Connecting a Fedora box to DSL?

Question

I have a few questions about DSL.

About myself:

I have an fc8 machine and have been connecting my machine to a LAN that is run by my school. I am going to apply for a DSL plan when I move to my new place. This is the first time I am connecting my machine to DSL.

1. I have read some tutorials on the net and configuring a linux box seems pretty simple, but are there differences between providers in terms of ease of configuration? For example, AT&T seems to support only Windows or Mac. Has anybody had experience running into trouble?

2. I will be logging in to my computer at home from school and using my home computer for development (gcc, ddd, gdb or applications such as Eclipse). How much bandwidth would be sufficient? I am pretty sure downstream speed would be fast enough for any plan, but I have no idea how fast the upstream speed should be.

Answer 1

Connecting to DSL and LAN isn't that different if you get the right ISP.  Most ISPs provide a DSL modem which means you will get an ethernet connection to connect your computer to.  A better option is to get a broadband gateway/router which can allow multiple computers to use your DSL connection.  The main issue you will run into is if the ISP uses PPPoE.  Some providers still use PPPoE to authenticate and assign IP addresses.  But all is not lost.  There are plenty of how-to documents on line for linux PPPoE if you don't want to get a router.  Most routers made for broadband access can do PPPoE but best to double check the specs.

For your second question about connecting to your home computer from school, there may be some issues other than bandwidth.  Mainly, dynamic vs. static IP addresses.  Most home service options for aDSL is dynamic which means the IP address can potentially change over time.  This makes it difficult to provide a remote accessible server since you have to know the ip address that you have at the moment you want to connect.  Typically, your address wont change much if you leave your computer running but there is not guarantees.  Look into dynamic dns if you want to run a server on an dynamic ip connection.  If you have the option and can afford it, get the static ip address.  It will simplify things greatly if you want to access your machines remotely.