[wplug] Re: dhcp on @home.com

[David Tessitor]

I would like to make clear that "dhcpcd" works perfectly well to connect
to @home.com by simply entering a term window and using the command:

dhcpcd -h <assigned name> eth<x>

The "assigned name" is the name that @home gives the account/cable
modem.  The "x" is the nic being used (in my case it is my second nic,
or eth1).   Connection on hitting the <CR> takes a split second.

As Rob pointed out, RedHat and, consequently, Mandrake (which I'm using)
both use pump to dhcp.  Ostensibly this should not be a problem because
the man page shows that pump lists the same "-h" argument while
requiring an "-i" in front of the "eth<x>."  Unfortunately, when I try
running pump with the arguments from a term window it just sits for a
good while, evidently making repeated tries, then produces an "Operation
failed" response.   Also, since these distributions use pump as the
primary dhcp program and since there is a plethora of inter-referenced
scripts, the scripting is not easily editable to insert the dhcpcd
command and arguments.

The only Linux distributions that I have been able to get to
automatically connect to @home have been Peanut Linux and its
derivative, Vector Linux.  These are stripped down Slackware derivatives
designed for faster running, especially on slower CPU's;.  They are
compact (fitting in less than 200 MB) and their scripting is not only
streamlined but readily discernible and easily editable.  All that's
necessary is to open one script and add the arguments to its dhcpcd
command line.

OpenBSD works automatically from bootup with its install disk and
requires no extra fiddling.  Dare I say, NT4 also works smoothly once it
is setup using a few menus.  I guess maybe pump is the problem.

----

I should add that I actually find it an advantage to manually connect to
the internet, as being off-line when I'm not using the internet is
better security during the off-line time than any firewall can provide.
The bigger annoyance for me is sitting and waiting for pump to try to
connect for what seems to be minutes on boot up.  I would rather have it
not even try and thus boot more rapidly.

Ultimately, I would like to have an icon and menu item that would enable
me to activate the connection when I'm ready.  I believe I should be
able to use sudo to enable the command's use under various users.  I
would also like to have a similar setup for taking the nic off-line (I
now unplug the nic from the modem when, after being on-line, I want to
continue working off-line).

The penultimate setup for those who are willing to forgo instant
messaging would be to have an email checker periodically look to see if
the nic is active and, if not, activate it, do its thing and then
deactivate it (if the nic was already active for browsing, ftping, etc.
it would do its thing without disconnecting).  It seems to me that in
addition to other advisable security precautions this would reduce
exposure time and thus increase security.