Date: Sun, 30 Oct 2022 23:27:09 -0700 From: David Christensen <dpchrist@holgerdanske.com> To: questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: my isp has trouble with its own dhcp assignment Message-ID: <95dab92e-1f3f-065f-577d-c8ab21dcd577@holgerdanske.com> In-Reply-To: <fd24e5ea-9395-e2cc-42a0-d832a5661fab@risebroadband.net> References: <e25c9c9d-9e6a-c349-d04e-4103b1256f24@risebroadband.net> <ec77cabe-4436-a3da-cbb1-367f481413c9@holgerdanske.com> <184d5515-80af-50b3-593e-6bc379b441df@risebroadband.net> <64f6a7dd-5c99-1c07-8b4f-27a3f2ecc9af@holgerdanske.com> <fd24e5ea-9395-e2cc-42a0-d832a5661fab@risebroadband.net>
next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
On 10/30/22 18:30, spellberg_robert wrote: > greetings , david --- It is best to address your post to all readers of the list. > On 10/21/22 4:16 AM, David Christensen wrote: >> On 10/20/22 15:17, spellberg_robert wrote: >>> On 10/18/22 12:47 AM, David Christensen wrote: >> I have tried running FreeBSD desktops several times over the years. >> It was a lot of work and the experience was disappointing. As much as >> I would like a FreeBSD desktop, Debian with Xfce is easier to install >> and more Xfce features are supported. > > i thank you for volunteering the info , > how_ever , i am one of those people who despise point_and_click ; > in my case , > this is w/ a passion which i can_not even begin to describe . > [ are those squiggles intended to be intuitively_obvious ? ] > in my experience , xterm/xclock are the only p_&_c which work well . Okay. I have been using graphical desktops for so long, I cannot imagine a console-only computing experience. If that were my situation, I would probably get serious about learning Emacs. >> While building your own gateway from scratch using a general-purpose >> OS is a useful exercise, it is an ISP's worst nightmare. If they >> attempt to support you, they will struggle. Most ISP's will simply >> refuse to support anything except their own equipment. > > a priori , let me be clear ; i do --not-- believe that > you meant that which is suggested by your choice of words . > > building these gateways is --not-- an "exercise" . > i have been doing things this way since my "dial_up" days . > they have worked well , always , Computer networking technology is fascinating, but keeping up with the changes and advancements requires more effort than I am willing to expend. If you can do it, then more power to you. > until --this-- effort . After building my own gateways using general-purpose OS distributions and PC's, I switched to purpose-built OS distributions and PC's (IPCop, pfSense), then to residential gateways with factory or FOSS firmware (Netgear, DD-WRT), and finally to commercial gateways (Netgear, UniFi). I let the experts deal with the details and I just make high-level configuration decisions. >> I recommend that you buy or lease a residential gateway from your ISP, >> connect it to the antenna, and get it working reliably (with or >> without support from your ISP). Then, connect #5 in a >> router-behind-router configuration (e.g. connect #5 to the LAN side of >> the ISP gateway). Now you can play with #5 all you want, and you >> still have a working Internet connection the whole time. This is what >> I do. > > this will not work . > > all this does is to shift the failure from my box to theirs . Which shifts the responsibility of a working Internet connection to them. They fix it, or you switch ISP's. > this isp can [ and does ] take --days-- > to fix a "tower_problem" , as they call it ; > presumably , this affects --many-- customers . > when [ not "if" ] their device fails , > then i am "down" for an in_determinate time , > while i wait for some "tech" , in a van , > to drive east , from the big city [ rockford ] , > across two county lines , to handle "tickets" , in this area . > in general , i need to be "up" 24/7 . > i suspect that a "static ip_address" will solve this dhcp problem ; > but , i do not know > [ i was going to inquire , today ; > but , of course , they are closed on sundays > ] . > i suspect that , if it is the solution , then > it will be less expensive than multiple devices from the isp . > > again , i believe that you meant well ; but , this is not "play" . I have heard of two approaches to terrestrial wireless Internet service -- microwave point-to-point and WAN mesh. The former is reliable and expensive. The latter is less so in both regards. In any case, I prefer wired connections. Can you get a wired connection -- e.g. telephone land line (T-1, VDSL) or cable television? >> FreeBSD - Welcome to FreeBSD Boot Multi user >> FreeBSD Installer - Welcome Install >> Keymap Selection Continue with default keymap > how did you generate this data ? By typing it into a text file using Vim. > do you find "startech" plug_in cards to be reliable ? I have two PEXSAT32; possibly other cards. They are reliable. >> Use a >> version control system for your notes and any system configuration >> files you touch. > > no need for this . > > many years ago , i created that which i call a "shadow" tree . > this tree replicates the entire directory_tree ... So, a homebrew configuration management system. I manage certain aspects of my machines with shell and Perl scripts, and configuration files. Everything is in version control. It sounds like you are unfamiliar with version control systems. They are very useful; both for coding and for system administration. I recommend that you learn and use one. For solo or small group work, I like CVS. For FOSS work, Git dominates. > Use dd(1) to take raw binary images of the disk as you go, >> so that you can easily revert changes. > > i suppose ; > but , changing a sym_link strikes me as being easier and faster , > especially w/ command_line up_arrow "history" capability . > find a line which is substantially similar and edit a few chars ; done . If you have simple fixes for simple disasters, then good for you. My disasters tend to be more severe. By taking images and putting my configuration files into version control, I can recover completely in a predictable amount of time and be confident that the result is correct. > i have observed that you never address > that which i believe to be my most important observation . > on natasha_11.3 , > when i type the "ifconfig add" command , > using the 69. address which was assigned to natasha_8.1 , > then natasha_11.3 works beautifully . > when i type the "ifconfig delete" command , > then natasha_11.3 reverts to working poorly , > because it has , only , the 172. address . > i am not the least bit convinced that > this is not an important observation . To be blunt, my networking skills are dated. And, troubleshooting your network is going to require a lot of information. First of all, I still do not understand the computer that you want to use as your new gateway. > this is why i am prepared to spend some money > [ in --this-- economy , yet ] , > on a so_called "static address" , for a_while , any_way , > just to see if it works . > if so , then i have eliminated the dhcp concept , entirely . My experience with AT&T residential Internet service is that the address assigned to the WAN side of the AT&T gateway by AT&T's DSLAM (?) has never changed. If you had a working residential gateway from Rise Broadband, it would have a web control panel and you could monitor its WAN address for changes. You could also configure its DHCP server and other features however you wish. > would you care to add any_thing further to this > or to any_thing else ? I suspect the underlying problem is being obscured by your dual-name/ dual-role/ symlink/ shadow tree schemes. Complexity is the enemy of reliability. If you reduce the complexity by assigning one machine with one name to one role (e.g. gateway), by putting the OS into a known good state (e.g. fresh install), by making the fewest changes possible, and by document every step, your work will be repeatable (e.g. anyone could set up a VM and virtual network to match) and we will have a much better chance of success. David
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?95dab92e-1f3f-065f-577d-c8ab21dcd577>