Hello Alex

Thankyou for offering your thoughts on my ADSL setup

I dont mind if the device is USB or ethernet as long as it doesnt have a
bad rep with experienced users.

You wrote most external boxes that are plugged into the ethernet port on
your computer are routers,and some can also be set up in a "mode to pass
the connection thru to Linux".

I want to go for this option,but what i really need first of all is a
list of available devices that support this function.

Do you or any other list members have this infomation || experience ?

Thanks in advance for your comments and advice
Dean

On Mon, 2003-08-04 at 15:34, Alex King wrote:
> 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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