Re: not ADSL, but NTL
Nicholas Clark wrote: If they're not using DHCP until the end of their registration, how does their app connect with their website to perform the registration process? I think the registration is handled via a web browser and you have to point it at a fixed IP address. Hmmm... memory hazy. There was an NTL windows program on CD but I don't think I ever ran it. Maybe you can do all the registration from a non-windows box. But on the other hand, ISTR, the web pages had some rather funky HTML code, which might suggest it's likely to be heavily IE specific. It was no major problem for me to boot windows and register via IE so that's what I did. But perhaps it's not necessary to use Windoze at all? A
Re: not ADSL, but NTL
On Mon, Nov 04, 2002 at 11:12:35AM +, Andy Wardley wrote: Nicholas Clark wrote: If they're not using DHCP until the end of their registration, how does their app connect with their website to perform the registration process? I think the registration is handled via a web browser and you have to point it at a fixed IP address. ICB Totally, Utterly W, but... I have a vague notion that your cable modem *will* get [you] an IP address via DHCP, registered or not. However, you can do little with it until you register: I believe you are blocked from exchanging tcp traffic with everything but the registration server. Wesley.
Re: not ADSL, but NTL
On Sat Nov 2 18:11:34 2002, Nicholas Clark wrote: You shouldn't, but sadly you have to ? In that if you knew what GET and POST requests to make to their website to register, then you could use any OS and client you wished to. But you can't find this information out without sniffing the wire while running their application. By which time you've already had to find Windows to run it, and by the end of your sniffing you are registered? You only need 1 URL. I haven't read the docs so I have no idea where you could find this URL. I think it is https://autoreg.autoregister.net/ If they're not using DHCP until the end of their registration, how does their app connect with their website to perform the registration process? They use DHCP at the start. The cable modem DHCPs whenever you switch it on. It doesn't have much of a choice since its configuration file is stored at NTL somewhere and it needs to load it. If you haven't registered, NTL doesn't let you connect with the rest of the world, but they still give you an IP address to use when talking to their servers. -- Marty
Re: not ADSL, but NTL
On Sun, Oct 20, 2002 at 02:27:27PM +0100, Marty Pauley wrote: On Sun Oct 20 10:37:15 2002, Andy Wardley wrote: You need a windows machine to first register your connection. You shouldn't. The registration is performed on their website (with a Perl application). You shouldn't, but sadly you have to ? In that if you knew what GET and POST requests to make to their website to register, then you could use any OS and client you wished to. But you can't find this information out without sniffing the wire while running their application. By which time you've already had to find Windows to run it, and by the end of your sniffing you are registered? If they're not using DHCP until the end of their registration, how does their app connect with their website to perform the registration process? Nicholas Clark -- Brainfuck better than perl? http://www.perl.org/advocacy/spoofathon/
Re: not ADSL, but NTL
On Sat, Oct 19, 2002 at 03:13:43PM +0100, Nicholas Clark wrote: 3: If the service is locked to a particular NIC on an Ethernet card? [I believe that I have been told that at least some versions of their service are, in which case it seems that you have to be able to run their software on a Windows or Mac capable of physically containing the Ethernet card from the device you actually want to use. For the versions which are: (a) it's tied to the MAC address of the card, which of course you can change; (b) you can get the designated MAC changed via their web site. Roger
Re: not ADSL, but NTL
On Sat, Oct 19, 2002 at 03:13:43PM +0100, Nicholas Clark wrote: There's been various very useful comments about ADSL on the list. However... NTL now seem to be offering a 128K cable modem service for only £14.99 a month. It's not exactly clear what they supply, or what they expect it to work with, but based on this: http://www.ntl.com/locales/gb/en/home/broadband/services/need/ it seems that as you need USB port (recommended) - if not present Network Interface Card (Ethernet Card) they are supplying some sort of device that is can do both USB and Ethernet. About 6 months ago I got cable broadband access (although not in the UK). My cable company said all the same stupid things yours does. Hogwash. I've got a Toshiba cable modem I picked up at Best Buy for $79 that works with USB or a NIC. All of the documentation from my cable company tells about configuring it with USB on windows, and I simply ignored them. It looks as if you don't have the choice of getting your own modem, but I'd consider giving the service a shot. Worst case, set up a windows machine, let the installer set it up, then move the modem to your real computer. So to answer your specific questions with my experience: 1)The modem will run with any machine. No device drivers or anything, it just talks over the network. Just set up for DHCP and you're fine. 2) I didn't need any software. The software they did give me included a browser, a mail program, and a dohickey to reset network stuff under windows. 3) My service is locked to the MAC of the modem. Cox has no idea what the MAC on any of my computers is. 4) Make them run the cable to another room, just as they would have to do for a TV. -- mike It's tricky to rock a rhyme, to rock a rhyme that's right on time, it's tricky
