But...not as sick as my computer's capabilities at this point. I went into my User's 'LQ' and realized I hadn't changed my email address. I'm still not sure it's right, as the response to my clicking 'Save' was some disagreement that I had passed all the correct gates. Just don't know. It's getting a little bit wearisome.

Anyway, as much as I feel the love here, I really have my doubts that I'm going to meet with any amount of success. What I really pine for is a hands-on, one-on-one, 'lemme show you how this works...' tutorial into the depth, breadth, and belchings of linux. I've dabbled at it for, literally, years...and admittedly haven't given it the slavish, novitate type of devotion and energy that I'm sure would reap rewards, but I just seem to be adrift, and would love to see the power of linux, demonstrated live in the comfort of my home. That's a concept I really can't see me producing, here, alone, at my little workstation, without so much as a concept of where to go next.

Besides, if someone with a little knowledge could actually get this d**d thing to kick start <once and for all> back up to the state where I at least had it with Earthlink, I would be eternally grateful.

Please keep the concept of a visit-for-profit alive...once you are on the mend.

Lowell T.

http://mandrivausers.org/index.php?showtopic=35816

Give that a shot, dude. . .

Hm. That is weird.

Have you looked in your logs to see if your DHCP client is leaving any clues? There might be something in /var/log/messages, /var/log/syslog or the dmesg output.

Also, do you have any confirmation that your NIC is actually working? What does ifconfig show?

Have you considered just circumventing the problem entirely and spending $30-50.00 on a broadband router ? let the router handle the connection to comcast, then all you need worry about is your PC's connection to the router. It can really save you alot of grief in the long run, plus it gives you a bit of additional security..

Nadda. Nice try. Happened to have a Linksys BEFSR41 sitting around (that's because it had already failed its' purpose once before-while still with Earthlink). I hooked it up (Comcast cable to RCA modem-RC45 cable out to Linksys-RC45 cable from Linksys over to computer), and predictably, I not only didn't get service on linux side, but also lost service on Windows side. I'm now back onto a direct link-cable thru modem to computer.

However, there WAS one interesting side effect. For the first time thru this somewhat disheartening cycle of "let's try this...no? ok, how 'bout that...no? ok" the eth1 actually created a connection on the linux side. Not that it did any good-I still was unable to log in to the internet, but it's the first time I did not see FAILED while watching the verbose linux login, when it came to the ethernet connections. (Just because I created a more complex connection that included a router-that otherwise provides nothing?-think you could shed some light on THAT phenomenom?)

Your second question...first. Well, yes, my NIC card is working, or I wouldn't be communicating here now.

The first question. There well might be something in one of the files you mention that's of interest. But certainly not to me. I see thousands of lines of gobbledy-gook. What COULD any of it possibly mean to me? Could I share some of the output with someone. Yes. Someone could tell me what they were looking for and I could comply with the correct output lines.

Actually, I think this is getting far too complicated. Here's a little background. Until two weeks ago, I was connected to the internet thru Earthlink, and was able to surf around unimpeded on two computers: This one, dual-booting with XP and Mandrake 10.1, connected quickly to the internet from either OS; the other box, running exclusively Mandrake 10.1, connecting effortlessly the first time I booted it up and ran it thru the swithbox/modem. All worked. Two weeks ago, I decided I'd had enough of Earthlink's shoddy service, disconnected them, and invited Comcast in. The tech guy sat at my desk for an hour last Sunday doing his incantations (on the Windows side) and soon I was back up on the internet. When he left I booted up into linux, went for the internet, and got...nothing.

Note that nowhere in here did I change any code in linux. Nor did I go into the case and alter, disconnect, ripout, change, or otherwise molest any hardware. The same stuff, in the same slots, is where it was before, during, and after the transition. BEFORE, it worked. AFTER, it does not (in linux). Intuitively, there is a software incompatability between Mandrake 10.1 and Comcast. It seems that simple. Somewhere (it seems to me) there is a simple connection tweak that will work.

My very first post in this thread detailed a query to 'ifconfig'.

So did you try cloning the MAC address of your windows machine into the router ?

Gotta hit the grocery store before 10:00 p.m. But...this is intriguing; and absolutly foreign to me. What I did, quickly, was find, and save to my 'Favorites' a treatise on cloning. When I get back I'll dig into it (on quick read it seems pretty good) do all the 'right' stuff, and get back to you on results. Thanks for hanging in there with this.

LT

There are two VERY different MAC addresses reported; one for Windows...the other for linux. Which one should I clone in?

(BTW, I wasn't able to get past the 'Enter password, default is admin' thing while trying to format the router. Any thoughts?)

This suggests to me that you've having a real basic problem with Comcast. I've been using Linksys routers for years without a problem, and in fact my current router actually runs Linux.

Since Windows can connect to Comcast, I'd use that one. However, I haven't had to clone MAC addresses on my routers for a long, long time. I just installed a new router a month ago (also a Linksys, a WRT54GL), and I went through the process I described a few posts back (pull the plug on EVERYTHING and then power up starting with the cable modem) and the router pulled an IP address from Comcast without a hitch.

