[plug] Linux support for schools

[Colin Rothnie]

Mike Holland wrote:
> You could add some checks, but can anyone suggest a neater
> solution for keeping a PPP link within certain hours, across reboots ?

I know the diald solution is not popular among some list members, but I have
had a lot of luck with it, including controlling the ppp connection for the
Internet gateway at the local school.  I like the fact that the link can be
"forced", "unforced", "blocked" and "unblocked" by echoing the relevant text
string to the diald fifo.
eg. echo force>/etc/diald/diald.ctl

The school's link is "blocked" after 5pm or thereabouts, but they can bring
it up manually after that time using a web page with simple cgi scripts that
echo "unblock" or whatever to the fifo.

Since the system was set up about twelve months ago, there has been
virtually no maintenance.  The most difficult thing is getting staff to turn
the box off when they head out for school holidays (if I was clever, I would
configure the thing to know about school holidays, but it is surprising how
many times the thing is actually used during holidays.  Diligent students I
guess.)

Colin Rothnie