Verizon DSL "Doesn't Support Linux!!" It works just fine if you can connect to the modem.

UPDATED - Verizon DSL modem and Linux setup - a painful experience, but why? Because if Verizon finds out that you're using Linux, they are gonna say they can't help you!!!

There should be a law against this kind of crap! I never knew that Verizon was in the business of limiting what Operating System system I have on my computer!

So my friend's old modem died after just 2 months. She would power it on and no lights, nothing. So the only thing left to do was to contact Verizon for a new modem. Then Verizon shipped a shiny new Westell model e90-610015-06 modem.

After receiving the new unit, we plugged it in to the phone line and to the computer Ethernet port. Then we powered it on, DSL light shows steady, Ethernet light flickers, Internet light is blinking in a steady pattern.

So we login to the Kubuntu Feisty 7.04 Linux machine, the network shows as connected but we can't surf the web.

So here's what we had to do to get up and running with Verizon:

1. Disable the irritating redirect page that will prevent you from surfing the web if you don't install Verizon's software. If you're using Linux, the redirect page will show that your operating system isn't supported anyway(see below). Simply open up the firefox web browser and navigate to http://192.168.1.1/verizon/redirect.htm and then click "Disable". There we go, no more annoying redirect page.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Now proceed with configuring the modem for use. Navigate to 192.168.1.1 with the firefox web browser, you'll receive a "popup" login prompt, simply enter admin/password for the username/password.
   
   
3. Immediately after logging in from step 2, you'll be directed to a "User Details" page. Do this exactly - enter for the username: admin and enter for the password: admin and password confirm: admin then we click apply(save) and confirm the change.
   
   
4. Once step 3 is complete, your modem should logon to the Verizon Internet service and return you to the "main" page where you'll see that you're connected to the Internet service with the temporary ppp username "newdsl".
   
   
5. Now you need to have Verizon preconfigure your new ppp username and password to continue using the Verizon Internet service. Get yourself ready to not take NO for answer. Call Verizon at (800) 567-6789, go through the prompts to get to technical support, when prompted for what type of Operating System you have, you MUST choose Windows or MAC (and then be ready to stick by your choice), then get an "agent" on the line. Tell the agent that you don't want to use the software on their cd to setup your DSL and that you want to have them pre-configure a ppp username and password for you to connect your modem to their service. Remember - don't tell them you have Linux, or you're in for some rude treatment to the effect of "We don't support Linux". After they have pre-configured your ppp username and password to connect with their service, you will follow the steps below to configure your Westell model e90-610015-06 modem, but remember, once you have Internet access, you will have to go online and change your ppp password via this page(use your current ppp user/pass to login): http://tinyurl.com/8za7x because Verizon's automatically generated ppp password will expire after 24 hours.
   
   
6. With your new ppp username and password available, go to the "main" page of your modem from step 4 above, locate the "Connected" link and click it. At this point you will probably be prompted by the popup window asking for your modem username/password, enter username: admin and password: admin (from step 3 above).
   
   
7. On the DSL connections profile page, edit the "My Connection" properties by clicking the "edit" link. Enter your Verizon pre-assigned ppp username and password and apply and confirm it to save it. Once you are back at the connections profile page, click "disconnect" and then "connect" to connect the modem to the Internet with your new ppp username and password. When you disconnect, you'll notice on your modem that the Internet light will go out, then when you connect, the light should come back on green (if you have a red Internet light it means the ppp username/password is not being accepted and you will have to go back to step five and have Verizon verify your ppp username and password). Leave this window open as we will need to go back and "edit" the ppp username and password after we've changed it in the next step.
   
   
8. At this point you should try to open another Firefox browser and navigate to the Verizon Online account management page at http://tinyurl.com/8za7x and then login with your new ppp username/password. Change your ppp password with online interface.
   
   
9. After you have completed step 8, redo step 7 with your new ppp username and password and you will now be able to surf the Internet
   
   

Hope this helps.

To complain to Verizon about how they try to bar Linux users from using their service go here:
http://www22.verizon.com/foryourhome/ContactUs/ContactUs_Email_Form.aspx
Here's what I submitted:
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Dear Verizon,

How come you say your DSL service doesn't support Linux? Linux can connect to the Internet just like any other operating system.

