Solved: basic PPPoE on WAN problem

[gommer]

Hi all,

I've just installed the new 1.01 embedded image on a WRAP platform. I'm trying to get internet connection on it through a ADSL modem in rfc1483 bridged mode, so i need pfSense doing pppoE authentication. So far the theory.

WAN page filled in with ISP's user and password, dial on demand, zero timeout, set to PPPoE, save and… nothing. The interface status page just shows connection down, clicking 'connect' button increases the out-packet count, in-packet count remains zero. No traces of PPPoE in the logs.

I know PPPoE must work, 'cause when i configure the M$ WinXP PPPoE client i have connection and public IP within seconds.

I must be forgetting something very basic. Please help/guide me through my misery.

Thanks in advance,
Marc

[hoba]

It's just as trivial as you described your try to set it up. You should see something in the systemlogs for PPPoE though, even failed connection attempt. However I recommend testing with the latest snapshot first before trying to debug this (though I never had an issue with the releaseversion and PPPoE).

[gommer]

That's what i thought, trivial. Yet nothing's happening  :'(
Just to make things clear:
with 'factory defaults' (no additional firewall rules or anything),  and after filling the WAN settings for PPPoE, I should be able to make pfSense connect, right?

I can't imagine anything beeing wrong with PPPoE on a stable release. Lot's of people must be using this.

[hoba]

Yes, it should just work. I'm using pfSense with PPPoE in a lot of locations as this is the most popular connectiontype that you can get here in germany.

[dotdash]

Just a thought- some providers have their internal networks within a private space. You could try unchecking the 'block private addresses' option on the WAN.

[gommer]

@dotdash:

Just a thought- some providers have their internal networks within a private space. You could try unchecking the 'block private addresses' option on the WAN.

Unfortunately no, with the Win PPPoE dialer I get a 81.x.x.x address.

I really have no clue what's going wrong, the thing that disturbs me most is that there's no trace of PPPoE in the log.

[gommer]

Problem solved, but don't ask why or how.

I was trying tonight for yet another time. Changed the modem to router and put WAN on DHCP (wanted to know if maybe the interface was broken). This worked.
Then changed back the modem to bridge mode, configured pfSense for PPPoE on Wan and BINGO, it work all of a sudden.

I thought there might be a bug in the configuration of pfSense (the only thing i did different this time was first configuring pfSense for DHCP on WAN, saving, then back to PPPoE). So, i reinstalled pfSense completely (reflashed the CF for my WRAP board). Tried again and it worked first time with PPPoE.

To cut a long story short, i did nothing wrong in pfSense the first times, i did nothing wrong on the modem the first times, but after configuring it for the 999th time, it worked.  ??? ??? ???

Nevertheless, i'm happy ;D

Many thanks to all trying to help.