[Wizard] Wizard grunt

[Adrian Chadd]

On Wed, Sep 17, 2003, Craig Ringer wrote:

> The DSL modem, after all, operates as a long-distance ethernet bridge 
> (not, I hope, a repeater - can somebody confirm this?). It just happens 

It doesn't matter - you're not on a shared electrical medium.
Since there's only you and your DSLAM, a "bridge" doesn't really
make much difference.

> that your ISP wants you to run PPPoE traffic over that ethernet link, 
> and configures it so that you can't get out to the internet directly 
> over it. Many older DSL connections had that bridged ethernet link 
> directly connected to the ISP's routers, and there was no PPPoE involved 
> - this is how our 'net connection at the POST used to work. I gather 
> that some DSL modems now do PPPoA (PPP over ATM), which removes the 
> ethernet bridge from play but has it's own complications.

Nonono - the DSL link runs ATM. Thats why you configure VCI/VPI's.
You then run either PPP over Ethernet over ATM or PPP over ATM.
This is why you'll not get 30k/sec over your 256k DSL link..

> I will never connect multiple networks of different security levels 
> (802.11?, ethernet, WAN links) except when physically separated and only 
> linked by a router. That means oodles of ethernet ports.

> Basically, it'll work, it's not horribly insecure, but I would never do 
> it. I can easily see worm traffic making it onto the DSLAM's local lan, 
> and from there to you

There's no "local LAN" per se. You shouldn't (I hope!) see any ethernet
L2 traffic from your neighbours. Perhaps, for example, you'll get this
on a shared cable fabric.





Adrian