RCN cablemodem service and Debian

[krose at theory.lcs.mit.edu (Kyle Rose)]

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I just had RCN cablemodem service installed this morning, and I
thought I would share a few things about my experience.

The first is that the two guys who came to install it were extremely
courteous and very patient when I was encountering problems with DHCP
under Linux.  Of course, I was not the poster-child of the
Linux-just-works-better movement this morning, although I have been in 
the past.  Que sera, sera.

So, the first problem I encountered was related to the DHCP client's
needs regarding the kernel.  Being a bleeding-edge sort, I run 2.2.10
on my production machines.  This had some disadvantages this morning.
Although I had read the RCN FAQ and the DHCP howto to prepare -- as it
turns out, inadequately -- for the installation, the relationship
between the DHCP client and the kernel is even more subtle than those
two documents point out.

If you're running 2.0.x, then you'll have no problem -- the DHCP
client that ships with Debian (package dhcpcd) is ready-to-go with
your kernel.  If, however, you run 2.2.x, it appears you'll need to
get dhclient (package dhcp-client-beta), from a package available only
in the unstable tree.  While I currently run the experimental release,
not everyone does, so this may cause severe headaches.  Do not run
2.2.x if you are allergic to potato.

The second problem, and the one that really tripped me up, was the
fact that one needs CONFIG_FILTER and CONFIG_PACKET compiled into the
kernel.  dhcpcd doesn't tell you this; it simply doesn't work.
dhclient OTOH was quite helpful and steered me in the right direction.
Yaay.  Got cablemodem service.

So, the 200KBps I'm getting currently is unbelievable.  If you're in
RCN's service area, I would definitely recommend checking this out.
It certainly beats 28.8Kbps.

Kyle


- -- 
Kyle R. Rose                      "They can try to bind our arms,
Laboratory for Computer Science    But they cannot chain our minds
MIT NE43-309, 617-253-5883             or hearts..."
http://web.mit.edu/krr/www/                           Stratovarius
krose at theory.lcs.mit.edu                              Forever Free

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