Linux pppstats Command with Practical Examples

Introduction

In this lab, you will learn about the Linux pppstats command and how to use it to monitor the statistics of a Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) interface. The pppstats command provides information about the performance and usage of a PPP connection, which can be useful for troubleshooting and monitoring purposes. You will start by installing the necessary package, then explore the various options and outputs of the pppstats command. Finally, you will learn how to use the command to continuously monitor the PPP interface statistics in real-time.

The lab covers the following steps: Introduction to the pppstats Command, Monitoring PPP Interface Statistics, and Analyzing PPP Connection Performance. Throughout the lab, you will gain practical experience in using the pppstats command to effectively manage and optimize your PPP connections.

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Introduction to the pppstats Command

In this step, you will learn about the pppstats command in Linux, which is used to monitor the statistics of a Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) interface. The pppstats command provides information about the performance and usage of a PPP connection.

First, let's install the ppp package, which includes the pppstats command:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y ppp

Now, you can run the pppstats command to display the current statistics of a PPP interface. By default, it will show the statistics for the first PPP interface found on the system:

pppstats

Example output:

  bpf_drops  carrier  bytes_in  bytes_out  pkts_in  pkts_out
         0        1     123456      78901     1234       567

The output shows various statistics, including the number of bytes and packets received and transmitted, as well as any dropped packets.

You can also specify a particular PPP interface to monitor by using the -i option:

pppstats -i ppp0

This will display the statistics for the ppp0 interface.

Additionally, you can use the -r option to display the statistics in a more readable format:

pppstats -r

Example output:

  bytes_in   bytes_out    pkts_in   pkts_out  bpf_drops  carrier
    123456       78901       1234        567           0        1

The pppstats command can be a useful tool for troubleshooting and monitoring the performance of your PPP connections.

Monitoring PPP Interface Statistics

In this step, you will learn how to use the pppstats command to monitor the statistics of a PPP interface in real-time.

First, let's start a PPP connection using the pon command. This will create a PPP interface that we can monitor:

sudo pon

Now, you can use the pppstats command to continuously display the statistics of the PPP interface:

pppstats -r -i ppp0 -t 2

This will show the statistics every 2 seconds for the ppp0 interface. The -r option displays the statistics in a more readable format, and the -t option sets the update interval.

Example output:

  bytes_in   bytes_out    pkts_in   pkts_out  bpf_drops  carrier
    123456       78901       1234        567           0        1
    234567      123456       2345       1234           0        1
    345678      234567       3456       2345           0        1

You can see the number of bytes and packets received and transmitted, as well as any dropped packets and carrier changes.

To stop the PPP connection, use the poff command:

sudo poff

This will terminate the PPP connection and stop the pppstats monitoring.

Analyzing PPP Connection Performance

In this step, you will learn how to use the pppstats command to analyze the performance of a PPP connection.

First, let's start a PPP connection using the pon command:

sudo pon

Now, you can use the pppstats command to monitor the connection performance over time:

pppstats -r -i ppp0 -t 2

This will display the PPP interface statistics every 2 seconds for the ppp0 interface.

Example output:

  bytes_in   bytes_out    pkts_in   pkts_out  bpf_drops  carrier
    123456       78901       1234        567           0        1
    234567      123456       2345       1234           0        1
    345678      234567       3456       2345           0        1

You can analyze the following metrics to understand the performance of the PPP connection:

• Bytes In/Out: The number of bytes received and transmitted over the PPP interface. This can indicate the data throughput of the connection.
• Packets In/Out: The number of packets received and transmitted over the PPP interface. This can indicate the packet rate of the connection.
• BPF Drops: The number of packets dropped by the Berkeley Packet Filter (BPF). This can indicate network congestion or packet loss.
• Carrier: The number of carrier changes, which can indicate physical layer issues with the connection.

By monitoring these statistics over time, you can identify any performance issues or bottlenecks in the PPP connection.

To stop the PPP connection, use the poff command:

sudo poff

This will terminate the PPP connection and stop the pppstats monitoring.

Summary

In this lab, you learned about the pppstats command in Linux, which is used to monitor the statistics of a Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) interface. You started by installing the ppp package and running the pppstats command to display the current statistics of a PPP interface. You also learned how to specify a particular PPP interface to monitor and how to display the statistics in a more readable format. Additionally, you discovered how to use the pppstats command to continuously monitor the statistics of a PPP interface in real-time.

Linux Commands Cheat Sheet