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SBC/Yahoo DSL, Hubs, and Mac OS X?
John wishes to get to the core of this issue: "I recently had to move to SBC/Yahoo DSL due to the demise of DirecTV internet. This provider uses PPoE and dictates that users access the service through EnterNet Classic. The only configuration they support is a direct ethernet connection between the DSL modem and the Mac's built-in ethernet port. In order to access files on other home computers (not sharing Internet access however) and a printer, I would need to connect an ethernet hub between the modem and the Mac. Yet SBC does not support this configuration, which I believe wold be a very common setup. Does anyone know if there is a way to set up this layout and successfully connect via PPoE?"
I'm not sure what the big deal here is. I've set this up before (yes, using Yahoo/SBC and a Mac). The way I did it was using a Linksys access point (which supports PPPoE).
such as the 827 support PPPoE.
Get a D-Link or Linksys home NAT firewall unit, download current firmware, and follow the manual's instructions to get this to work.
7 November 2006: The day Americans realized corruption and incompetence weren't addressing 11 September 2001
I've got a similar setup (SBC DSL, bot the Yahoo version). No problems for me getting things set up on OS X without EnterNet; I even got official instructions from SBC on setting it up. (They were SBC Ameritech here at the time, so the rules may have changed).
Currently I have the DSL modem hooked up to my AirPort base station, and then have my B/W G3 hooked up to that and also use the connection for my TiBook. You need to have Connect Using PPPoE checked in the Network preference pane, and use the appropriate settings (you can probably guess them using the EnterNet setup instructions). Then use Apple's Internet Connect app to make the connection.
Why not get a second ethernet card, from a company such as Asante, or even a Realtek compatible card and share your connection over the second card (via Internet Sharing in System Preferences for Mac OS X 10.2).
This way you won't have to move any wires around when you call techsupport;)
The only problem with this is since they don't support other computers that are not directly connected to the modem, they aren't going to start supporting those machines just because you now have one connected properly. Plus you have to have your machine on all the time in order for the others to get access.
The best answer is to get a Linksys BEFSR41 for under $50, set it up to connect via PPPoe and just do what you want to anyway...at least you'll have some support from Linksys;D
--"It's Bradford Company, slash your last name, dot your first name"
Any D-Link or Linksys router will support PPPoE and get you online just fine.
From their Enternet bias, it's safe to assume that they support OS 9 only as well, as there's not (and there's no need for) Enternet under OS X -- which has built-in PPPoE drivers. This is a good thing. Enternet is one of the crashiest hackjobs that I've every installed back with Bellsouth DSL until I got my router functioning.
If they try to do something idiotic like locking the device to a particular MAC address, I know for certain that the $35 D-Link DI-604 does MAC address spoofing on the Internet side as well.
I also am forced to use SBC CrapperNet (please, Speakeasy, please), and have a simple Linksys home router sitting between my box and the modem.
The trick is to use the direct connection for your initial signup (this sets the PPPoE username/password on their end), then drop the router in place and tell it about the PPPoE settings. I don't believe I had to do the MAC cloning bit.
Then throw out the CrapperNet stuff and simply point your computer to the router, just like a standard net connection.
You cannot apply a technological solution to a sociological problem. (Edwards' Law)
(Sorry for the double-posting. This one is slightly better.)
Most people would connect the DSL modem to a router or NAT device, and then connect the router to their hub, so everyone on the network can share the connection. The router runs its own PPPoE software which connects through the modem to Yahoo, and then it automatically provides local IP addresses via DHCP to computers on your home network. This is what I do in my house, and it works great (with SBC/Yahoo DSL). SBC may not provide technical support for this, but at least they officially allow it, unlike Earthlink.
Your case is unusual, in that you don't want to use a router and don't want to share the connection with other computers. However, it should be easy to setup. Just plug the DSL modem into your hub (The one wrinkle is that you'll probably have to use an ethernet crossover cable between the modem and hub, because the modem expects to be connected directly to a computer instead of a hub). Then plug your computer into the hub. As far as your computer and the PPPoE software are concerned, your computer will look like it is connected directly to the modem, and everything will work fine (i.e., the hub is transparent to your computer). Also, you can use any PPPoE software you want. I would highly recommend using Mac OS X's built in PPPoE settings instead of EnterNet Classic, whatever that is.
Good luck!
P.S. I can't remember for sure what kind of cable the modem comes with. But the rule to follow is that you should use the opposite type of cable to connect the modem to a hub as you would use to connect the modem directly to a computer. So if the modem comes with a crossove cable, use a straight ethernet cable to connect it to the hub. If it comes with a straight cable (which I think is the case), then you'll need to use a crossover cable to connect the modem to the hub.
I have the same configuration. If you get a hub you will be able to either use the internet or share files by switching your "location" ( PPOE and Appletalk aren't compatible). If you get a router you can share files and use the internet at the same time. If you want a configuration they'll support you're gonna have to add an extra ethernet card.
HS
Ignore the online SBC instructions; I don't think they've been upgraded for MacOS X yet. When I got my SBC DSL service last year, I simply called up their tech support number and told them I was using MacOS X. They fed me the various DNS addresses and other stuff, and I was running with PPPoE inside of ten minutes.
