[c-nsp] PPPOE pass through Cisco Routers

[Mike]

On 03/20/2012 05:07 AM, Cipriano Montero, Infostock wrote:
>
>
> As an environment as Wireless ISP, we are trying to deliver PPPOE
> connections to our clients, in a routed network. So, our first problem is to
> pass through PPPoE protocol over one or several cisco routers. Could
> somebody help us with this task?
>

This isn't the cisco answer you are looking for, however....

	PPPoE is a layer 2 protocol, and it (normally) requires that your 
clients are in the same broadcast domain as your PPPoE termination 
device (eg: plugged into the same switch for example). So, in a routed 
network, there won't normally be a layer 2 path here since you've got 
vlan's and / or routers connecting your network segments.
	
	One choice could be to use a PPPoE relay agent. This would have a 
router listen on some interface for PPPoE frames and then relay them to 
another interface where your PPPoE server is residing. This works for 1 
hop when you have clients on one interface and the server is on another, 
but I don't think you want to try extending it beyond 1 hop.

	Another choice - and the one I myself use - is to create a layer 2 vpn. 
I know there are cisco mpls solutions for this which someone else can 
comment on. I happen to use an opensource package called OpenVPN and 
it's stable and reliable. Effectively you'd have two boxes - one out in 
your network facing your wireless customers, and then another near your 
PPPoE server, and there would be a tunnel built on UDP that the traffic 
would pass thru. MTU isn't really a problem although if you have jumbo 
frame support internally it would reduce your packet fragmentation.

Good luck.

Mike-