Configuring MacTCP for Perigee

This document describes how to configure your Macintosh system to access the Internet through Perigee, as well as outline the software components that you will need to run on your Mac.

(1) Perigee's Vital Data

The rest of this document will tell you how to configure your Mac using this information:

Domain Name: perigee.net
Primary DNS 206.229.254.2
Alternate DNS 206.229.254.5
NNTP Server/News Server: news.perigee.net
SMTP Mail Server: smtp.perigee.net
POP Server: pop.perigee.net

(2) What you need on your Mac

We highly recommend System 7 or higher on your Mac. You will be able to run with 4 megabytes of RAM (memory) but 8 or more is preferable, as it will enable you to run a larger number of applications concurrently. If you are unsure of how much memory you have, you can find out by selecting About this Macintosh... from the Apple menu in the Finder.

You will need a modem capable of at least 14400 bits per second (bps), and if the modem is an external modem, you will need a modem cable that supports hardware handshaking.

Obtain MacTCP and MacPPP (or ConfigPPP), the control panel that manages network connections on the Macintosh. It is available from Apple Computer (included in system software version 7.5) and is sometimes bundled with other packages such as The Internet Starter Kit For Macintosh. MacTCP is commercial, licensed software. Please do not get or give copies from or to your friends.

(3) Configuring MacTCP and MacPPP

If the MacTCP control panel is not already in your Control Panels folder, install it. If you are installing it from Apple's System 7.5, use the Custom Install option from the main menu of the Installer program on the System Software Installation disks. You should find it under the Network section.

Install the MacPPP package. The Config PPP control panel belongs in the Control Panels folder in the System Folder, and the PPP extension belongs in the Extensions folder in the System Folder.

Restart your Mac to activate MacTCP and MacPPP.

Open the MacTCP control panel to obtain the dialog below. In the Network Choices panel (right under the Title Bar), select PPP. You may not see Ethernet, and other icons may be present. This is not a problem. Do not change the contents of the field 'IP Address'.

Then, click More... to obtain the secondary dialog shown below, and configure it EXACTLY as you see below; make no exceptions, aside from the following: The IP Address section needs only to be set to a class A address. The Gateway Address can be left as 0.0.0.0 and will be set by Config PPP upon connection.

Now, click OK, and close the MacTCP Control Panel. Then open the Config PPP control panel. Make choices in the main window like the following (the Port Name will likely be Internal Modem if you have an internal modem, or Modem Port if you have an external modem).

Click New..., and enter Perigee as the name that MacPPP will use to save your configuration information. Click Config... to access the configuration dialog box, and set the fields as shown below:

Choose a Port Speed. This can be set higher than the actual speed of your modem, but your Mac may not be able to keep up with the modem on slower machines. For 9600 baud modems, select 9600. For 14,400 modems, select 19,200, not 14,400. For 28,800 modems, select 38,400.

The Modem Init String shown above should permit you to connect to us without problems. However, if you have problems connecting, chances are that it's the culprit. Try finding the correct initialization string for your modem. We have some links to web pages which contain a lot of init strings. That is the first step to take. If you still can't find anything, you can call us for help.

Most of the buttons at the bottom of the dialog window are for advanced users, and even advanced users shouldn't have to use them.
Entering your username and password.
Click Authentication. Enter your username and password.

Restart your Mac. You are now ready to connect!!

(4) Connecting for the first time

Open the Config PPP control panel and place it on the right-hand side of your screen so you can watch its status indicator, which currently will read PPP DOWN.

Click Open. MacPPP will put up an alert indicating its status and then commence dialing the phone.

Perigee's modem will answer, and you will hear a series of sounds as the modems negotiate the connection information.

You should now be connected to the Internet! You can now open an Internet application and access the net.

(5) If you can't connect the first time

If you were successful in connecting the first time, congratulations! You can ignore this section.

If you click Config PPP's Open with the Terminal Window checkbox enabled, MacPPP will ignore the Connect Script and instead present you with a small terminal emulator window. You can use this to check on a couple things. If you type AT followed by a return, if your modem doesn't respond with OK, then the modem is either off or the computer can't reach it.

(6) Subsequent connections

We suggest using Config PPP to establish your first connection. Once this works, you can initiate a connection to the Internet by simply opening one of your Internet applications. It will call MacTCP, which will call MacPPP, which will in turn automatically dial the phone, establish the connection to Perigee, and continue loading the internet application.

(7) Disconnecting

When you have finished a session, quit all your Internet applications, then open the Config PPP control panel. Click on Hard Close. Remember to do this or you will stay online after you are done with your applications. You should probably set the idle timeout in Config PPP to about 20 minutes so you will be disconnected if you forget to.


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