And get rid of that Enternet crap, it be nasty.
--R.J.
Electric-Escape.net
I have SBC/Yahoo DSL, and they've been supporting Mac OS X's built-in PPPoE software for about a year now. As soon as they posted instructions online, I kissed EnterNet goodbye, and never looked back.
All you have to do is go into System Preferences, click on Network, make sure Built-In Ethernet is selected, then click on the PPPoE tab. Check the box next to "Connect using PPPoE", enter your user name and password in the appropriate boxes, and hit Apply Now. I also do a few extras - I check the remember password box, I check "Show PPPoE status in menu bar", so that it's really easy to connect, and I don't have to use the Internet Connect app, and I click on PPPoE Options and make sure that "Send PPP echo packets" is the only box that's checked. It's essential to the connection that that box is checked, but the other options are yours to play with.
What I did to set up file, printer, and connection saring was install a $29 Allied Telesyn 10/100 NIC in a PCI slot in my tower, and just plugged that into a spare Cisco hub I have. AirPort is also perfectly acceptable as an option.
Karma: Ran over your dogma.
No matter what your provider says, I did exactly this last summer. I've seen a few posts about buying a separate router, which is of course a "cleaner" solution, but not necessary.
Using a standard ethernet switch, PPPoE works fine between a DSL modem and a mac running OSX. Then you can (not recommended, but it works) share the connection on the same ethernet network. Just connect the other machines to the switch. Using PPPoE adds a new network interface to the computer and does not occupy the standard ethernet interface. Just make sure the routing table is OK (using netstat -rn)
Mac OSX has everything built-in for this kind of operations (check Sharing and Network in System Preferences)
Since a hub is a simple level2 repeater (send everything everywhere), I beleive there is NO way of telling whether a packet has passed a hub or not. So your provider's claim has no grounds.
And no, this question never should have been asked on Slashdot.
I have my home lan networked with a linksys router and the ADSL modem that SBC gave me. I'm not using SBC/Yahoo just SBC. The router itself logs into SBC via PPoE and acts as a DHCP server for my lan. I've got a 802.11b network setup with a linksys access point and it works fine on my iBook and my dads powerbook. The macs are all os x and they all "auto-configure" themselves. Oh this is my first /. post :)
"Fighting for peace is like fucking for chastity."
Hey-
Just helped a school with the pppoe SBC problem. They had no budget, and a linux box was not practical.
The D-Link router/hub with pppoe, connection sharing, and a print server, and it was on clearance at fry's for $29.95!
First, if memory serves, the SBC software is OS9 only. I would not try to configure the OSX PPOE services, as the SBC tech support is horrible, and if you try to do the OSX thing, they are unlikely to be able to help. If you want to try to use the OSX setup instead of the router, feel free to try.
Second, you will need a PPOE capable router/firewall with a configurable MAC. The linksys is a good unit. There are others.
So, go ahead and boot into OS9. Go into configuration manager and create a set/configuration to hold the SBC setup. This will allow to quickly switch to the SBC setup later on for troubleshooting, but will also save you current configuration, if any.
Now start the installation. At some point, you will have to call tech support. Do not mention that you are doing anything different. Just follow their lead and do as they say. Some of it is silly, but they will get you up and running. Note all setting such as email, password, etc. You will need them later.
After you are up and running, disconnect the cable between the modem and computer from the modem and plug it into the router. Reboot the computer into OSX. Go into System preferences, click on network (be sure to choose the proper network interface in the drop down menu), then TCP/IP. Choose Using DHCP from the drop down menu, click apply now, and close.
Load a web browser on the computer and connect to the router. If it is a linksys, the address should be 192.168.1.1. All further instructions assume a Linksys. This will bring up the configuration menu. On the setup page type in your full SBC email address, the domain is probably sbcglobal.net, the username(full email again) and your password. Select PPOE from the drop down menu, and select either 'connect on demand' or 'keep alive'. The former might attract less attention. Click apply.
Go to the status page and type in a password for the router. This should be a strong password. Click apply.
Go to the DHCP tab, turn on the server, and click apply. Open the DHCP client table and note the MAC for your machine.
Now click the advance menu, and then the Mac Addr. clone tab. Type the Mac Address into the fields and click apply,
Plug a cable from the WAN connector on the router to the modem. At this point you should be good to go. The router will automatically connect to they network when needed. If it doesn't, first check all the lights on the router and modem. The modem will light if it senses a good network, the router will light if it senses the modem and computer(s). Next go to the configuration page and look at the status tab. This will tell you if the router is connected, and allow you to connect manually if there is a problem. If the direct connection is good, and you type in all the user and password information correctly, it should work like a charm.
This is, of course, in no way a reccomendation. It is just one of the many possible ways that one could connect an OSX machine to the SBC network.
"She's a scientist and a lesbian. She's not going to let it slide." Orphan Black
No. I have installed many broadband connections from vendors in the USA and Canada. Not once have I needed an ethernet cross-over cable when connecting a Cable/DSL modem to either a computer system or a switch/hub. Don't raise a technical issue you can't back up with just a little experience. And you can quote me on that.