[Leaf-user] PPPoE or Ethernet
I have the opportunity to setup a firewall for a local non-profit organization. They want Internet access for their office. Both Cable and DSL are available in their area. Prices and speed seem comparable. I have been using Eiger and Dach 'steins for years with a cable connection. I have not used DLS or PPPoE. Are there any advantages/disadvantages with either option? Thanks for your opinions! I am mostly concerned with ease of administration. Sean ___ Leaf-user mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/leaf-user
Re: [Leaf-user] PPPoE or Ethernet
At 01:27 PM 2/27/02 +, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: >I have the opportunity to setup a firewall for a local >non-profit organization. They want Internet access for >their office. Both Cable and DSL are available in their >area. Prices and speed seem comparable. I have been >using Eiger and Dach 'steins for years with a cable >connection. I have not used DLS or PPPoE. Are there >any advantages/disadvantages with either option? Thanks >for your opinions! I am mostly concerned with ease of >administration. Before you can recommend a solution to them, you need to find out more about what they want. "They want Internet access for their office" has too many meanings to serve as a guide. The important question is whether they want to make services (like an onsite Web server) available on the Internet. If they do, you want to recommend that they get either (a) a service that offers static addresses -OR- (b) one that offers dynamic addresses that don't change very often (making use of dynamic-DNS service easier and more reliable). The first is better, but the second will be cheaper, and since non-profits rarely have more monry than they know what to do with, cost may be a big issue for them. If you need to opt for (b) above, this *probably* means going with cable. My experience is that cable/DHCP leases change relatively rarely, while DSL/PPPoE leases change multiple times per day. But those observations are generalizations, and you need to find out what is true in your area. If they only need outgoing service, this consideration does not apply. LEAF variants now support both DHCP addressing (used by cable-modem providers) and PPPoE addressing (used by most DSL providers), but do allow for the fact that PPPoE requires a bit higher level of hardware than true Ethernet-based connections. The last thing to think about is service quality, both the frequency of interruptions and the actual speed delivered. Cable connections use shared bandwidth (they are functionally like a hub-based LAN in this respect), so the actual speed delivered can be much lower (or, occasionally, higher) than the service's nominal speed. DSL is point to point, so the promised speed will be the real speed ... between the client site and the ISP. But bandwidth is shared *after* that point, and can be underprovisioned by a DSL ISP as easily as by a cable ISP. There is no general answer to this one; you need to ask around locally to find out what the specific providers you are considering actually do. Aside from that, the only advantage I can see to DSL is that you are likely to have multiple DSL-based ISPs in your area, but only one cable-based ISP. My observation is that this is an advantage of DSL only in theory, though, as the low-price DSL provider always seems to be the telco. -- "Never tell me the odds!"--- Ray Olszewski-- Han Solo Palo Alto, CA[EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ Leaf-user mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/leaf-user
Re: [Leaf-user] PPPoE or Ethernet
In this case, I have convinced them to host their Website and Email with a service. The local access would be for Email access (POP) and Web browsing only. The local DSL provider (SNET telco) uses PPPoE last I checked. None of the local cable providers do. Good point about checking with the locals about service quality. I think SNET is oversold. The local cable provider (in my area at least) recently capped 1t 1500/128. Their area may differ... Mostly I was concerned with PPPoE, since I have no experience with that type of connection. Ethernet is a no-brainer. Thanks! Sean > At 01:27 PM 2/27/02 +, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > >I have the opportunity to setup a firewall for a local > >non-profit organization. They want Internet access for > >their office. Both Cable and DSL are available in their > >area. Prices and speed seem comparable. I have been > >using Eiger and Dach 'steins for years with a cable > >connection. I have not used DLS or PPPoE. Are there > >any advantages/disadvantages with either option? Thanks > >for your opinions! I am mostly concerned with ease of > >administration. > > Before you can recommend a solution to them, you need to find out more about > what they want. "They want Internet access for their office" has too many > meanings to serve as a guide. > > The important question is whether they want to make services (like an onsite > Web server) available on the Internet. If they do, you want to recommend > that they get either (a) a service that offers static addresses -OR- (b) one > that offers dynamic addresses that don't change very often (making use of > dynamic-DNS service easier and more reliable). The first is better, but the > second will be cheaper, and since non-profits rarely have more monry than > they know what to do with, cost may be a big issue for them. > > If you need to opt for (b) above, this *probably* means going with cable. My > experience is that cable/DHCP leases change relatively rarely, while > DSL/PPPoE leases change multiple times per day. But those observations are > generalizations, and you need to find out what is true in your area. > > If they only need outgoing service, this consideration does not apply. LEAF > variants now support both DHCP addressing (used by cable-modem providers) > and PPPoE addressing (used by most DSL providers), but do allow for the fact > that PPPoE requires a bit higher level of hardware than true Ethernet-based > connections. > > The last thing to think about is service quality, both the frequency of > interruptions and the actual speed delivered. Cable connections use shared > bandwidth (they are functionally like a hub-based LAN in this respect), so > the actual speed delivered can be much lower (or, occasionally, higher) than > the service's nominal speed. DSL is point to point, so the promised speed > will be the real speed ... between the client site and the ISP. But > bandwidth is shared *after* that point, and can be underprovisioned by a DSL > ISP as easily as by a cable ISP. There is no general answer to this one; you > need to ask around locally to find out what the specific providers you are > considering actually do. > > Aside from that, the only advantage I can see to DSL is that you are likely > to have multiple DSL-based ISPs in your area, but only one cable-based ISP. > My observation is that this is an advantage of DSL only in theory, though, > as the low-price DSL provider always seems to be the telco. > > > -- > "Never tell me the odds!"--- > Ray Olszewski-- Han Solo > Palo Alto, CA [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > ___ Leaf-user mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/leaf-user
Re: [Leaf-user] PPPoE or Ethernet
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > I have the opportunity to setup a firewall for a local > non-profit organization. They want Internet access for > their office. Both Cable and DSL are available in their > area. Prices and speed seem comparable. I have been > using Eiger and Dach 'steins for years with a cable > connection. I have not used DLS or PPPoE. Are there > any advantages/disadvantages with either option? Thanks > for your opinions! I am mostly concerned with ease of > administration. > > Sean > I recently helped a friend setup a DachsteinCD on PPPoE. I don't like the PPPoE protocol, but it was easy to setup and he runs services through it. We established a free dns name and used ez-ipupd.lrp. That way he could access his network from the outside by name even when the ip changes. PPPoE makes the router processor work a lot harder since it has to repackage the packets to ethernet so it is advisable to run a pentium on the router. Some PPPoE providers use this protocol to do things that are not in the interests of the user. Actually the principle reason why a provider chooses PPPoE is to limit control you rather than give you unlimited access. Cable on the other hand is probably faster. Things to remember on a cable is that every 13 year old on the cable loop with a sniffer may be reading your unencrypted mail. Cable systems sometimes block port 80 etc so you need to talk to users of the system. Choosing an internet provider is not unlike choosing a wife. You may get stuck with an unwise choice (if you sign with them for a year) that treats you like merchandise. I would recommend taking the time to find knowledgeable people who use both services. A good isp, like a good wife, is worth taking the time to find the right one. Victor McAllister ___ Leaf-user mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/leaf-user
