[ale] DSL -> Cable

[Richard Kolkovich]

James Sumners wrote:
> Currently, I use Speed Factory for my ISP. I'm still on the old 3Mb
> service with a static IP so the monthly fee is kind of pricey. I would
> like to drop my Bellsouth service and get Vonage's $15/mo service. To
> do that I would have to move to cable for my internet service. I am
> only able to get Charter where I live so I know I would have to use
> them.
> 
> My setup is like so. I have an old Pentium II machine acting as my
> gateway. It is connected to the DSL modem which is setup for pass
> through mode. So the gateway is authenticating with Speed Factory via
> PPPoE.
> 
> My question is this: If I move to charter, would the same setup work?
> I know I would have to get a cable modem but I don't know how I would
> authenticate; I've never used cable for internet connectivity before.
> I would prefer to have the "modem" pass everything through to the
> Linux box so it can manage the connection.
> 
> Also, I imagine I would have to deal with a dynamic IP again. How does
> the PPPoE client deal with that? If Charter assigns a new IP every few
> hours (or days) should I notice any hiccups in service?
> 

Unless Charter is weird, cable ISPs are not PPPoE.  Authentication is 
done via the MAC address of the RF side of the modem.  Whatever is 
behind that uses DHCP to get a lease.

I currently run a pII OpenBSD firewall on my cable connection.  My IP 
has only changed once in the 2+ years I have been in my house, and that 
was due to infrastructure changes (I assume, as the new subnet I am on 
is nowhere near the other one ;) ).

--

Richard Kolkovich