Status of other ISPs?
cedws opened this issue · 10 comments
Hi.
It comes with all the services required to make a fiber7 internet connection work (DHCPv4, DHCPv6, DNS, etc.).
I'd like to ask whether router7 works with ISPs other than fiber7. The README is phrased in a way that makes it sound as though ISPs have different requirements.
Thanks.
Yeah, some ISPs require you to use PPPoE, for example, or VLANs. Neither is supported right now by router7. You’ll need to do some digging to figure out what your ISP uses.
I see. Is there a method to finding out which my ISP uses, or will it require a phone call? Thanks.
Which ISP are you with, and what sort of connection is it (DSL, cable, fiber, …)? Maybe they have some details available online. Sometimes, the status/diagnostics pages of your current router’s web interface might reveal some clues, too.
Virgin Media on a fiber (I think....) connection. The router is a purchased consumer router rather than one from an ISP.
At this point, I think it’s best to clearly set expectations: router7 is a project which is not meant to be usable by end-users. As the README states, it’s published as a tech demo. If you want to actually use it, of course you’re free to, but from the answers you’re giving, I extrapolate that it will likely be a frustrating experience.
If you’re still interested, I’d recommend to read about building your own router from a PC and well-established router/firewall appliances. See e.g. https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/04/the-ars-guide-to-building-a-linux-router-from-scratch/, or google for keywords like OpenWrt or pfsense. Once you’ve done that, you should be in a much better position to consider router7.
Thanks for understanding,
but from the answers you’re giving, I extrapolate that it will likely be a frustrating experience.
Yeah, most likely. I don't know much about network protocols or software. I'm interested in router7 because I'd like to develop something similar, fork it, or even just understand how it works. I haven't used pfSense or OpenWrt but I don't think it would grant me better understanding.
I'm steering away from a discussion about router7 now, but before I close this issue, are there any resources you'd recommend looking into to work on something like this? Thanks a lot.
I haven't used pfSense or OpenWrt but I don't think it would grant me better understanding.
I disagree: both of these are easy to set up, and — due to their openness — easy to take apart piece-meal and look under the hood.
I recommend to switch from your purchased router to a custom-built one (see that tutorial I referenced) and learn more about the various pieces of technology they use.
One more program I have to mention is Wireshark. Set it up on your custom-built router to introspect network traffic, it’ll be very instructive.
Indeed, I can look under the hood, but they are large codebases. The core implementation of what a router really needs to do (NAT, DHCP, etc) will be buried - and that's the part I would really like to learn more about. Regardless, I will take your advice and try setting up a custom router, as well as Wireshark.
I really appreciate your help. I will close this issue.
@stapelberg Regarding pppoe, which I guess would support many ISPs out the box:
- Do you think exisiting libraries like https://github.com/katalix/go-l2tp would be sufficient to implement that?
- Would you be open for PRs to implement this?
- Do you think exisiting libraries like https://github.com/katalix/go-l2tp would be sufficient to implement that?
Sorry, I have no idea. My PPPOE days are behind me, and I’m not looking to get back into it. L2TP does not ring a bell to me.
2. Would you be open for PRs to implement this?
Yes, but I would prefer that the pppoe program be developed in your own repository (to begin with, at least — this gives you maximum velocity and flexibility).
If you need to change parts of router7 itself, feel free to send a PR.
If pppoe works well and turns out to be popular, I’m open to merging it at a later point.