A PAP password entered with gnome-linuxconf that contains an octothorpe '#' character appears to cause pppd to truncate the password, causing logins to fail. '#' (and maybe other characters) must be backslash quoted in the /etc/ppp/pap-secrets file.
*** Bug 4753 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. *** I am setting up a system that uses PPP to dial out to a server. To dial out through the PBX at that location, you must dial a "#" first. This character is a comment character to the "chat" program if it is at the beginning of a line, but not anywhere else on the line. However, linuxconf cannot handle the "#" in the dial string. If I put it in and save the interface and then go back in to the interface configuration screen, the dial number is empty (like linuxconf sees "#" as a comment anywhere and tosses it). It looks like linuxconf does not even save the dial number; if I go in and manually edit /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/chat-ppp0, it just has a line like: 'OK' 'ATDT' and I have to manually put in the number to dial. If I go back in to linuxconf and do anything to the interface I have to again manually put the number in.
*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of 987 ***