FreeBSD 5.2.1-Release Userland ppp set server issue.

[Kruptos]

Hey everyone,

I was wondering if anyone was having problems with ppp in 5.2.1 release
and if you have a way to fix it.  Here is my problem.

I run ppp in ddial mode.  I open a server/socket so that I can tweak it
without killing it or to check on its status.  Just in case.  I have
been doing this for a while and it is rare but sometimes something isn't
working right and I need to check ppp (like recently when my mom forgot
to filter a phone -- we have DSL).

In my ppp.conf file I have the line.
set server 55555 "password"

With "password" replaced by the keyword to authenticate the request. 
This port is firewalled so outside users can't close my connection or
play with ppp.  This worked fine in 4-Stable and it works on my other
machine 5.2-Current.  But with the 5.2.1-Release I have had no success. 
The command succeeds (well ppp doesn't report an error and accepts the
command as valid) but pppctl reports that the port in closed [pppctl:
cannot connect to socket 55555: Connection refused].  As does nmap.

Is there something I am missing?  Is this an issue that I can fix?  I
don't want to upgrade this machine to current because I use it to route
the traffic for the home network and I require at least a modicum of
stability (not too much but slightly more than current).

Note: creating a local socket /var/run/internet does work... but is only
a partial solution because I often need to check the status of ppp from
another computer in another room.  It is far easier to have a port to
connect to.

::
PPP Version 3.1 - Jun 15 2004
::

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.
-Kevin
--
How wonderful opera would be if there were no singers.