On Mon, Dec 29, 2008 at 03:00:46PM -0500, Seth Herr wrote:

> I can confirm that this is how FIOS CPE works (at least in NY). It will also
> require that you make some changes to the firewalling and DHCP on the CPE
> itself as outlined here:
> http://www.experts-exchange.com/Networking/Broadband/Q_22390536.html
> and here:
> http://agaricdesign.com/note/how-setup-linksys-router-verizon-fios

Indeed, that was step 1, a long time back, but I am now connected
directly to the Optical Network Terminal, the only CPE involved. 
The Actiontec is out of the loop, and sitting disconnected on a
back shelf where I occasionally glare at it.

(brief visit to the shelf ... I'm back)

I just stuck my tongue out at it.  I feel better.  However, the
MAC address restriction is imposed either by NVRAM in the ONT,
or by the Verizon switch at the other end of the fiber, so
instructions involving the Actiontec aren't applicable for me.

The Actiontec burned more than 10 watts, and ate packets even
in bridge mode, which is why I reprovisioned for a direct cat5
connection from the ONT to my laptop firewall.  The ALIX OpenWRT
replaces the ancient 20W laptop with a smaller 4W solution, and
allegedly runs VPN tunnels much faster, so I want to take the
laptop out of the path, too.  I can power the ALIX off a backup
battery for days, and turn fewer salmon into sushi with the local
hydropower dams - important considerations here in über-P.C.-green
and winter-storm-power-optional Oregon.  The ONT still consumes
quite a few watts, but it has this fascinating 12V port on the
side - perhaps a boat battery plugged into that connection will
keep the ONT running for days, too.

I may be starting into this too early - perhaps I should be waiting
for OpenWRT 8.09 and the addition of a command that can rewrite
the parameters built into the ALIX BIOS, or an improvement to the
ethernet chip driver.  I suspect my next step, when time permits,
is to hack some driver code to figure out how the MAC address is
(or is not) sent to the VT6105M RhineIII ethernet chip.  

I've got another CF card loaded with mOnOwall, and another with
voyage-linux (both images from yawarra.com.au).  I will see if
the runtime MAC address change features works with either of
those, or if voyage lets me fiddle with the BIOS nvram.  Then
I can go back to taming OpenWRT.

Keith

-- 
Keith Lofstrom          [email protected]         Voice (503)-520-1993
KLIC --- Keith Lofstrom Integrated Circuits --- "Your Ideas in Silicon"
Design Contracting in Bipolar and CMOS - Analog, Digital, and Scan ICs

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