How to Understand PPP

PPP, or Point-to-Point Protocol, is a language used by computers to communicate over the Internet via phone lines. Popular among dial-in Internet service providers (ISPs), PPP is designed to allow individual computers to access local-area networks, which in turn provide access to the Internet at large.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Internet Access

1. Understand that when you dial your ISP's access number with your computer modem your computer communicates with the ISP's server via PPP.

2. Recognize that when you make an Internet-related request, such as sending e-mail or accessing a Web page, your computer uses PPP to send this request to your ISP's server.

3. Realize that the ISP server then sends the request out to the Internet using the TCP/IP protocol. In this way, the ISP acts as a sort of middleman between your computer and the Internet.

4. Understand that once the requested information has been received from the Internet the ISP server sends it back to your computer, again via PPP.

Tips & Warnings

• Discussion of PPP often includes discussion of Serial Line Internet Protocol (SLIP) and Compressed SLIP (CSLIP), which are two earlier, largely obsolete protocols for using TCP/IP over phone lines. CSLIP is faster than SLIP, but PPP is preferred over both SLIP and CSLIP.
• Your ISP will need to tell you how to configure PPP on your computer.