I've been watching this thread, and I ust have to add my 2c worth.

Much of what's been said is accurate.

You have 3 options:

1. External device nating (router)

2. External device passing the connection thru to linux

3. Internal PCI card.

Options 2 & 3 are more time consuming and harder, espcially if you are
not already very familiar with networking, iptables, ppp etc, whereas
option 3 will be much closer to plug and go. If you have spare time and
an interest in learning, go with 2 & 3. If you just want it to work and
you don't care about running services/ obscure protocols, go for option
1.

Most external boxes that are plugged into the ethernet port on your
computer are routers (option 1), some can also be set up in a mode to do
2.

If you get an external device with that can do 1 & 2, you have the best
of both worlds. You can set it up as a router now, and play with PPTP
and the like if you want/need to.

The cheapest option is 3, and I would say best except for one thing.
AFAIK, all the drivers are binary modules, and therefore subject to
breakage as you upgrade your kernel version. They are not ethernet
devices, and don't use standard ethernet drivers. They need a modified
pppd daemon, because there is a ppp connecion between the telecom
equiptment and your computer. Many are based on the ITEX chipset which
I suspect (but haven't really confirmed) doesn't work with kernel
2.4.21. I have several of them and I'll be in a bind if this turns out
to be the case. The company that originally make the ITEX chipset went
out of business. I daresay another company bouht the designs and is
still producing them, but with binary drivers you are relying on that
company to keep the linux support up to date. What is going to happen
when 2.6 comes out?

At home I have an alcatel SpeedTouchUSB - the blue stingray thing. It
is one USB modem with an open source driver, and the modem is relatively
inexpensive. Appart from that I wouldn't buy any USB modem, I don't
think there are any drivers for them.

Steer clear of the Ni500, it is cheap and really nasty. It's a basic
router with few features that can't be used to pass the connection
through to linux (optin 2). The two that I had experience with didn't
even work. Pile of ****.

Another one to steer clear of is the Dynalink external RTA-xxx. It is
an external router that is incpmpatable with ECN (an option in linux),
and this limitation is in the hardware rather than firmware (so I've
been told.)

Alex

On Mon, Aug 04, 2003 at 02:12:15PM +1200, d simak wrote:
>
>
> Hi Reagan Chris & everone else ..
>
> so whats the verdict PCI / external ... i did some reading through
> past months lists and got alarmed and confused by the PPPoA stuff
>
> how about the Dlink DSL-500 ?
>
> Thanks in advance
> Dean
>

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