Hey,I have dutifully looked through the documentation, and find little evidence of PPPoA support, unless it is disguised as something else? Perhaps one uses an appropriate pppd connect script? Though PPPoE seems to have its own seperate support, and PPPoA has always seemed to me to be an alternative equivalent... My isp only supports PPPoA, hence before migrating to this amazing firmware on an ADSL2MUE (or, a WRT54Gs v6 - though obviously I'm less inclined due to greater risk), can anyone confirm PPPoA support and direct me to the appropriate documentation?

Thanks!

Dave

PPPoA requires a totally different modem. I'm not sure if the ADSL2MUE supports PPPoA with stock firmware, I doubt it does. You establish a PPP connection over ATM, not ethernet

If you are able to put Kamikaze on the ADSL2MUE then it should be possible, although I don't have one to confirm.  I don't believe it's at all possible on a WRT54G.

You can find brief PPPoA documentation on the wiki: http://wiki.openwrt.org/TableOfHardware … earch=Text

Dave, I'll try and clarify what's going on...

PPPoATM is a good match for a DSL line.  There's a good argument ATM is superior to ethernet.

PPPoEthernet is more a glue protocol with tiny direct overhead.

Ethernet is everywhere, ATM is all but dead for average networks but lots of fiber is connecting the world with ATM.

Electrical ATM network interfaces are rare and 10-20-50 times the cost of ethernet (all because of volume, not technology).

Modems like the ADSL2MUE do NOT put ATM directly on a wire.  It talks PPPoA protocol to the DSL line but ethernet (or USB) to the customer.  ATM is never on a wire, it's only inside the modem firmware.

For this reason, forget a non-modem WRT router doing PPPoA.  It has no ATM interface and ATM modems are rare (I have one - Alcatel 1000 ADSL vintage 1997).  The reason for PPPoE existing is now clear - the world didn't switch from ethernet to ATM so ethernet had to do.

Now... in terms of how the ADSL2MUE does PPPoA the best I can imagine is finding someone that has already worked with it.  LinkSys site has their open source code.  Hopefully, someone has already adapted it to OpenWrt but that's a lot of modem interfacing not in a standard release.

HTH,

Bill

(Last edited by Bill_MI on 15 Jan 2007, 08:18)

Why doesn't anyone understand the difference between ATM the protocol and ATM the hardware? It's clear they don't given all the answers I've seen to the PPPoA question.

I'll give you an perfect example why all the "PPPoA won't work without hardware and so it's not worth putting in OpenWRT" talk is crap.

Qwest provides business users with an Actiontec GT701 with customized firmware that can either work as a modem and router/firewall or as a transparent bridge from DSL to Ethernet per RFC 1483.

There is NO hardware reason I shouldn't be able to put this in bridge mode, connect a WRT54(x) to the Ehternet port via the WRT WAN port and use the WRT as the router.  PPPoATM is supported in the 2.4.x kernel. Why isn't there a simple module and configuration for it like there is for PPPoE?

I don't care about ATM HW support at this point, since most ISP's want you to use their ATM HW and configuration anyway and would be uncomfortable with customers using something howbrew on it anyway. But I'd love to be able to use these ATM bridges and provide my own routers based on OpenWRT. OpenWRT is great. I like it. But these stupid DSL providers will continue to increase their use of PPPoE and PPPoATM, in part I think because it gives them more control over customers use of their lines, so these protocols need to be supported.

Screw the ISP.  If they're going to charge a monthly modem rental fee (like they do here), then I'm going to purchase and use my own modem.  If I decide to put OpenWrt on it, that's my choice.  Of course I can't go complaining to them that my modem is bad and ask them to come out and fix it.  That's why I have a backup modem

dear Tachyon,

i hope you can give me the clear answer since i have looked for PPPoA support in OpenWrt.

i have Etisalat as the provider, they sell DSL flatrate with crappy Siemens SpeedStream 6250 WLAN modem/router. i want to use this Siemens only as a bridge (i.e. use it only as ANNEX-A capable modem), plugging my WRT54GS into one of LANx ports of the modem (another cable side comes in to WAN port of WRT54GS).
Etisalat supports only PPPoA as i wrote above. how to configure it overall to get it working?

will be very thankful for any advice.

tommmy_leee2

Tommy,

In order to get PPPoA working with OpenWRT (or similar firmware), you need a DSL modem that supports either PPTP Relay (like the older Speedstream 5660 & Alcatel SpeedTouch series) or you need some kind of special firmware for the DSL modem that performs a pseudo-RFC1483 translation (similar to what Tachyon mentioned with the Actiontec).  Neither feature is particularly common, unfortunately.

Do you know if the Speedstream 6250 supports PPTP Relay?  (Note, this is *not* the same feature as PPTP passthrough.)