pppstats Command in Linux
The pppstats command in Linux displays the PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol) statistics. It reports the PPP-related statistics at a regular interval of the specified PPP interface. A PPP interface is a network interface that uses the Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) to establish a direct connection between two network nodes. It is generally used for dial-up connections, serial links, VPNs (like PPTP and L2TP), and some DSL connections.
It is important to note that PPP interfaces are obsolete because modern networking technologies have replaced them with more efficient, scalable, and secure alternatives.
Table of Contents
Here is a comprehensive guide to the options available with the pppstats command −
- Installation of pppstats Command in Linux
- Syntax of pppstats Command
- pppstats Command Options
- Examples pppstats Command in Linux
Installation of pppstats Command in Linux
The pppstats command is a part of the ppp package, which must be installed in Linux. To install it on Ubuntu, Kali Linux, Debian, and other Debian-based distributions, use the following command −
sudo apt install ppp
To install it on CentOS, use the following command −
sudo yum install ppp
To install it on Fedora, use the command given below −
sudo dnf install ppp
To verify the installation, check the binary of the pppstats client using the following command −
which pppstats
Syntax of pppstats Command
The syntax of the pppstats command in Linux is as follows −
pppstats [options] [interface]
The [options] field is used to specify the options to change the command’s output. The [interface] field is used to mention the interface name that needs to be processed for statistics.
pppstats Command Options
The options of the pppstats command are listed below −
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| -a | Display absolute values instead of deltas. |
| -c |
Repeat display count times. Default is 1 (unless -w is used). |
| -r | Show additional statistics on compression ratios. |
| -v | Show Van Jacobson TCP header compression details. |
| -w |
Set the interval between updates. Default is 5 seconds. |
| -z | Show packet compression performance statistics instead of standard stats. |
Examples pppstats Command in Linux
This section explains how to use the pppstats command in Linux with examples −
Printing PPP Statistics
To display the PPP statistics, use the pppstats command without any option. The following command prints PPP statistics for the ppp0 interface once −
pppstats
By default, the pppstats command displays the stats of the ppp0 interface. To monitor other PPP interfaces, specify their names −
pppstats ppp1
Printing the Absolute Value
To display the absolute values instead of deltas, use the -a option −
pppstats -a
The delta values refer to the difference in statistics between consecutive reports rather than absolute totals.
Setting Update Interval
To set the statistics update interval, use the -w option. For example, to update stats every 2 seconds, use the pppstats command in the following way −
pppstats -w 2
By default, the stats are updated every 5 seconds.
Displaying Specific Number of Stats
To display statistics a specific number of times, use the -c option. For example, to display stats 10 times, use the pppstats command in the following way −
pppstats -c 10
Printing the Compression Ratio
The compression ratio represents the efficiency of data compression before transmission. A higher ratio indicates better compression efficiency, reducing bandwidth usage. To print the compression ratio in the output, use the -r option −
pppstats -r
Displaying Van Jacobson TCP Header Compression Details
To print the Van Jacobson TCP Header Compression Details, use the -v option −
pppstats -v
Displaying Usage Help
To display the usage help of the pppstats command, access its manual page using the man command −
man pppstats
Conclusion
The pppstats command in Linux provides statistics for PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol) interfaces, which were commonly used for dial-up, serial links, VPNs, and DSL connections. While PPP interfaces are now largely obsolete, pppstats can still be used to monitor data transmission statistics.
This tutorial covered the installation, command syntax, available options, and examples of usage. Various options allow customization, such as displaying absolute values, setting update intervals, showing compression details, and limiting output repetition. Although modern networking has replaced PPP with more efficient technologies, pppstats remains useful for legacy systems that still rely on PPP-based connections.