PPPoE Consumers

As system administrator, you might assist consumers with their PPPoE configurations. One common type of PPPoE consumer is an individual who needs to run PPPoE over a DSL line. Another PPPoE consumer is a company that purchases a DSL line through which employees can run PPPoE tunnels, as illustrated in the previous figure.

The main reason for a corporate consumer to use PPPoE is to offer PPP communications through a high-speed DSL device to a number of hosts. Often a single PPPoE client has an individual DSL modem. Or, a group of clients that are connected to a hub might share a DSL modem that is also connected to the hub by an Ethernet line.

DSL devices are technically bridges, not modems. However, because common practice is to refer to these devices as modems, this guide uses the term “DSL modem.”

When PPPoE runs, it runs PPP over a tunnel on the Ethernet line that is connected to the DSL modem. That line is connected to a splitter, which, in turn connects to a telephone line.