diff -urN a/pppd/alloc-ppp.c b/pppd/alloc-ppp.c
--- a/pppd/alloc-ppp.c	1970-01-01 01:00:00.000000000 +0100
+++ b/pppd/alloc-ppp.c	2004-11-04 17:09:35.804341216 +0100
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+
+
+#include <unistd.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <string.h>
+#include <errno.h>
+#include <fcntl.h>
+
+#include <sys/ioctl.h>
+
+#include <asm/types.h> 
+#include <net/if.h>
+#include <net/if_arp.h>
+#include <net/route.h>
+#include <netinet/if_ether.h>
+
+
+#include <linux/ppp_defs.h>
+#include <linux/if_ppp.h>
+
+
+
+int main( int argc, char ** argv ) {
+
+    int ndev = 0;
+    int n = 0;
+    int ppp_dev_fd = 0;
+
+    if( argc != 2 ) {
+        fprintf(stderr,"use \"%s <n>\" to allocate n ppp devices\n", argv[0]);
+	exit(1);
+    }
+
+    ndev = atoi(argv[1]);
+
+    if( ndev <= 0 ) {
+        fprintf(stderr,"argument must b a number > 0 not %s\n", argv[1]);
+	exit(1);
+    }
+
+    for( n = 0; n < ndev; n ++ ) {
+        int ifunit = n;
+        int res = 0;
+	
+        if( (ppp_dev_fd = open("/dev/ppp", O_RDWR )) < 0 ) {
+	    perror("can not open /dev/ppp :");
+	    exit(2);
+        }
+
+        res = ioctl(ppp_dev_fd, PPPIOCNEWUNIT, &ifunit);
+	if( res < 0 ) {
+	    fprintf(stderr, "can not allocate ppp device %d : %s \n",
+	    	n , strerror(errno) );
+	}
+    }
+
+    while( 1 == 1 ) {
+        sleep(3600);
+    }
+
+    exit(0);
+}
+
diff -urN a/pppd/Makefile.linux b/pppd/Makefile.linux
--- a/pppd/Makefile.linux	2003-11-27 22:55:19.000000000 +0100
+++ b/pppd/Makefile.linux	2004-11-04 17:09:35.804341216 +0100
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
 MANDIR = $(DESTDIR)/usr/man
 INCDIR = $(DESTDIR)/usr/include
 
-TARGETS = pppd
+TARGETS = pppd alloc-ppp
 
 PPPDSRCS = main.c magic.c fsm.c lcp.c ipcp.c upap.c chap-new.c md5.c ccp.c \
 	   ecp.c ipxcp.c auth.c options.c sys-linux.c md4.c chap_ms.c \
@@ -196,10 +196,11 @@
 
 all: $(TARGETS)
 
-install: pppd
+install: pppd alloc-ppp
 	mkdir -p $(BINDIR) $(MANDIR)
 	$(EXTRAINSTALL)
 	$(INSTALL) -s -c -m 555 pppd $(BINDIR)/pppd
+	$(INSTALL) -s -c -m 555 alloc-ppp $(BINDIR)/alloc-ppp
 	if chgrp pppusers $(BINDIR)/pppd 2>/dev/null; then \
 	  chmod o-rx,u+s $(BINDIR)/pppd; fi
 	$(INSTALL) -c -m 444 pppd.8 $(MANDIR)/man8
@@ -207,6 +208,9 @@
 pppd: $(PPPDOBJS)
 	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) $(LDFLAGS) -o pppd $(PPPDOBJS) $(LIBS)
 
+alloc-ppp: alloc-ppp.o
+	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) -o alloc-ppp alloc-ppp.o
+
 srp-entry:	srp-entry.c
 	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) $(LDFLAGS) -o $@ srp-entry.c $(LIBS)
 
@@ -216,6 +220,7 @@
 
 clean:
 	rm -f $(PPPDOBJS) $(EXTRACLEAN) $(TARGETS) *~ #* core
+	rm -f alloc-ppp.o alloc-ppp
 
 depend:
 	$(CPP) -M $(CFLAGS) $(PPPDSRCS) >.depend
diff -urN a/pppd/sys-linux.c b/pppd/sys-linux.c
--- a/pppd/sys-linux.c	2004-01-13 05:05:20.000000000 +0100
+++ b/pppd/sys-linux.c	2004-11-04 17:10:06.951606112 +0100
@@ -639,6 +639,21 @@
 		warn("Couldn't set /dev/ppp to nonblock: %m");
 
 	ifunit = req_unit;
+
+	/* 
+	 * try to attach to an alread existing ppp device. We should
+	 * get an EFAULT if the ppp interface is in use by another pppd.
+	 */
+	if (ifunit >= 0) {
+		x = ioctl(ppp_dev_fd, PPPIOCATTACH , &ifunit);
+		if (x < 0) {
+			/* warn and continue to create a new device */
+			warn("Couldn't attatch to unit %d as it does not exist", req_unit);
+		} else {
+			return x;
+		}
+	}
+
 	x = ioctl(ppp_dev_fd, PPPIOCNEWUNIT, &ifunit);
 	if (x < 0 && req_unit >= 0 && errno == EEXIST) {
 		warn("Couldn't allocate PPP unit %d as it is already in use", req_unit);