This section contains an example of a PPPoE tunnel, which is used as an illustration for the tasks in Chapter 20, Setting Up a PPPoE Tunnel (Tasks). Though the illustration shows all participants in the tunnel, you only administer one end, either the client side or server side.
In the sample, MiddleCo wants to provide its employees with high-speed Internet access. MiddleCo buys a DSL package from Phone East, which, in turn, contracts with service provider Far ISP. Far ISP offers Internet and other IP services to customers who buy DSL from Phone East.
MiddleCo buys a package from Phone East that provides one DSL line for the site. The package includes a dedicated, authenticated connection to the ISP for MiddleCo's PPPoE clients. The system administrator cables the prospective PPPoE clients to a hub. Technicians from Phone East cable the hub to their DSL equipment.
To implement the business arrangement FarISP has with Phone East, the system administrator at FarISP configures the access server dslserve. This server has the following four interfaces:
eri0 – Primary network interface that connects to the local network
hme0 – Interface through which FarISP provides Internet service for its customers
hme1 – Interface contracted by MiddleCo for authenticated PPPoE tunnels
hme2 – Interface contracted by other customers for their PPPoE tunnels