Re: not ADSL, but NTL
On Sat, Oct 19, 2002 at 10:59:47AM -0400, Mike Jarvis wrote: It looks as if you don't have the choice of getting your own modem, but I'd consider giving the service a shot. Worst case, set up a windows machine, let the installer set it up, then move the modem to your real computer. There is this implicit assumption that I have a Windows machine :-) I don't. I don't even have anything capable of running Windows. (So in this case I'd need to borrow one, which is fiddly, but doable) Nicholas Clark -- INTERCAL better than perl? http://www.perl.org/advocacy/spoofathon/
Re: not ADSL, but NTL
On Sat, 19 Oct 2002, Nicholas Clark wrote: 1: If these devices will run attached via Ethernet to any machine running any OS? [or does the device require their software to help bootstrap it] I have telewest cable modem service, using a Motorola SURFboard modem supplied (and replaced once) by them. It has USB and ethernet ports, I only use the ethernet port into my firewall. They were giving away network cards when I joined but beware if NTL offers one for a tenner. The one telewest gave me was a Netgear FA311 which you can buy for about £6 elsewhere ! 2: If the service requires their software to be run (on either MacOS or Windows) to do the initial setup and service activation? [or do you just tell your OS where the DHCP server is and wizzo you're away] Well, it needs a browser for initial configuration. The cable monkeys only really know how to drive IE which is why they specify Windows. Oh, that and setting up DHCP on anything other than windows is beyond them too. 3: If the service is locked to a particular NIC on an Ethernet card? The IP addresses are allocated across the cable network and are tied to MAC addresses. Telewest allow you to register as many MAC addresses as you want via the webshite. The cable modem needs to be rebooted for each change of NIC. 4: How practical this sort of thing is when the incoming cable (or BT ADSL feed, for that matter) is not anywhere close to the room where the computer would like to be. Cable monkey will run the cable anywhere you want it. One tip though - they use these whizzo tack gun things to fix the cable in place. If they run it alongside any existing phone cables, make sure the phone works before they leave. I had this problem when they tacked straight through a phone cable which I then had to renew. I think there's a fifth question, but I've forgotten it. T 42. HTH, Simon. -- So my choice is 'Or Death?'
Re: not ADSL, but NTL
At 15:13 19/10/02, Nicholas Clark wrote: There's been various very useful comments about ADSL on the list. However... NTL now seem to be offering a 128K cable modem service for only £14.99 a month. However, as they appear to be expecting you to have a Mac or a Windows PC They probably just don't know how to support Unix, or don't want to teach their support staff how to. I'm aware of people using Linux boxes on the ends of NTL cable modems, I'm one. Happy customer for a year or so. I use a Pace Set Top Box for TV and Internet. I have a Linux box as a firewall. 1: If these devices will run attached via Ethernet to any machine running any OS? [or does the device require their software to help bootstrap it] You sadly need a windows box to register which is when they grab the Mac address of the NIC so you will either need to transfer the NIC across, or the MAC address if you know how. 2: If the service requires their software to be run (on either MacOS or Windows) to do the initial setup and service activation? [or do you just tell your OS where the DHCP server is and wizzo you're away] When you first connect up you don't normally get DHCP until the registration process is complete. 3: If the service is locked to a particular NIC on an Ethernet card? If my NTL service is I don't see why this wouldn't be. I think there's a fifth question, but I've forgotten it. And no money goes to BT. Hooray. Alex Openweb Analysts Ltd, London. Software For Complex Websites http://www.OWAL.co.uk/ Open Source Software Companies please register here http://www.OWAL.co.uk/oss_support/
Re: not ADSL, but NTL
On Sat, Oct 19, 2002 at 03:29:38PM +0100, Roger Burton West wrote: On Sat, Oct 19, 2002 at 03:13:43PM +0100, Nicholas Clark wrote: 3: If the service is locked to a particular NIC on an Ethernet card? [I believe that I have been told that at least some versions of their service are, in which case it seems that you have to be able to run their software on a Windows or Mac capable of physically containing the Ethernet card from the device you actually want to use. For the versions which are: (a) it's tied to the MAC address of the card, which of course you can change; (b) you can get the designated MAC changed via their web site. Thanks But are they clever enough to let you reach that when the MAC address of the card has changed? Or do you need to have a backup route to get to the web site in case of unexpected card change (eg card or machine failure and replacement) I forgot to say thanks earlier to Mike Jarvis for his helpful comments. Nicholas Clark -- Befunge better than perl? http://www.perl.org/advocacy/spoofathon/
