Can't connect DSL modem to PC

I've got a SpeedStream 5360 ADSL modem that's connected straight (no
PPOE) to my ISP. The modem works fine when connected to a Linksys
WRT54G router, which has its Internet connection set to DHCP (with blank
Host Name: or Domain Name:, and MTU: set to Auto).

I'm trying to setup and old Linux box as a firewall NAT gateway, to
replace the WRT54G, and can't seem to get a working connection to the
SpeedStream. I've tried two different NICs, an Intel 8256EZ integrated
into the Asus P4P800-VM motherboard, and a Linksys - both of which work
properly when connected to the LAN-side, so I know I'm not having
hardware or driver issues. In both cases, I set up the connection to
use DHCP.

When either NIC is connected to the SpeedStream, the symptom is that the
connection is not made - it just times out after a while. The "act" and
"enet" lights on the modem never come on (after some blinking during
powerup).

My goal is to use Debian and shorewall. I tried ipcop, just to see if
it knew about some special secret way of talking to the DSL modem, but
the connection failed in the same way.

I'm sure I'm missing something obvious. Can someone help me figure out
what?

jeff wrote:

> When either NIC is connected to the SpeedStream, the symptom is that the
> connection is not made - it just times out after a while. The "act" and
> "enet" lights on the modem never come on (after some blinking during

If the "enet" light doesn't come on, then it leads me to wonder if
you're using the proper cable.. patch vs. cross-over.. should be a
patch, but try both.. if the light won't come on, nothing else would
work til it does (presuming the led light itself didn't die out).


--
alex ~ (E-Mail Removed) ~ www.aeshells.org ~ www.aeirc.net ~

USER, n.:
The word computer professionals use when they mean "idiot."

alex wrote:
> jeff wrote:
>
>> When either NIC is connected to the SpeedStream, the symptom is that
>> the connection is not made - it just times out after a while. The
>> "act" and "enet" lights on the modem never come on (after some
>> blinking during
>
> If the "enet" light doesn't come on, then it leads me to wonder if
> you're using the proper cable.. patch vs. cross-over.. should be a
> patch, but try both.. if the light won't come on, nothing else would
> work til it does (presuming the led light itself didn't die out).
>
Spot-on wondering, Alex! You are correct. I had figured that out after
an extended Googling session, though. And though the light comes on
now, still no joy. My current working theory is that the SpeedStream is
not responding properly to being probed by the driver for speed. I came
to this conclusion when the "100" light stayed on on two different NICs,
even though my Googling indicated that the SS 5360 will run only at 10M.

Jeff

jeff wrote:
> alex wrote:
>
>> jeff wrote:
>>
>>> When either NIC is connected to the SpeedStream, the symptom is that
>>> the connection is not made - it just times out after a while. The
>>> "act" and "enet" lights on the modem never come on (after some
>>> blinking during
>>
>>
>> If the "enet" light doesn't come on, then it leads me to wonder if
>> you're using the proper cable.. patch vs. cross-over.. should be a
>> patch, but try both.. if the light won't come on, nothing else would
>> work til it does (presuming the led light itself didn't die out).
>>
> Spot-on wondering, Alex! You are correct. I had figured that out after
> an extended Googling session, though. And though the light comes on
> now, still no joy. My current working theory is that the SpeedStream is
> not responding properly to being probed by the driver for speed. I came
> to this conclusion when the "100" light stayed on on two different NICs,
> even though my Googling indicated that the SS 5360 will run only at 10M.
>
> Jeff

okay, then your next step is to specific in your ifconfig setep (this
will vary by distro, you'll have to figure it out) what speed to use,
rather than allow the default to auto-negociate.

personally speaking, i would question why you're trying to replace a
linux box, with a linux box.. as you know, the source code for the
WRT54G has been opened by linksys, and there are a number of opensource
projects (wifibox, openwrt, and others) to replace the default linksys
firmware with all the way up to a full-fledged mini linux distro.

The WRT54G's are a great piece of hardware, and the standard linksys
firmwares are only slightly lacking.. using the OpenWRT firmware though,
you've got a custom mini linux box with built in wifi and 5 nic's..
what better to use for your gateway/NAT box?

--
alex ~ (E-Mail Removed) ~ www.aeshells.org ~ www.aeirc.net ~

USER, n.:
The word computer professionals use when they mean "idiot."

On Fri, 16 Dec 2005 09:16:46 -0800, jeff <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> I've got a SpeedStream 5360 ADSL modem that's connected straight (no
> PPOE) to my ISP. The modem works fine when connected to a Linksys
> WRT54G router, which has its Internet connection set to DHCP (with blank
> Host Name: or Domain Name:, and MTU: set to Auto).
>
> I'm trying to setup and old Linux box as a firewall NAT gateway, to
> replace the WRT54G, and can't seem to get a working connection to the
> SpeedStream. I've tried two different NICs, an Intel 8256EZ integrated
> into the Asus P4P800-VM motherboard, and a Linksys - both of which work
> properly when connected to the LAN-side, so I know I'm not having
> hardware or driver issues. In both cases, I set up the connection to
> use DHCP...

Which 5360? The 5360-023 had a bug that sometimes may not autonegotiate
with 10/100 nics (or possibly some 10baseT nics). There is a firmware
upgrade to fix that (for 5360-023 only, which was listed on carton as
120-5360-502). Or a temporary solution was to power up the modem, power
up the PC, then quickly turn the modem off/on.

David Efflandt wrote:
> On Fri, 16 Dec 2005 09:16:46 -0800, jeff <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>> I've got a SpeedStream 5360 ADSL modem that's connected straight (no
>> PPOE) to my ISP. The modem works fine when connected to a Linksys
>> WRT54G router, which has its Internet connection set to DHCP (with blank
>> Host Name: or Domain Name:, and MTU: set to Auto).
>>
>> I'm trying to setup and old Linux box as a firewall NAT gateway, to
>> replace the WRT54G, and can't seem to get a working connection to the
>> SpeedStream. I've tried two different NICs, an Intel 8256EZ integrated
>> into the Asus P4P800-VM motherboard, and a Linksys - both of which work
>> properly when connected to the LAN-side, so I know I'm not having
>> hardware or driver issues. In both cases, I set up the connection to
>> use DHCP...
>
> Which 5360? The 5360-023 had a bug that sometimes may not autonegotiate
> with 10/100 nics (or possibly some 10baseT nics). There is a firmware
> upgrade to fix that (for 5360-023 only, which was listed on carton as
> 120-5360-502). Or a temporary solution was to power up the modem, power
> up the PC, then quickly turn the modem off/on.

Hmmm... mine's actually a 5360-123, which supposedly has the patch
installed. I downloaded the patch to check for a readme, but all I
found was a setup.exe. Rather than risk trashing the modem, I think
I'll just postpone this adventure for now.