PPPoE - constant problem (2nd time)

[Guest]

[bbertrand007]

Config - FTTH - Optical Net Term to ISP NAT Router using PPPoE, to EFW Router using PPPoE.  So both EFW and ISP's router get a separate public IP.  It is not an option to remove the vendor's router due to IP TV coming over the same connection.  And even so, this config has been working for 10 months w/o issue.

About 10 months ago, I shutdown because the weather looked bad and after about an hour, powered back up and EFW could not connect - PADO timeout errors.  Nothing I tried worked.  Rebooted in sequence ONT then ISP Router then EFW.  No go.  Then after 3 days of no connectivity, I booted EFW and it worked.  No changes on my end.

I've been running incident free, booting occasionally, over 10 months.  Four days ago, I shutdown due to some renovations.  Now I again am getting this error again.  100% of the time.  Can't activate my RED Link - PADO timeout errors.  FAIL.

What is causing this?  When I remove EFW and replace it with my previous LINKSYS router (again behind the ISP router which PPPoE's too) - in other words, the Linksys configured exactly the same as EFW, it PPPoE's w/o issue thru my ISP's router and connects (again my ISP's router has a Public IP Address for TV and my router has a Public IP Address), so the issue IS with EFW.   My Linksys router connects first and every time - no PADI/PADO errors.  So there is a bug in EFW and how, under very bizarre circumstances, it gets PADI/PADO connection problems.

This makes me leary - each time there is a power failure and the ISP Router, or ONT or ?  is recycled, I never know if the PADO error will again occur.  And there is nothing I am doing to cause it or to fix it.  As far as I know, tomorrow, I will reboot EFW and it will work.

What is causing this?  I'm more than happy to provide any logs, config data, whatever if anyone is interested in determining where the bug is.  I say bug because the Linksys never had this problem, whereas EFW does,  seemingly after an ISP router reboot.  As I've said, over the approx year, EFW has been rebooted maybe 15 times - no issue.  So all I can add is that it SEEMS that when the ISP router is rebooted, EFW sometimes has issues connecting via PPPoE with PADO timeout errors.

I had V3.0; I upgraded to V3.05BETA.  Same issue.

[bbertrand007]

I just tried IPFIRE - it has no issues with PADO errors.  So my LINKSYS router, and a PC running IPFIRE can PPPoE connect thru my ISP's Modem/Router without issue, but EFW can't under certain circumstances.  My GUESS would be that under some circumstances, the PPPoE connection process communicates data that EFW does not anticipate/understand and therefore times out.  This certainly seems to be a bug in EFW given that I have now tried a hardware device and a PC running someone else's UTM software and they can both PPPoE connect. 

[bbertrand007]

I realize this is the free support community, but there doesn't seem to be much in the way of support.  After using my cell for 4 days to connect to the Internet, which is costly, I've now cut over to IPFIRE.  It doesn't have this PPPoE bug that EFW has.  After 5 days, not one reply of assistance.  I simply can't be offline for weeks or months hoping that someone might offer some assistance.  Not saying the IPFIRE assistance will be any better, but a my hardware router, a LINKSYS, and IPFIRE can connect without issue via PPPoE, and EFW can't under some circumstances.  There is a major bug in EFW's PPPoE that both LINKSYS and IPFIRE do not have.  I offered to send logs - anything.  Not a word here.  This is not a "gee wouldn't it be nice if the user interface was skinnable" or "how about making this button the default" - no, this is about not being able to connect to the internet.  This I call a major bug.  I was curious the last time this happened - why my Linksys connected but EFW did not.  I thought it might have to do with a MAC address registered with my ISP.  But out of desperation, I tried a few other UTM's and they all worked.  Only EFW fails.  A UTM that can't connect to the Internet is something I can't afford, even if it is free.  But worse, absolutely no support.  Five days without a single reply.  Enough said.