This one time, at band camp, [|] said:

> > confirm that the netcard you are using for your WAN is working.
>
> Its a soekris 4501, so i can't really replace the netcard. However i was
> able to connect fine for a few months prior to attempting to switch to
> pppoe over the same interface. The only difference is that it was via a
> static IP on the m0n0wall instead of pppoe. And after the attempt to
> switch to pppoe failed i am still now fine connecting over the same
> interface using static ip. Maybe its a problem with the interface that
> only shows up over pppoe? Is this protocol more "sensitive"?

well, if not "sensitive" it is at least a protocol.  static ip assignment
isn't, as it requires no negotiation, the card/driver is simply configured
to be a specific IP.  pppoe is a negotiation between a client (on the
m0n0) and a server (at your ISP).

the client on the m0n0 is (if i'm not mistaken) mpd, that's why you see
mpd events in your log file.

in my case, my suspicion (unconfirmed) is that my 'dead' card was:
	1) odd-ball revision
	2) bad firmware
	3) otherwise broken
such that the configuration data sent to it, or queries made of it, by mpd
during the pppoe negotiation caused the card to spit out garbage or error
strings that resulted in the mpd errors 'line too long.'

this would not occur with a static IP, as no negotiation is performed, and
my card worked fine under windows because i never used it to talk to the
dsl modem, only my LAN.

in your case, not being able to replace the netcard makes diagnosis
difficult.  the only thing i can think of, if it's not the netcard, is
that your ISP is using some non-standard pppoe negotiation, but that seems
unlikely.

i'd suggest putting hub and another box on the WAN---Modem segment and
running a packet sniffer like ethereal.  then perhaps you could post the
trace to this list and some IP/PPPOE genius can help you out... :)

> I hope this is coincidence, or that it has a different meaning. If the
> interface is bad on my soekris i'll have to see if i can get an
> exchange.
>
> > maybe try swapping the cables and interface assignments to confirm
> > that the card works.  or just get another card.  try a different
> > make/model if you can...
>
> I will use different cables just to be sure as. I'm pretty sure the card
> itself works, at least it does with a static IP. If switching cables and
> moving to 1.1b14 doesnt work i will see what i can do about changing the
> interface assignments on the soekris.
>
> Thanks for your help. I have some things to try now.

i know nothing about the soekris, but is there perhaps a firmware upgrade
for the onboard netcards?

oh!  one final thing.  try dropping the MTU on the WAN config page to
something lower than the default, which is 1492.  try something much
lower, like 1000 or even 500.  this will increase header/payload ratio,
and increase cpu-load on the m0n0, and is likely completely unrelated, but
it's worth a try :=)

in fact, i think i'll try it myself...

jj