Re: [tlug] PPPoE / Linksys BEFSR41

["Jonathan Q" <jq@example.com>]

On 9/24/2002, "n" <yeehi@example.com> wrote:

We usually use our names around here.  "n" doesn't cut it.

>http://www.linksys.com/products/product.asp?grid=23&prid=20

>Is this router PPPoE compliant?

Quoted from the page you linked:

"This unit requires an external Cable or DSL modem with an Ethernet RJ-45
interface."

In other words, no, it doesn't speak pppoe.  That page is also so filled
with marketing hype it made me want to vomit.   Here's my favorite quote:

"This cutting-edge combination of router and switch technology eliminates
the need to buy an additional hub or switch and serves your network as a
completely dedicated, full duplex backbone."

They should have a warning message on a page that contains such crap.  A
DSL connection may be full duplex, but it's certainly neither dedicated nor
a backbone.

>What is PPPoE?

OK, this tells us that you have done exactly zero research before posting
your question, so I cannot in good conscience answer it.  Google for it, or
maybe take a look at whatis.com.  Obviously, you have done neither of
these.

>Will Redhat 7.3 sort out the difficult stuff automatically using DHCP?

Yes.

>What is DHCP anyway?!

Oh, please.  RTFM.

>WIth this b flets fibre optic connection what is the important thing in
>getting as close to 100 Mbps as possible? Is there any way I can test
it?

The connection has a physical rate of 100 mbps.  It is not possible to push
100 megabits of data through the line.  Even if a single FTP site would
feed you 100 mbps downloads, and even if there were no smaller links in
between you and that site, TCP overhead would make 100 mbps impossible.  In
the real world, you are not likely to utlilize anywhere near the full
capacity of the line, which is kind of the point of having a 100 megabit
line: get more bandwidth than you can ever use.  The fastest FTP transfer I
have ever seen ran at 20 megabits per second, which was astonishing.  The
second fastest one I've had was 10 megabitgs. 

>Check out Lycoris, especially if you are a linux newbie

Lycoris is best avoided in favor or a real distro.  It has very poor
hardware support (it wouldn't install on a PIII-500/GibaByte mobo,
2940UW/3c905/G400 machine) and very few applications.  It's targeted at
beginners, but it's so crippled that once you stop being a total newbie,
you'll need something else.  So work a little harder now (it doesn't take
much; all of the major distros are easy to install) and save yourself the
trouble of having to change distros later.  Besides, how can we respect a
distro that tries so hard to make itself look like Windows eXtraPuke?

Jonathan

GPG key: DF12B4EF (5399 C834 3ABB C3AF 610C  5345 D5D6 E6EA DF12 B4EF)
gpg --keyserver pgp.mit.edu --recv-keys  DF12B4EF