[wplug] Re: cable modem

[David Tessitor]

In order to connect to ATT at home, I've found that I need to use a
terminal window (or be in text mode) and then enter the following:

dhcpcd -h [assigned host name] [nic card*]

* I have two nic cards and use the second for @home cable connection
-- the nic card id in my case is "eth1."

I've tried using the HOWTO's to set things up, but it has always
failed to automatically connect on boot up.  At first I was
disappointed, but now I see it as a benefit.  I may have to
deliberately connect when I want to be online, but otherwise when I
boot up and don't want to be online I automatically have virtually
absolute firewall protection (i.e. no active connection).

The Mandrake 7.2  beta version tried to set up an automatic
connection during its installation, but it didn't work for me
either.  If they got it fixed, yesterday's final release may work.

I have managed to get Vector Linux (a stripped down takeoff of
Peanut Linux, itself a stripped down takeoff off of Slackware) to
automatically connect by fooling with its script and inserting the
above command in its script where it just had the simple "dhcpcd"
command.  But I was unable to do the same with the larger
distributions.

Only OpenBSD worked out "of the box" to automatically set itself up
with @home cable service.  I downloaded the install boot disk and
used it for an ftp install.

----

BTW, if you're thinking of using an old 486 for a firewall, from all
the accounts I have read, OpenBSD appears to be the most secure way
to go.  It was also fairly straight forward and simple.  If people
want to try it, I can post a few helpful tips that should make it
easier -- I got them out of the book, "Building Linux and OpenBSD
Firewalls," by Sonnenreich and Yates.  If there is enough demand for
building OpenBSD firewalls, maybe some of us could do a group
install at an installfest.]

----

OT -- @home.com has had periods lately when the mail server has not
been accessible for incoming and less frequently for out going
email, but during the past week my modem seems to be "locking up" or
something.  The lights are on, but nothing passes through to the web
or email.  If I disconnect it from the computer, pull its power
adapter out then plug things in again, it resets and works for a
while until it seems to "lock up" again.  This is definitely a
non-OS specific problem; same behavior in Linux and Windoz. Oh, and
the problem doesn't seem to be there late at night or in the
morning, just primarily afternoon and evening. --- Cable seems to be
an interim solution for connection to the internet.


Dave

---------------


Bill Powell wrote:

> Will the same procedure work with AT&T at home or will I have to manually enter
> all the host and routing information?  I have been so busy, I haven't had a
> chance to try it out.  It is running on my windoze box.  I have briefly
> looked, but didn't find any recent How-to's that really applied.
>
> Bill Powell
>
> Shawn Djernes wrote:
>
> > If the service is still set up the same as it was about a year ago when I
> > get one of my clients set up in Windows.  It was just plug the box into the
> > net card and use DHCP to get all the addresses.
> >
> > Shawn
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "bill lang" <wglang at lycos.com>
> > To: <wplug at wplug.org>
> > Sent: Tuesday, November 21, 2000 10:50 PM
> > Subject: [wplug] Re: cable modem
> >
> > > On Tuesday 21 November 2000 17:15, Bill Lang wrote:
> > > > Hello
> > > > Has anyone had any experince with Adelphia cable modem?  If so, how
> > > > hard is it to set up? I am using Mandrake 7.2
> > > > Thanks
> >