posted 20 years ago
Hi Marilyn,
how many computers (MAC addresses) does your provider allow? I'm allowed 4, but because these MAC addresses get entered into some cache or table on the provider side, I cannot disconnect one computer and add another once I have exceeded a running total of 4 MAC Addresses.
What I mean is: suppose I had at some time connected different computers/filewalls/active-hubs A, B, C, D not necessarily at the same time. (I was playing with different configurations first two or three computers, then a fourth connection sharing box, then a active hub, then a filewall.)
Then I had filled up this cache thing. If I then tried to connect a new computer E (even if it was the only one connected) the connection was refused.
There is no timeout where a MAC address is deleted from the cache if it has not been seen for a while.
The provider has to reinitialize on his side to clear this cache and that can take a week of waiting.
-Barry
[ April 26, 2003: Message edited by: Barry Gaunt ]