Problem with Actiontec wireless Cable/DSL Router and Earthlink DSL

[Stuart Albert]

OK, I actually got this problem fixed, though it wasn't the Ethernet
cable that was causing the problem. Apparently I was setting the
router to get the IP addresses through PPPooE instead of DHCP.
Everything works fine now, but I have *no* idea what the difference is
between PPPoE and DHCP. And I could have *sworn* that the first time
I set up the router with this connection, it was over PPPoE. Can
anyone enlighten my ignorance and tell me why this is working now?

Thanks
Stuart Albert

[Sylvan Butler]

On 30 Jun 2003 17:52:07 -0700, Stuart Albert <stuartclayalbert@yahoo.com> wrote: Everything works fine now, but I have *no* idea what the difference is between PPPoE and DHCP. And I could have *sworn* that the first time I set up the router with this connection, it was over PPPoE. Can

PPPoE is Point to Point Protocol Over Ethernet. Usually PPP is over
a serial line, like a modem. It's just a way of encapsulating your
IP traffic. PPP negotiates (or can negotiate) pretty much
everything DHCP can, but DHCP is designed to do it with a full
network instead of just a point to point link.

Many broadband providers use (or did use, maybe they're changing)
PPPoE. It really doesn't make a big difference to the typical
customer. It is just a setup issue.

sdb

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| Sylvan Butler | Not speaking for Hewlett-Packard | sbutler-boi.hp.com |
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