Hi,

I did the serial mod to my WRT54GS V4, setup PPPD and connected my Tivo to tty/0 so that the Tivo could make its daily calls via PPP. I'm using an image that I built from the SVN trunk of WhiteRussian. I modified the Kernal command line to pipe the output to /dev/null. I also added all the BusyBox serial utilities and mknod.

My PPPD options file:

#information about my device
/dev/tts/0 #serial port 0
115200 #baud rate
#options for PPP
debug
nodetach
persist
passive
nodefaultroute
nocrtscts
192.168.1.1:192.168.1.83
#idle 60
ipparam tivo83 #add for ip-up and ip-down
maxfail 0
proxyarp
local
noauth
lcp-max-configure 100
#defaultroute #use router's default route

The Tivo connects to the router, but fails the "test call", saying that the service is unavailable:

root@OpenWrt:/etc/ppp# pppd call tivo83
using channel 11
Using interface ppp0
Connect: ppp0 <--> /dev/tts/0
sent [LCP ConfReq id=0x1 <asyncmap 0x0> <magic 0x64f65290>]
rcvd [LCP ConfReq id=0x1 <asyncmap 0x0> <magic 0xffff8c22> <pcomp> <accomp>]
sent [LCP ConfRej id=0x1 <pcomp> <accomp>]
rcvd [LCP ConfReq id=0x2 <asyncmap 0x0> <magic 0xffff8c22>]
sent [LCP ConfAck id=0x2 <asyncmap 0x0> <magic 0xffff8c22>]
sent [LCP ConfReq id=0x1 <asyncmap 0x0> <magic 0x64f65290>]
rcvd [LCP ConfAck id=0x1 <asyncmap 0x0> <magic 0x64f65290>]
sent [IPCP ConfReq id=0x1 <compress VJ 0f 01> <addr 192.168.1.1>]
rcvd [IPCP ConfReq id=0x1 <addr 0.0.0.0> <compress VJ 0f 01>]
sent [IPCP ConfNak id=0x1 <addr 192.168.1.83>]
rcvd [IPCP ConfAck id=0x1 <compress VJ 0f 01> <addr 192.168.1.1>]
rcvd [IPCP ConfReq id=0x2 <addr 192.168.1.83> <compress VJ 0f 01>]
sent [IPCP ConfAck id=0x2 <addr 192.168.1.83> <compress VJ 0f 01>]
found interface br0 for proxy arp
local  IP address 192.168.1.1
remote IP address 192.168.1.83
Script /etc/ppp/ip-up started (pid 874)
Script /etc/ppp/ip-up finished (pid 874), status = 0x0

It looks like the communication from the Tivo to the router is OK, but the internet routing still needs some work. I've tried modifing my ip-up file per all off the HowTo's and posts that I've been able to find. But they're geared towards using PPP to have the router connect to the internet via a modem, cell phone or PPPoE. I've returned my ip-up file to the original (exept some logging). Can someone point me in the right direction on how to set up the router so that it does nat on a device that connects to the router via PPP on the serial port?

Thanks,
Bob

FYI - you can get ethernet adapters for your tivo

Series 1 models - turbonet
Series 2 models - usb ethernet adapter

google for more information

I know, but what would be the fun in that?

I got to build the dual port serial mod (from a maxim chip that I sampled) and modify the router. I like using the soldering iron once in a while since I've been primarily doing software and system stuff at work for the last several years.

I use windows at work and home. This has given me a reason to set up one of my PC's with Linux (ended up going with Gentoo after starting with Gentoo, switching to Mandrake, and then switching back to Gentoo because I liked it's install and update method better). I spent quite a bit of time reading up on the web on compiling OpenWrt and setting it up (learning about SSH, VI , cross compiling, Linux file system, and the Linux shell commands).

I have two Series 1's (so it would have to be TurboNets or CacheCards) that I'd like to connect my WRT54GS. I think that I'm pretty much there with using serial, PPP and the router. I just need a nudge in the right direction.

Regards,
Bob

This is working now. I tried a lot of things. I think that the problem was that I was relying on the path to work in the ip-up and ip-down scripts instead of including the full path in the calls to the binaries.