Telstra ADSL

[Daniel McNamara]

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Brad Hards wrote:
<snip>
|
| What DNS are you using?

Currently my work ones :)

But I've found that using the Vic Bigpond DNS servers (61.9.128.14 &
61.9.128.15) are usually OK. Of course in the last week this has proven
not to be the case (damn Murphys law) but usuaully they are quite good.

<snip>

| The STP wasn't an option for me, and I had to get it installed on my
| laptop (which was the only dual boot machine I had). The PCMCIA network
| card came in handy for other uses though...

I'm a little confused here. Since the ADSL service is tied to your phone
line why do you need it to "installed" on the laptop? If you had the STP
in place it would always be connected and you could pop the laptop off
and on the network easily (the STP also runs nicely as a DHCP server).
But without knowing your reqs I suppose I might be a little off here.

|
| My only concern is that there were some exploits for the Alcatel
| products (not sure if the pro version was affected), so even if you
| didn't need a machine for PPPOE, you might still need it for a
| firewall.

I was aware of the reported exploits with the Alcatel's when I made the
purchase and the first thing I did when I recieved the unit (which only
took two days I might add - fastet I've ever seen Telstra move) was
check the firmware version. The one shipped to me had the unaffected
firmware loaded (which is good because I would have returned it otherwise).

Of course all the machines behind the STP still run their own firewalls
as well. But the STP by default will NOT forward packets into the
private network. So anyone doing a port scan to a default set up of an
STP is meet by nothing.

|
| The installer (a subbie from "Skilled Engineering", IIRC) was certainly
| totally clueless. Just play the game until they leave (no giggling:) and
| then switch it over to your Linux box

Literally the self install is a doodle. No Windows machine needed. All
configuration can be done via either telnet or http to the STP (don't
panic these services are ONLY bound to the LAN interfaces NOT the WAN
interface). Mozilla from a Linux box is more that what is required to
set up the STP up via HTTP.

Bascially Telstra ships it to you pre-configured - All that's required
is username and password. If you want you can use the (Windows only) set
up CD that ships with self install box but all it - Again same thing -
enter username/password it goes and talks to the STP via telnet and does
it for you. Easy stuff.

Oh yeah one last thing. Dynamic DNS works very nicely from behind the
STP. Otherwise my mail server wouldn't work.

Cheers

Daniel
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