Cheers, have emailed the output file.

I just pulled the 2011ils-in out (it has older firmware) and reset it's configuration and set it up from scratch.

It too won't establish a connection.

The Ethernet interface is 1512, VLAN 1508 (with 10 tagging) and PPPoE client set to MTU/MRRU 1500 (which makes Mikrotik set the max payload info as 1500).

Reverting to defaults (1500MTU on interfaces) and using the defaults for PPPoE client it still won't connect either, which would normally connect at 1492 or 1450 or whatever the default usually is.

I was thinking firmware bug on the 750GL that I always use and leave alone, but that doesn't explain the 2011ils-in or 951ui-2hnd refusing to work too. The 951 has new (current) firmware, the 2011 older. The 750GL has the bugfix only release.

If I plug the Huawei in... it's away and laughing. Unfortunately, I can not set port mapping to IP address on the Huawei, only to MAC address which is no good to me due to my config.

This really has me stuck, but I've gone over this on all three routers and all three refuse to establish a PPPoE. Unless the older firmware on the 2011 is buggy too.

Keen to know more about the cause also.

Here is also a thread with similar symptoms but on ADSL with third party Draytek modem/router, ISP provided modem/router connects but not third party CPE.

https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=82&topicid=214605 

In the olden days Telecom Wholesale would proxy PPP requests for authentication purposes and there would be rate limits etc. but nowadays with Ethernet/EUBA traffic takes a direct path into the terminating ISP. Also Orcon and Spark to my knowledge both use Alcatel-Lucent BNG routers so something in common.

Hi Gavin,

Thanks for the packet capture.  Yes your analysis was correct - for some reason your router was insistent on requesting IP address: 172.16.0.254, which our BNG was rejecting.  The BNG was then suggesting (via the NAK) that it request your static IP, but your router was refusing to do that.  Your router eventually gives up requesting an Ip address, and just requests the DNS servers, which our BNG rejects as it does not contain an IP address for your end of the PPP link.

The BNG is behaving correctly.  Why your router is behaving this way I have no idea.

I find it odd that the connection came up at 1:45 on the Mikrotek (with your static IP).  Good, but odd. Without seeing a packet capture of why it is now working, I would not like to speculate on what has changed.  Certainly we have made no changes at our end.

I see you've reverted back to the Huawei router now?

Dave.

Thanks beyond gratitude for your time Dave.

I did use the Huawei one point before I went to work last night. I haven't used it since last night though.

I've updated the 2011ils-in - it's working and reconnecting (it's now updated to the same firmware the 750GL was on) so I'll leave it as that and bin the 750GL.

I tried a software config reset (including hard reset button reset) and finally a firmware downgrade on the 750GL. It still wasn't having a bar of it - then it was iffy trying to connect to it by MAC to set it back up again, so it's R.I.P. for it. After the ONT reboot (which would have just re-started the ethernet interface the PPPoE was on yet again) it came right but I don't trust it.

It was a good time to test my MF910 hotspot as a backup for fetching news bulletins. The only thing I ran in to with it was the IP range can't be changed, and was on the same as the one between the Production PC and On-Air computer. The On-Air isn't connected to the general LAN or Spark Fibre, it's a seperate secured segment and the MF910 doesn't allow you to change IP range so a quick change of the On-Air segment fixed this.

At least it all happened at once, so it's stressed tested everything.

Cheers,

Gavin.

edit: and now I know what packet capture and Wireshark is all about :) Very handy.