How to configure wireless and PPPoE at the same time

[Radissthor]

I'm using Ubuntu Jaunty in a DELL laptop and I have no problem connecting to wireless. The network manager is up and running in that sense.

My problem started when I had to configure a PPPoE connection in another house that also has to be connected to a wireless connection in order to work. So each time I turned the computer on it would automatically connect to the wireless and I had to run

sudo pppoeconf

It worked fine and I would be connected to both, the wireless and the PPPoE. But when I reboot my computer the wireless would be completely dead and even if I run the pppoeconf, it just wouldn't connect.

I finally learned, thanks to help provided in the forums, that to restore the wireless I had to edit /etc/network/interfaces to be:

auto lo
iface lo inet loopback


#auto dsl-provider
#iface dsl-provider inet ppp
#pre-up /sbin/ifconfig/eth1 up # line maintained by pppoeconf

#auto eth1
#iface eth1 inet manual

I then had to reboot and the computer and wireless would be working again...

So the questions is: Is there any way I could configure the laptop to connect to both wireless and PPPoE automatically without having to go through this whole process?
Thanks for reading such a long post, I appreciate any comments or help you may provide. Thanks!

[Radissthor]

Well... It's been 10 hours without a reply, so I'm posting again... any help?

[Onesimus]

You need to have a bit more patience with people on the forums. Everyone is a volunteer.

You might want to explain why you would want to connect to the wireless and the pppoe simultaneously, or perhaps you haven't explained yourself fully.

How about giving you system spec, then people may be able to assist you in a more focussed way.

[Radissthor]

Thanks for the reply Onesimus.

Well, I didn't give any more system spec because I thought saying what computer I had and what Ubuntu system I'm running was enough. Excuse my ignorance, but I'm really new in Ubuntu and totally dependent on help provided in the forums (which so far has been really great and I appreciate that! )

I'm trying to connect to both because, for some reason, the house in which I do this hired a wireless service and when the company sent a guy to install the router, he said it wouldn't be enough with just the wireless, so he also added a PPPoE connection (I don't know if this makes sense, it's just what I was told they were told :S) so that's why people there have to connect to both. The wireless always connects automatically, and the PPPoE has, in Windows, to be initiated manually by clicking on a connect icon in the desktop.

I once called the technical service of this house internet provider, but when I told them I was using Linux they said they didn't provided assistance to Linux users... and that was it...

I don't know what else I could say. If anyone feels that with some more information they could be able to help me, please just ask. I'll be checking this thread permanently.

Many thanks!

[Iowan]

If you need both at the same time, one (or the other) will probably need to be set up via /etc/network/interfaces. NM can (probably) be set to handle either one... but not both at the same time.

[Radissthor]

If you need both at the same time, one (or the other) will probably need to be set up via /etc/network/interfaces.+

That's precisely what I do, I reconfigure /etc/network/interfaces and reboot every time.

NM can (probably) be set to handle either one...

What is the NM?

but not both at the same time.

So how come it cannot be done. If I'm not mistaken, Windows could.

[ant2ne]

hired a wireless service and when the company sent a guy to install the router, he said it wouldn't be enough with just the wireless, so he also added a PPPoE connection (I don't know if this makes sense, it's just what I was told they were told :S) so that's why people there have to connect to both. The wireless always connects automatically, and the PPPoE has, in Windows, to be initiated manually by clicking on a connect icon in the desktop.

this doesn't make sense.

From the wiki.

The Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet (PPPoE) is a network protocol for encapsulating Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) frames inside Ethernet frames. It is used mainly with DSL services where individual users connect to the DSL modem over Ethernet and in plain Metro Ethernet networks. It was developed by UUNET, Redback Networks, and RouterWare and is available as an informational RFC 2516.

Unless... the ISP installed their custom (closed) WAP that then limits the number of client devices that can connect.

Otherwise, I'm kind of confused.

[Radissthor]

t
Unless... the ISP installed their custom (closed) WAP that then limits the number of client devices that can connect.

Otherwise, I'm kind of confused.

I think it is very probable that that is the case. I'll check anyway, but if it is (which I think) what could be done?

[ant2ne]

what could be done?

scrap the custom closed box for a store bought WAP. You'll have to go through the MAC spoof steps and do a little configuring, but then you'll have a real WAP.

[Radissthor]

scrap the custom closed box for a store bought WAP. You'll have to go through the MAC spoof steps and do a little configuring, but then you'll have a real WAP.

Thanks for the advice, but I'm afraid I do not understand what it is I have to do. Could you be a bit more explicit, keeping in mind my knowledge of Computers is quite limited.
Thanks