This may seem like a side trip, but getting into the router may actually make things easier in the long run. Linksys routers all have a reset button that resets the factory defaults. If you don't have the user manual handy, the Linksys site will certainly have a copy and that should have the default username and password.

Yeah, logs are a pain, but sometimes you just gotta suck it up and take the hit. Log files are invaluable because they can frequently tell you what is going on. To make your life a little easier with log file, become familiar with the grep command. It was built for stuff like this. If you run some of the following, you might get some clues:

grep dhcp /var/log/messages
dmesg | grep dhcp
grep eth /var/log/syslog

Of course try some other terms and run all terms on both log files and the dmesg output.

This is great help. What is occuring (at my end) is a plunge into learning some bash as well as winning this latest battle. I learned [from the internet] that DSL is sort of a glorified dial-up, in that both require login of username and password, whereas cable is [IP-I think?!] based, so the MAC address is its' lynch pin. Interesting. Which is why I am OK with the idea that cloning has its' merits. Yes, I did pull the plug on all at one point, and then (from behind a curtain) 'threw the switch'. Nadda.

Coupla points I wanna make here. I'm quite confident that your advice exhibits a depth of knowledge, and a keen desire to help pull this thru, but...what really gives me a warm and fuzzy? Anybody who would lay their inner soul bare to the world by quoting Gary Larson is a truly grand person! Secondly, We both live in Maryland...wanna think about s live one-on-one 'crash' course? I'm at a point I gotta do something to get off dead center with this linux thing. Went to a local LUG meeting a while back. Uhmm...don't get me started on that 'experience'.

Let me just echo what hangdog42 has already stated. I run into the problem you describe all the time with Cable Modems.

I send Cisco 871 routers and IP phones home for tele-commuting employees all the time. I include some connection instructions that basically mirror what hangdog has already posted with the addition of step 0. In my instructions, the linux computer is replaced with the Cisco 871 router.

0) Using windows box, issue: ipconfig /release
1) Unplug your cable modem
2) Plug your Linux computer (with the power off) into the cable modem
3) Power up the cable modem and let it run through its setup
4) Turn on your Linux computer and let it boot

With one exception, the above has always worked in getting the cisco 871 router online with the cable company. With the one exception, I had to clone the MAC address of the employees linksys appliance.

FYI: Below is a troubleshooting section from cisco's website that explains what might be happening in your case. Its cisco specific, but it does explain what I have found to be true with how cable ISP's are configuring their end.
CM=Cable Modem, CMTS=Cable Modem Termination System

Troubleshoot (from cisco.com)
When the router is connected behind the CM, the first problem that might occur is not obtaining an IP address dynamically on the Ethernet interface of the router. Most ISPs allow only one host or PC behind the CM. Some ISPs assign an IP address to the PC based on the host name. Therefore, if you have a router behind the CM, then the host name for the router configured using the hostname command should be the same host name given by the ISP.

If the router is not obtaining an IP address dynamically, the first thing to check is if the interface configuration command ip address dhcp exists. This command is under the Ethernet interface connected to the CM. The command was introduced in IOS software release 12.1(2)T.

If the ip address dhcp command exists, but the router behind the CM is still not obtaining an IP address, connect a PC behind the CM to detect if it is receiving an IP address. This verifies that DHCP services are working properly. ISPs typically allow only one host behind the CM, therefore connecting a PC behind the CM counts as the first host. This entry remains in the ISP database for 24 hours. Consequently, if you connect the router behind the CM, the ISP thinks that the router is a second host and rejects it. If this occurs, release the IP address of your PC by completing these steps on your Windows 2000 PC:

From the start Menu choose Run.

Type cmd then press carriage return.

At the prompt, type ipconfig/release.

After releasing the IP address of the PC, reboot your CM and try again.

If this does not work, you need to call your ISP and ask them to clear the first host entry on their CMTS.

Another method is to configure the Ethernet interface of the router. This connects to the CM with the MAC address of the PC using the command mac-address ieee-address.

By using the same MAC address on the Ethernet interface that connects to the CM as the PC, the ISP only learns about one host and one IP address. The PC does not get rejected once connected behind the router. NAT has to be configured on the router to accept IP address translations.

...make that TWO exceptions. Nothing worked. Did all as you described it. Again, the boot into linux is successful and activated eth1. For example, this line from /var/log/sylslog:

...ifplugd(eth1)[2951]: Initialization complete, link beat detected.

I have tried (even after unplugging/replugging and resetting-for 30 seconds +-) to format my router by using the wizard I have (accompanying CD). I can't get passed the password. It wants the default 'admin', but it won't accept it and cycles at that point. I'm only a coupla steps away (at that point) from reaching the cloning option.

What now?

*(Any fan of 'Taxi' would understand...)

Folks, this pace is gonna back off a little, while the retched reality of the work week looms. I've even hadda spend a lot of my Sunday afternoon working out where the new bridge pilings go once we finish tearing out the old concrete relic (c. 1933) on Big Falls Road.

But, pleaaase, don't anybody give up and go away. Hang with me while I work this all out. Looks like I'm gonna do a lot of learning on a lot of fronts, and I'm really greatful to all the knowledgable folks who are walkin' the path with me.

Now, sshhh! quiet...I'm busing on the CAD drawings!

LT