I mentioned in a previous post that I had, for a time, both DSL and cable internet; but I didn't go into detail about how had my router hooked up to both lines, routing traffic over them concurrently. It's time to rectify that omission. Although this multihomed configuration did not last long, I'm still using pretty much the same tools/config to take advantage of the multiple IP addresses I've managed to snag from my ISP.

This is how I've setup my Linux 2.6-based router using 'ip route', 'ip rule' and iptables to get WAN-bound traffic coming from the local subnets to exit one of several WAN links depending on different criteria; mostly source IP.

Posted by ra in computerish at 22:49 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

During the past couple months of Internet service switching I was hoping to get some type of service that would allow me one or more static IP's. But in the end I found myself back on cable again, with nothing but DHCP. Static addresses wishes dashed, I then wondered if it was possible to get multiple IP's, even if they were randomly assigned.

Basically I wanted to see if it was possible to get multiple DHCP-allocated addresses on a single machine and from the same physical network/DHCP servers. This may sound unusual, impossible or pointless, but I had some uses in mind... and since my router is a PC running Linux rather than some proprietary device, I figured there was probably a way to do it. One of the appeals was the idea that I could have traffic from my public (open wireless) originate from a different public IP than my private local networks. So I set about playing with DHCP to see what I could do.

Posted by ra at 23:23 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

I've become a really big fan of Penny Arcade this year. I read it like... three times a week. Sometimes I look through the archives to see what I missed back when I didn't know of PA's existence. These are a couple of my absolute favorites.

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2005/07/29

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2005/09/26

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2006/04/05

Posted by ra in other geeky stuff at 22:22 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

My router had been begging for a VLAN switch for some time. With seven ethernet interfaces, things were getting a little out of hand.

While designing a wireless network for a big client and spec'ing out the hardware, I found just the thing. The Netgear FS726TP. Like many people, I've been burned by the crappy plastic-encased Netgear consumer grade stuff in the past, however I'm a big fan of their higher quality ProSafe gear, especially the WG302 and WG102 access points which comprise my home wireless network.

I was impressed with the specs of the FS726TP, for the price, and had tentatively planned to buy one for myself once the client's project was complete and I had verified the switch would meet my own needs as well. As soon as the gear for the project came in, I put the switches to the test.

Posted by ra in computerish at 09:29 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

So I have had been enjoying my DSL internet connection, and my cable co-free life. And then my ISP apparently decided they had been much too nice to me.

Over the past weekend, my DSL seemed to be suffering from brief hiccups. Brief enough that when I checked to see why my connection just went down, it was already back up. That was a small annoyance that I planned to call Cincinnati Bell about Monday morning.

But come Monday morning I had bigger problems. By then my DSL connection would not stay up for any more than 30 seconds at a time. It was essentially unusable (I did try however, loading webpages in between disconnects -- what fun).

Posted by ra at 20:21 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

I'm either talking about Palm's new Foleo.... or the company itself. As a long time Palm fan, I feel a little weird saying that, but honestly, if this is the best that Palm can do, then there isn't much of a future for them.

Basically it's a slimmed down laptop; definitely in terms of functionality, surely in size, and also in cost--somewhat. At $500, for a device that is currently being pitched as an email client, this thing seems targeted at a niche for sure.

So who is going to buy it? I'm pretty sure I wouldn't. If I'm going to carry around (let alone pay $500 for) a device with a 25 cm screen, it needs to do a lot. At this point it does nothing more than my Palm TX does, and I carry that in my wallet!

Posted by ra in gadgets and phones at 14:52 | Comment (1) | Trackbacks (0)

I did it.
I am free.

The DSL line has stabilized and seems to be working quite well. They did have to knock down the download speed a bit to get it stable, but I can live with it for now.

So no more time warner cable for me. I called them up and canceled earlier today. Interestingly, the first time I called I was disconnected... or hung up on. I was transfered to the cancellations department and told the rep I wanted to cancel my service and he said "oh, I'm sorry... *CLICK!*" and I thought "hmmm... typical".

I raced over to give them their cable modem before they closed at the end of the day, so I have washed my hands of them completely.
I no longer have to deal with their stupid policies (eg. $50 extra for one static IP) and most satisfyingly, I never have to deal with their stupid fucked up billing system ever again.

Posted by ra in tech at 01:24 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)