PHW/ Verizon DSL and OS X

bjneuman

Registered
I recently moved into a house that uses Verizon DSL as its internet service. I am unable to figure out a way to get OS X 10.0.4 to work with it. In OS 9, Verizon uses a classic application to connect via PPPoe or something like that. If I configure my OS X prefrences the same way, I am unable to get a connection, even if I try fiddling around with the PPPoe settings in the Network Control panel. Part of the problem might be that in OS 9 apple talk needs to be activated, and then the stand alone program uses PPPoe. In OS X, if apple talk is activated, PPPoe cannot be, and vice versa. If i try to use the classic application to connect while in OS X, I get an error telling me there is no ethernet port.
Will this problem be fixed with 10.1? Or is there some way to fix it now? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
bjneuman@mac.com

Bryce
 
Hello

Southwestern Bell uses a program called Enternet 300 for MacOS9. It simply sqeezes itself between the incoming signals and all other applications. The TCP control panel actually selects it as the source. The application will then PPPoE login at the right times. Appletalk never needed to be enabled. I do not know if Enternet is publicly available. I have had no trouble using X's PPPoE configuration with SWBell's (Prodigy) ISP services.

Now my compters sit behind a router with PPPoE. You can buy a wireline router fairly inexpensive. The Airport Base Station is a router that supports PPPoE. The benifits of having a router are (a) automatic and continuous PPPoE login (b) hardware firewall (NAT services) and (c) multiple computers shaing the connection.

If Verizon is anything like SWBell, do not tell them you are accessing their service using a router, on a multi-partitioned hard-disk machine, or any other non-standard simpleton home configuration. They will simple say we do not support that and stop all help. We can thank the chaotic Windows world and lawyers for these rigid textbook policies. Sorry I had to get that off my chest.
 
I also have Verizon DSL and used their installer CD, and the application that comes with it, to connect using OS 9. The great thing about OS 10.0.4 is that you do NOT need their software. The system software (correctly configured) will do all the connecting for you. I know because I have done it and I know others who have done it as well (of course at Verizon, the tech support does not understand that it is possible to connect without their application and therefore beleive that a connection is not possible with OS X).
I do not have my OS X machine with me here, but I can try to remember exactly how I did it. Please bear with me because this might not be EXACTLY how I did it, but you can play around with the general idea.
This is how I did it (I hope it works for you). Go into system preferences. Go into network. Create a new connecting protocol. You can name it DSL. Select ethernet port. Select PPP. Type in the Verizon server number (it says optional). Mine was 192.168.21.2 Type in the domain name (it says optional). Mine was bellatlantic.net. Go to the dialog part which asks you for your PPP information. Type in your user name and password. Quit out of the system preferences. This should do it. If it doesn't, play around with some of the other settings. You can set it up so that any internet connection needing program will automatically create a connection (which means you do not have to run that annoying Verizon DSL application everytime you want to connect).
I hope this works for you. Just realize that it is possible, it is just a matter of getting the setting right.
 
Hello,

You do not have to create a new location. Assuming you only have one ethernet connection you use (to the DSL modem), you can simply add your username and password to the PPPoE tab of the Automatic location.

System Preferences Network panel
Location: Automatic
Configure: Built-In-Ethernet
Tab: PPPoE

The neat thing about automatic is that it will choose the best hardware choice on-th-fly. My iBook has settings for wireline and wireless (Airport) in the Automatic location. We can litererally plug and un-plug the ethernet wire and the system will shuffle between Airport and wireline. No need to alter settings or reload internet applications.

Under OS9 you had to create different locations/configurations and manually switch between them to activate different network harware settings.
 
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