[H-GEN] isp connection advice for temporary visitor

[Christopher Biggs]

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Serge Rey <rey at typhoon.sdsu.edu> moved upon the face of the 'Net and spake thusly:

> 
> i will be visiting uq for six months starting this july and am trying to
> research options for local internet access in brisbane.
> 
> i'd like to use a similar setup to what i have here in san diego, namely
> a local lan running through ipmasq, with a debian box as the gateway. i
> would appreciate any recommendations that could be passed along
> regarding linux friendly isps in the region, (dsl, cable, dialup are all
> options at this point).
> 
> i do have the possibility of renting a house that has an Optus
> connection, but couldn't find much information regarding linux on their
> website.

I use Optus cable and Unix.  (Both Linux and BSD, actually).

I'm happy with the service.  No dicking around with authentication
clients required.  No bandwidth charges.  There is a download limit
but even doing multiple network OS installs, I've never come close to
hitting it.

Their install "techs" know nothing about unix (and damn little about
anything else), so you must have a windows box present for the install
so they can verify it works and give you your username etc.

Installation fee includes a cable modem and ethernet card.  So tell
them you have a laptop and get a free PCMCIA ethercard!  If you don't
need it, send it my way. :-)

Seriously, Optus are happy for you to use linux---one of their bigwigs
was interviewed by the Sydney Linux Users' Group and was specifically
asked about Optus cable and Linux.  Unlike telstra they do not
prohibit LANs, although you'll be on your own for config assistance
(their newsgroups are full of linux people helping each other out with
lan setup).

They *do* port-scan their customers looking for unauthorized web
servers and other TOS violations, so make sure you block off all
external services.

--cjb

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