Chapter 30. PPPoE or PPP over Ethernet

This document does not currently cover PPoE as it appears to NOT (for Linux anyway) be under active development. For those who have interest or need of PPPoE we do include the following links.

We have heard rumors that the 2.4 series of kernels will have PPoE but we are unable to confirm this at this time. If you know differently please contact us.

• pppoe: a PPP-over-Ethernet redirector for pppd

  This program can be used to enable PPPoE support using the pppd daemon. PPPoE is a technique for the encapsulation of PPP streams inside of Ethernet frames. This technology is being deployed by high-speed Internet access providers (cable modems, xDSL, etc.) in order to decouple the supply of bandwidth from ISP services. In particular, in Canada, the Bell Sympatico ADSL service is moving from DHCP-based access control to PPPoE. Further details on PPPoE can be found in RFC2516.

• Roaring Penguin PPoE Client.

  The client is a user-mode program and does not require any kernel modifications. It is fully compliant with RFC 2516, the official PPPoE specification.

• A PPoE FAQ Page. This page includes comprehensive information on what PPoE is, what it is used for, and implementations of the protocol. If you are looking for a good all around resource on PPoE this is an excellent page to start with.

• The actual RFC. This is for the technically minded only and usually only of help to those wishing to program with or for the protocol.