This advice may not apply if you are going to use a GUI wall builder, and it supports ipchains only.
There is a lot of information on walls at the link I gave you above, and also at:
http://www.linuxguruz.org
Regards, Guy
[ September 17, 2002: Message edited by: Guy Allard ]
[ September 17, 2002: Message edited by: Guy Allard ]

[Adam Hardy]

Hi again,
3 weeks later and I finally got my DSL connection on my linux box up and running - in fact I'm typing this on linux.
Wooo-hooo! A small step for mankind, a giant leap for me! Never browsed on a linux box before.
My major stumbling block was caused by having 2 network interfaces running - the normal eth0 with which I connect to my LAN somehow blocks the internet interface on eth1.
I couldn't figure out why I had no errors from the connection with my ISP but I couldn't ping or browse. Finally I downed the eth0 connection and ran pppoe alone on eth1 and it all ran peachy.
So now to find out how to configure the router! Those links you provided were great by the way.
Thanks
Adam

[Adam Hardy]

This is the best link I have found (so far)
Netfilter / ip_tables
[ October 09, 2002: Message edited by: Adam Hardy ]