SLIP is the Serial Line IP ( Internet Protocol) implementation. SLIP provides dial-up telephone connections using the IP protocol. SLIP is a WAN implementation at the Physical layer that connects LANs into WANs or modems to modems. SLIP was the first of two protocols that was developed to provide dial-up IP connectivity. It is extremely simple but also severely limited. SLIP is not currently regulated and therefore difficult to standardize. Sometimes two SLIP implementations don't even work together. SLIP provides simple point-to-point connectivity with the Internet Protocol. It is more useful when intelligently combined with PPP at the Datalink layer.
The SLIP/PPP Connection: The Essential Guide to Graphical Internet Access - Using Netscape, Mosaic, WinGopher, and other graphical programs requires a Serial Line Internet Protocol (SLIP) or a Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) connection to the Internet. But few computer users know how to establish such a connection. Fewer still know of the many benefits of graphical Internet access beyond surfing the World Wide Web. The SLIP/PPP Connection provides all the information you need to overcome the now-legendary obstacles of establishing these special Internet accounts and to achieve smooth, graphical access to the World Wide Web and the rest of the Internet. Written by internationally acclaimed Internet guru Paul Gilster, this is the first complete, step-by-step guide to getting, using, and maintaining a SLIP or PPP connection. You'll be able to select, find, and download the right hardware and software for every Internet application. The book features: Step-by-step instructions on how to make your PC or Mac SLIP- or PPP-ready, Critical and hard-to-find techniques that make it easier than ever to install and troubleshoot software that runs under a SLIP/PPP connection, Everything you need to know about loading and using Netscape, Mosaic, cello, WinWAIS, HGopher, Newswatcher, and other shareware, freeware, and client programs that run with SLIP/PPP, Tips on how to best take advantage of e-mail, FTP, USENET, WAIS, Telnet, and other protocols with SLIP/PPP. The definitive guide to the ins and outs of securing and maintaining a SLIP connection to the Internet. Explains how SLIP is different from an ordinary dial-up link, why it is essential in this day of graphical user interfaces, what individuals need in order to make their computers SLIP-ready and the diverse types of client programs that will run SLIP. Discusses the Mosaic interface in great detail and other interfaces such as cello and viola.