DHCP Server on an Wireless Bridge

[Eric Helm]

Vincent,

Which company do you work with that is using the Motorola Canopy gear? 
How many subscribers do you have currently?
I used to be employed with a company that primarily used Motorola Canopy 
gear for Wireless Internet access. I now do consulting work with them. I 
have been told that Motorola is looking at supporting DHCP Option 82 
from the SM and/or AP to identify subscribers via DHCP better.

/Eric

Vincent Arniego wrote:
>> [va] 
> This 
> is 
> the 
> equipment, 
> it 
> can 
> be 
> a 
> bridge 
> or 
> an 
> access 
> point.
>> <http://motorola.canopywireless.com/products/advantage/>http://motorola.canopywireless.com/products/advantage/
> 
> Interesting
> 
>>  
>> Have 
> you 
> contacted 
> the 
> vendor 
> to 
> see 
> if 
> this 
> "feature" 
> can 
> be 
> turned
>>  
>> off 
> and 
> the 
> device 
> made 
> into 
> a 
> real 
> bridge 
> ?
> 
>> [va] 
> Actually, 
> we 
> asked 
> the 
> vendor 
> to 
> make 
> this 
> as 
> it 
> is 
> a 
> translated 
> bridge.
>> We 
> are 
> currently 
> serving 
> around 
> 300K 
> subs 
> as 
> of 
> today, 
> and 
> not 
>> making 
> it 
> translated 
> will 
> be
>> an 
> inventory 
> nightmare. 
> Somehow 
> by 
> translating 
> the 
> layer 
> 2 
> mac 
> of 
>> the 
> device, 
> we 
> are 
> able 
> to 
> determine 
> which 
> antennas 
> are 
> still 
>> active. 
> Oh 
> yeah, 
> why 
> not 
> use 
> the 
> uniqueness 
> of 
> the 
> PC 
> mac? 
> Because 
>> its 
> not 
> unique.
>> There 
> are 
> NIC's 
> that 
> somehow 
> have 
> the 
> same 
> MAC. 
> And 
> that's 
> the 
> same 
>> reason, 
> why 
> I 
> would 
> like 
> to 
> use 
> the 
> bridge's 
> MAC 
> as 
> DHCP 
> lease 
> basis.
> 
> May 
> I 
> suggest 
> you 
> have 
> your 
> priorities 
> the 
> wrong 
> way 
> round 
> ? 
> It 
> sounds 
> like 
> you 
> are 
> deliberately 
> breaking 
> stuff 
> and 
> then 
> complaining 
> when 
> other 
> stuff 
> doesn't 
> work 
> !
> 
> [va] I'm not complaining that DHCP doesn't work. I know that DHCP just reads the CHADDR instead of the mac in the ethernet header. I'm just asking if there's some other way to get that MAC and do something with DHCP to do that. And I think that's already answered -- NO.
> 
> Duplicate 
> MACs 
> - 
> yes 
> it 
> happens 
> (rarely), 
> so 
> track 
> down 
> the 
> subscriber(s) 
> and 
> have 
> them 
> fix 
> their 
> kit. 
> Not 
> sure 
> who 
> they 
> are 
> (you 
> SHOULD 
> know) 
> then 
> just 
> block 
> that 
> MAC 
> and 
> wait 
> till 
> they 
> ring 
> you 
> !
> 
> [va] they would ring, but I dont want to hear a 'ringer' at the end.
> I do hope you read about stupid customers at some tech support jokes site,
> there are subs here that are worst than that. Most subs here just want their connection fixed, without them doing anything. But rest assured there are separate efforts to curb that problem -- not my own effort.
> Oh yeah, I have to disagree with the rarely happening duplicate MACs, we have a single mac with over 200 subs having it.
> 
> And 
> as 
> for 
> monitoring 
> base 
> station 
> usage 
> - 
> try 
> management 
> tools. 
> I'd 
> be 
> REALLY 
> surprised 
> if 
> these 
> units 
> don't 
> have 
> some 
> very 
> useful 
> values 
> available 
> by 
> SNMP, 
> I'd 
> be 
> even 
> more 
> surprised 
> if 
> one 
> of 
> these 
> didn't 
> allow 
> you 
> to 
> monitor 
> number 
> of 
> users. 
> In 
> a 
> situation 
> like 
> that, 
> I'd 
> be 
> looking 
> to 
> collect 
> and 
> store 
> that 
> information 
> as 
> part 
> of 
> the 
> management 
> process 
> (look 
> at 
> graph, 
> see 
> number 
> of 
> subscribers 
> going 
> up, 
> alert 
> management 
> that 
> a 
> base 
> is 
> heading 
> for 
> overload 
> - 
> for 
> example).
> 
> [va] yeah we have snmp but just trust me that its very very challenging task to monitor the subs when the MAC is not translated.
> 
>> Can 
> you 
> put 
> a 
> relay 
> device 
> behind 
> the 
> bridge 
> and 
> use 
> that 
> to 
> forward
>> the 
> dhcp 
> requests? 
> For 
> example, 
> using 
> a 
> router 
> or 
> a 
> computer 
> running
>> dhcrelay? 
> Can 
> the 
> "bridge" 
> function 
> as 
> a 
> dhcp 
> relay? 
> Can 
> you 
> tell 
> us
>> what 
> vendor/model 
> the 
> "bridge" 
> is?
>> [va] 
> Motorola 
> Canopy, 
> option 
> 82 
> is 
> not 
> yet 
> built 
> in, 
> but 
> we 
> might 
>> ask 
> them 
> to 
> include 
> it.
> 
> That 
> wasn't 
> the 
> question 
> ! 
> But 
> now 
> we 
> see 
> what 
> the 
> bridge 
> is 
> doing, 
> we 
> can 
> see 
> that 
> the 
> answer 
> is 
> no.
> 
> [va] Hopefully its not. I do hope they do have some kind.
> 
> OK, 
> supplementary 
> question 
> - 
> how 
> do 
> you 
> identify 
> subscribers 
> ? 
> As 
> in, 
> how 
> do 
> you 
> admit 
> only 
> those 
> people 
> that 
> are 
> paying 
> you 
> for 
> (or 
> are 
> authorised 
> to 
> use) 
> the 
> service 
> ?
> 
> [va] We developed an in-house system. So far so good, except on that duplicate mac though.
> 
> [va] Anyhow I think I got my answer already. Thanks everyone.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>       ____________________________________________________________________________________
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