diff -Naur ppp-2.4.5/pppd/sys-linux.c ppp-2.4.5-magellan/pppd/sys-linux.c
--- ppp-2.4.5/pppd/sys-linux.c	2009-11-16 23:26:07.000000000 +0100
+++ ppp-2.4.5-magellan/pppd/sys-linux.c	2010-08-20 12:50:10.000000000 +0200
@@ -2031,6 +2031,18 @@
     kernel_version = KVERSION(osmaj, osmin, ospatch);
 
     fd = open("/dev/ppp", O_RDWR);
+    if (fd < 0) {
+	err = errno;
+	/* try making it and see if that helps. */
+	if (err == ENOENT && mknod("/dev/ppp", S_IFCHR | S_IRUSR | S_IWUSR | S_IRGRP | S_IWGRP,
+		  makedev(108, 0)) >= 0) {
+	    fd = open("/dev/ppp", O_RDWR);
+	    if (fd >= 0)
+		info("Created /dev/ppp device node");
+	    else
+		unlink("/dev/ppp");	/* didn't work, undo the mknod */
+	}
+    }
     if (fd >= 0) {
 	new_style_driver = 1;
 
@@ -2041,16 +2053,15 @@
 	close(fd);
 	return 1;
     }
-    err = errno;
 
     if (kernel_version >= KVERSION(2,3,13)) {
 	error("Couldn't open the /dev/ppp device: %m");
-	if (errno == ENOENT)
+	if (err == ENOENT)
 	    no_ppp_msg =
 		"You need to create the /dev/ppp device node by\n"
 		"executing the following command as root:\n"
 		"	mknod /dev/ppp c 108 0\n";
-	else if (errno == ENODEV || errno == ENXIO)
+	else if (err == ENODEV || err == ENXIO)
 	    no_ppp_msg =
 		"Please load the ppp_generic kernel module.\n";
 	return 0;