Hi Ed,
I guess I could have saved you from this -- the same thing happened to me, sort of.   See my condensed version of upgrading from DHCP addressing to permanent addressing below.
Rachel

First, I had SBC DSL w/PPoE, I used a wireless DSL hub (DLINK). For the original install, I had to use a PC with the DSL modem but later I installed the DLink with no problems and I went along my merry way with my DLink wireless network.

Second, I decided to install a firewall, DMZ with Linux Web/DNS server and an 'inside' network. I upgraded my DSL service to permanent IP addressing.  This became the nightmare of all time.  Before installing all my new fun gear, I decided to make sure I could get the permanent addressing to work first with the Dlink that had been working fine for a year.  At the approved time all I did was change the addressing from DHCP (and PPOE) to the permanent addresses they gave me -- after I called as asked for a WAN address (/30) to go with the subnet they gave me (/27).  It did not work.  I could see requests going out on the DSL modem but no response.
        SBC: we don't support DLink
        Me: I've been using this for a year, its worked fine.  All I did was change to the address you gave me.
        SBC: we can't work with you
        Me: can you ping me?
        SBC: no
        Me: can you do a traceroute to me?
        SBC: yea, it doesn't get to you, you have something wrong on your side
        Me: (oh no shit) I am a Sr. Networking Engineer by profession, I can assure you it's not on my side, you have a problem with your routing.  I don't see your ping get to my modem (which is before my equipment)
        SBC: I have to get a different engineer who knows DLink
        Me: No you don't -- it's not the DLink
        SBC: But I don't know anything about DLinks
        Me: I do!  It has worked just fine until we change to this new addressing -- it has to be something with the addressing/routing.  Your ping doesn't even get to my DSL modem which is before the DLink!
        SBC: All I can you is that we don't support DLink
        Me: OK, fine, I'll put a PC directly on the modem.  Did that -- same results didn't work.
        SBC: can you ping
        Me: yes it goes out, no response back.  Can you ping me?
        SBC: I get no response
        Me: I still didn't see it on my modem lights, it's not even getting to my modem
        SBC: can you reboot your PC
        Me: (yikes) yes, same result
        SBC: (starts asking me about my Windows setup)
        Me: My setup is fine -- I do this for a living, it's on your side, you probably have a duplicate IP address, misconfigured switch or your routing table is not right
        SBC: reboot your PC again
        Me: NO!
        SBC: it's on your side, it can't be on our side
        ....... this goes on for 2 more hours.  I can't prove to this guy that it's not on my side.  Finally, he says he has to send out a tech to look at my side.  I say -- "oh because you don't believe me", he didn't have a very good answer to that.  I explained to him --again-- basic network troubleshooting and why it was on his side.  I asked to escalate and he wouldn't let me (my boss is just going to tell you the same thing).  I was about to go postal with him but decided to calmly let him send his tech out, just to make him feel better (plus I was exhausted after 3 hours).  I asked him to put the configuration back to DHCP/PPoE so I could have internet connectivity until the tech came.  He put me on mute and was gone for a while, came back and said "uh, we found something interesting... I'll call you back".
        ......Later that day....
        SBC: try this new WAN address and new LAN addressing
        Me: OK, (and on the DLink little did he know) -- Oh look, it works now. 
        SBC: we found something weird with the old address....

Moral of the story: SBC techs can only think in the box so you must do it their way if you want to prove anything to them.  DSL will work with anything -- just don't mention that to them.  If you have to work with them, you have to be prepared to set up a PC (with windows) to the DSL modem or you'll never get anything accomplished.




At 09:15 AM 3/27/2003 -0800, Ed Jaeger wrote:
The title sums it up pretty well.

Some years ago we got an IDSL (modified ISDN) setup throught ATG because we were too far from Carson City's only DSLAM by about 2,000 feet.  We have an internal LAN running RFC 1918 addresses, with a Linux based firewall/NAT.  ATG said, "well, then, all you need is an adapter which connects to the ISDN line on one side and has a 10bT port on the other" - and they gave us that, it's worked for years.  Downside:  speed is 144Kbps up/down.

Recently, SBC set up a new DSLAM, and we're in range!  I call up SBC, and one of their reps actually comes out to visit to set us up  They've tested the lines and everything, we're good for at least 384Kbps downstream!  Here's how it went:

SBC:  DSL is great, blah blah blah.

Me:  I know.  Here's the phone closet - which pair do you want to use?

SBC:  Wow, you've got network cables!  Are your computers networked already?

Me:  Yep, as I explained.  Don't worry about that.  I suggest this pair.

SBC:  Well, which workstation is going to use the DSL?

Me:  All of them.

SBC:  <pause> What operating system do you use?

Me:  It depends:  Win98/NT/2K, MacOS, Linux - depends which computer.  Why?

SBC:  That's too many operating systems!

Me:  Well, the computer connecting to the DSL modem runs Linux.

SBC:  DSL is not compatible with any form of Unix.

Me:  Sure it is.  You use PPPoE - I'll just set the firewall up so it can bring up the PPPoE link, I don't need EnterNet (or whatever it is you use) to set up PPPoE.

SBC:  You use DSL for the Internet! (EnterNet, Internet - same thing)

At this point I figured out that, despite what I've heard, SBC can only deal with single workstation Windows connections.  So now I'll have to drag some old P133 with Windows 98 on it into the phone closet, tell him that's what we're going to use, and do the self install (requesting an external modem) and nobody's the wiser.

Just wanted to save anyone else the aggravation.
--
Ed Jaeger, President & CFO, Bohlender Graebener Corporation
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.bgcorp.com
---
"No pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new doorway for the human spirit."

        - Helen Keller

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