Topic: Charter Pipeline DHCP

[Josh Carlson]

I have recently switched over from @Home to Charter Pipeline.  Unlike @Home charter uses DHCP to assign IP addresses.  I am using Esmith v5, and I cant get the server to accept an IP address, DHCP just times out.  I have tried both of the options in the setup 1. DHCP (send hostname) 2. DHCP (Send Ethernet as client identifier)  Neither of these options work.  My Win2k machine accepts the address just fine.  When I have tried using my "hostname" with DHCP I send my charter email login name... not sure if that's right or not.  I called Charter and they didn't know anything about a hostname (ex: my @Home hostname was XXXXXXXXX-A)  Charter had no idea what that was.  My cable modem is the SurfBoard 4100 .  I don't know if this is a problem with the modem or what .. if anyone else has figured this out let me know.

Thanks!
   Josh

[Kevin]

See my previous post:

http://e-smith.org/bboard/read.php?f=1&i=9870&t=9860

My modem is a Toshiba. and the NIC is a Kingston (am at work and don't remember the exact models)

One interesting thing to note though.  My cable was installed before I started using SME. The installer originally tried to use a Motorola SurfBoard (don't recall the model) modem on my W2k workstation and it would not respond at all.  He told me they had just started to use that modem and his installs with it had been hit and miss. This was about 1 year ago.

[Kevin]

I almost forgot to mention:

don't forget to try using the "swapped" option for the NIC's

[Josh Carlson]

Were is the swap option?

[Josh Carlson]

Were is the swap option?

[Josh Carlson]

One other thing.

I talked to Charter Tech today, they said that the IP is assigned by your MAC address.  The Tech said the first computer that is heard on the network when you first power up your connection, its MAC is recorded and an IP address wont be issued to anything but that MAC.  Well the MAC address they had on file for me is the MAC on the back of my Cable Modem, not the MAC for the NIC in my Win2k machine (which works perfectly).  I dont understand.  The Tech said he could change the MAC they have for me over to the MAC of the NIC in my Esmith, but Im afriad if I do that then neither of them will work.  If the IP is assigned via your MAC, why would Charter have the MAC for my cable modem and not the NIC in my pc?

Also, I told esmith to give my external NIC the same MAC as the NIC in my Win2k machine.  That didnt work.

Thanks
   Josh

[Kevin]

Josh,

Josh Carlson wrote:
> I talked to Charter Tech today

First mistake, I have found the Charter "techs" to be totally useless.

Seriously, all joking aside I had a conversation with one of the techs a while back after he could not solve my problem, we started talking.  After I told him one of wife's cousins was a VP at Charter the conversation got interesting.  He told me that there was vitrualy no training and they we basically given a book with answers and a telephone (I guess that is kinda typical for some support centers).  The support people were not allowed anywhere near the server rooms, this guy did not know any details (even general ones) about the system setup.  Well not to get to far off subject and finish answering your question I will make this rant short. The feeling I recieved from him was that if it is not M$ they are not going to go to any trouble to support it. As we all know Charter is a Wired World Company owned by none other than Paul Allen.

Sorry about that. It was actually about an hour long conversation but I won't go there.  

>Well the MAC address they had on file for me is the MAC on the back of my >Cable Modem, not the MAC for the NIC in my Win2k machine

I assume this is the NIC the cable modem was plugged into before the E-smith sever was installed?  

When I installed E-smith I moved the NIC for my cable connection off the old machine and onto the E-smith box.  The main reason was so I would not have to call the "techs" and bang my head against a wall.

>The Tech said he could change the MAC they have for me over to the MAC of >the NIC in my Esmith, but Im afriad if I do that then neither of them will work.

That is the only way to make it work or either move the original NIC (the one the modem was plugged into) onto the E-smith box.

>If the IP is assigned via your MAC, why would Charter have the MAC for my >cable modem and not the NIC in my pc?

They track the modem serial number and MAC I think mainly for Billing (the guy may have been looking at the wrong thing).  Also some Cable Modems can use USB ports and therefore need to send the MAC from the modem for authenication.

The swapped option can be found by logging in the E-smith box as "admin" then choose option 2 server configuration.  Then go through the steps, about half way through is the option to swap eth0 and eth1

remember "ifconfig" is your friend

Hope this helps

Kevin