Re: Wandering off-topic: Speedstream 5861 (was Re: Authentication Attempts)

[Alex von Thorn]

No, Ethernet is a layer-two protocol, DSL is a layer-one protocol. A DSL 
modem modulates and demodulates a DSL signal (hence the name "modem") to 
another data link protocol (commonly but not necessarily Ethernet). 
Physical protocols are about signalling and electrical signals which form 
bits on a physical medium; data link protocols group bits together into 
bytes and frames, over any physical medium. DSL commonly uses Ethernet 
because home computers have Ethernet ports and DSL modems often act simply 
as an Ethernet bridge with no network routing function. Theoretically, one 
could use DSL to carry PPP (though that would be very odd), ATM, frame 
relay, MPLS, or whatever.


At 12/1/2004 08:33 PM, Warren Michelsen wrote:
At 7:40 PM -0500 12/1/04, Bill Cole issued a series of ones and zeros 
which decoded as:
>>
>>When a device says it's a 'DSL' router, that's just Ethernet, right?
>
>No, it usually means it has some form of actual DSL support.

But what's DSL? Digital Subscriber Line, yeah, but what IS it? I thought 
it was just Ethernet over phone lines, essentially. If it's not, then I 
really don't want a Speedstream, right? I thought a DLS modem just output 
Ethernet. Or are you saying that the Speedstream 5861 interfaces between 
the phone line and an Ethernet network?

>For example, the Speedstream 5861 has a direct interface to my DSL link 
and handles all of the DSL connection setup from DMT up through PPPoE.
>
>Reading the spec sheets is always mandatory...

Of course, but since I'm unaware (apparently) of what DSL is, the spec 
sheet does me no good.

I have plain vanilla 10/100 Ethernet coming in as my Internet connection. 
I want to install a router/firewall device to keep out spammers and such 
persons as I may come to despise for annoying my servers.

I'd like to be able to block all traffic from specific IPs or just 
selected ports from specific IPs. Will a Speedstream do that for me? Will 
a LinkSys BEFSR41 or BEFSX41 do it?

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"Never Give Up. Never Surrender." -- Gunn, Angel ("Peace Out")

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