LinuxQuestions.org - Problems with Internet Connection in Mandrake 10.0

I've posted this in the Networking Forum, but since I'm a Linux Newbie, I thought this might belong here as well.

Thanks

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I'm having some perplexing issues when connecting to the Internet using Verizon DSL in Mandrake 10.0, and I'm not sure why.

I've tried connecting using both DHCP and pppoe. The results are pretty much the same: on initially logging in, I am able to surf the Web for an unspecified period of time before – mysteriously – I am disconnected.

I have to reboot every time to get connected again, at which point the process starts all over again.

My NIC card (eth0) is connected directly to my Westell modem through a Hub (for a Windows XP home network).

When Linux boots, I usually get a FAILED message for "Bringing up interface eth0"; although, sometimes Linux recognizes the card. Either way, I'm still able to use the Internet for some period of time. Depending on how I set up the Internet connection, I either get a "Network Down" or "Connection Not Configured" message in KDE. Recently, it seems to have settled on "Connection Not Configured".

When I've assigned Primary and Secondary DNS settings in pppoe, I've used the settings that Verizon suggests on its Web site: 4.2.2.1 and 4.2.2.2, respectively. These get changed to other entries (which also vary, suggesting that they're dynamically assigned I guess).

Any help you can provide in diagnosing this would be greatly appreciated. I really want to use Linux for my everyday tasks, and use XP only when I have to.

:newbie: