PPPoE ADSL connection support during FTP installation with floppies

[Rostislav Krasny]

Hi.

As you know FreeBSD supports many ways of installation. It can be installed
from a local storage medium, such as CD or hard disk. It can also be
installed from a network. For example it can be installed from remote FTP
or NFS server. But network installation needs a Data Link layer support,
such as Ethernet, SLIP or PPP. FreeBSD supports the PPP protocol for analog
modems, connected to a serial communication port. But today such analog
modems are little used in general and practically are unusable for FreeBSD
installation. Instead of slow analog modems people are moving to xDSL and
DOCSIS (cable) connection with their Internet providers. They are still
using modems, but high-speed digital modems.

Most of the ADSL modems can be accessed by the PPPoE protocol. FreeBSD 4.x
have an unofficial method of installation from FTP server over a PPPoE
connection. I used this method many times and whereas it is unofficial and
tricky, I found it handy and useful. I didn't download ISO images but only
the floppies images, and during the FTP installation I've download only
actually installed parts of the system and of the packages collection.
Unfortunately FreeBSD 5.x (at least the upcoming 5.3) have no way of
installation over the PPPoE connection. Is it possibly to recover the FTP
installation method over PPPoE and make it official and not so tricky in
the sysinstall(8) at the future 5.4 or 6.0 versions of FreeBSD?


		
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