Sky's MER and why it does not work with other routers

[mrmt32]

MER is now working
Some users have now confirmed that they have connected with MER and have successfuly obtained an IP. The method used varies between routers; I have added a page at MER - PH-Mb Wiki which lists some of them (If you have any success with any other routers, please feel free to add the method you used to that page).

Thanks to everyone who helped to figure this out (and to Billion for actually implementing it)!

Working Routers:

• Billion BiPAC 7800N
  Billion have released a beta firmware for the BiPAC 7800N with support for the DHCP options required to connect to Sky via MER, it can be obtained from Billion UK Forum • View topic - BiPAC 7800N beta firmware for SKY (1483MER) NOW WORKING!.
  
• Netgear DG834
  Requires using Telnet, and does not persist across reboots (Sky's MER and why it does not work with other routers).
  
• DG834v4 with DGTeam 848 Firmware
  Same as above (Sky's MER and why it does not work with other routers).
  
• Routers running Tomato Firmware
  
• Routers running DD-WRT Firmware

Further instructions available at MER - PH-Mb Wiki.

Original Message:

Over at Sagam F@st 2504 Username Password raz0r managed to find his sky username and password in the command line for dhcpc (the dhcp client application). When connected using MER dhcpc is used to obtain an IP address from the sky servers, usually this would never require any kind of password.

People have been having trouble getting MER to work with third party routers, the router would never obtain an IP address (using a previously allocated ip from a sky router, DeeJayDee did however managed to get it to work until an ip change). Now this is what I think is happening:

In a DHCP request the client (in this case the router) will send an identification string to the DHCP server. This string is usually the client's MAC address. On the sky routers this string has been overridden (using dhcpc's -d switch). This string now contains the current firmware version, the hardware serial, the string "skysg2", another hardware serial and most importantly the PPP username and password. If a third party router can be made to mimic this (I am not sure if any routers provide a way of setting this string?), Sky's MER implementation would work.

I do not yet know the exact format of the string (it starts with firmwareversion|2ndHardwareSerial|skysg2|1stHardwa reSerial), if someone with sky router tool installed could check the full command line on a 2504 (see Sagam F@st 2504 Username Password) and pm me it, I could work it out completely (I am still on PPPoA so cannot see this on my own router).

[Isitme]

Come on all you Sagem 2504 moaners, sorry users, send the info to MRMT so he can help you out.

[dragon2611]

The manpage I was reading (Manpage of dhcpcd) seems to suggest that -d is for logging debug output

My Sky BB goes live next week and I haven't got the router yet so don't know which model it will be, however I'd prefer to use a Modem that I can bridge so I can have my SKY assigned IP on my Routerboard.

I'm prepared to double NAT if I really have to but I'd like to avoid it if I can, Not removing the RB either as It's also doing the routing for Both my DSL lines. (One's migrating from Murphx to Sky)

Anyway If I end up on MER and am able to get access to the sky router using one of the tools available then I'm happy to provide any assistance I can in getting the required info

[Lucose]

You will definitely be on MER, with the Sagemcom 2504n. In most cases though, you can extract/generate your PPPoA password and connect that way (for now).

However, in my own case, I prefer not to be on PPPoA because Sky have essentially deprecated it on their network and if problems occur I'd automatically place it down to this! And of course you'd break the T&C, not that it especially bothers Sky.

So yeah, MER continues to be a thorn in my side.

[Isitme]

I prefer not to be on PPPoA because Sky have essentially deprecated it on their network

How do you work this out?

[Lucose]

Sky have been switching customers from PPPoA to MER for a long time now. PPPoA is the old protocol, MER the new protocol, hence PPPoA is being deprecated.

[jamesworts]

I would love to give you the info but i have a 2504n, and from what i can see it isnt supported by router tool

Any other ideas how I can get my DGN1000 to work on my MER line?

Thnks

[dragon2611]

This line of the config backup caught my eye

Layer3Config>?serviceId=0&amp;wanL2IfName=0_0_40&a mp;enblEnetWan=0&amp;ntwkPrtcl=2&amp;serviceName=i poe_0_0_40&amp;enblDhcpClnt=1&amp;dhcpcOp60VID=&am p;dhcpcOp61IAID=&amp;dhcpcOp61DUID=&amp;dhcpcOp125 Enabled=0&amp;enblNat=1&amp;enblFullcone=0&amp;enb lFirewall=1&amp;enblIgmp=0&amp;enblMld=0&amp;defau ltGatewayList=atm0&amp;dnsIfcsList=atm0&amp;dnsPri mary=0.0.0.0&amp;dnsSecondary=0.0.0.0&amp;dnsRefre sh=0</Layer3Config>

I think it's using DHCP option 60 and 61 to pass some kind of authentication not sure about optiion 125

[mrmt32]

The manpage I was reading (Manpage of dhcpcd) seems to suggest that -d is for logging debug output

This is dhcpc (client), not dhcpd (server), but you are right about -d not being what I thought it was (it is the -c switch that sets the client id). The man page for the dhcpc used by sky is at Ubuntu Manpage: udhcpc - very small DHCP client. Clearly there must be some kind of modification to it to add the -d switch (using dhcpc --help on the router does not list the -d switch either).

I think it's using DHCP option 60 and 61 to pass some kind of authentication not sure about optiion 125

Interesting, this may be what the -d switch is doing. On the 2504 at least the authentication string passed to dhcpc is created 'on the fly' by cfm (an application on the router which performs a large number of tasks) and uses the same password generation function as the PPPoA connection process.

[dragon2611]

Whoops can't believe I didn't spot I was looking at the wrong man page

Sadly I don't think I can get telnet access to this router, there was a line in the config that stated telnet was disabled but changing it to enabled doesn't appear to do much.

I might have to goto PPPoA for now on my other router (If I swap them)