I'm not asking that you configure my Linux machine, I just don't want to be barred from using your service just because I choose Linux.

So if I know how to setup my Linux machine to connect to your DSL modem and can access the admin page of the modem, will you be willing to help me connect your DSL modem to your Internet service using a simple ppp username/password ? If not, why not?

I think I need to report this to the better business bureau (and every other resource I can think of to show how bad a practice this is), how can such a large company such as yours try to say that I can't use your service because I choose Linux?

I'm quite sure there's a Linux machine somewhere in your large Enterprise and I'm very disappointed that you are trying to take away my right to choose on this matter when your company also uses Linux.

Please change your way of thinking on this issue.

Sincerely,

Shannon VanWagner
------------------------------------------

Shannon VanWagner
Related Resources
http://www.citygadget.com/?p=5
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r18638126-modemrouter-New-Verizon-DSL-service-with-Westell-B9036R516
http://forums.techguy.org/networking/581310-verizon-dsl-connection-issue.html
Search google with the term 192.168.1.1/verizon/redirect.htm


OK, so here's my story with Verizon and their "We don't support Linux" stance.

I had an old computer sitting around my house that was SANS-Windows and a good friend of mine in New York needed a good secure computer with a great OS to use for accessing the Internet.

So I figure, hey I can simply install Ubuntu (for free) on this new computer, save myself $150(or more) for Windows, and ship it to my friend in New York so she can access the Internet with it and everyone's happy - I mean Dell is selling computers with Ubuntu pre-installed and Linux is everywhere anyway right?

In the meantime, my friend in New York finds a deal whereby she purchases DSL Internet access from Verizon for $19.99 per month - seems like a pretty good deal to me anyway.

So I setup shiny new Ubuntu on the machine (it's humming along, and everything works with my DSL at home). Then I proudly ship this new machine out to my friend in New York thinking I've just done my good deed for the day.

A week goes by, and then I get a call from my Friend and she says that she cannot setup her Verizon Internet because they say (rather adamantly I might add) that Linux is NOT a supported operating system for their service.

So I'm talking to my friend on the phone and we work things out with her Westell 6100 DSL modem (connected to the Verizon service) to the point where we have been assigned an IP address through DHCP, we can get to the web-admin page of the router at http://192.168.1.1, we can ping the DNS server at 68.237.161.12, but when we ping google.com it shows "PING google.com (64.233.167.99) 56(84) bytes of data." and there is no reply for the ping.

So we determine that since we cannot surf the Internet and we CAN ping the actual DNS server but are not being allowed ping responses from google.com, that we are probably missing the PPPOE username and password to get the modem connected with the ISP.

So here's where the problems with Verizon begin...
I call to Verizon myself and notice right away that part of the phone screen process is to single out people into Windows/MAC/and "Other Operating Systems" groups. Obviously I end up in the "Other Operating" systems group (what's up with that? Linus Torvalds makes it to Time Magazine's 60 heroes list

So I finally get a tech support person on the line and am quickly informed that "Linux is not a supported operating system for the Verizon service. I mean, it seemed like they were going to hang up on me or something.

After some begging and pleading I finally get the tech support person to level with me by explaining that I already have connectivity to the modem but that we just didn't have the PPPOE username and password as of yet - and so I was wondering how to get it.

The tech person then proceeded to tell me that normally users have to use either Internet Explorer or Safari browser to complete the Verizon activation service, which would then provide the PPPOE username and password to connect to the DSL service. The PPPOE username and password are typically provided by a page that must be accessed with either Internet Explorer or Safari web browsers - this is absolutely ridiculous!

So I am to believe that Verizon doesn't support Linux because the users' can't navigate to a setup page using Internet Explorer or Safari? This is all wrong, what about Firefox? Seems to me like Firefox has a pretty good market share as far as web browsers are concerned. And for a prominent service like Verizon to put such a ridiculous limitation on their service? What the heck?

Well, as it turns out.. and luckly for me and my friend, the tech support person was willing to go the extra mile and setup my friend's DSL PPPOE username and password manually (without using the Internet Explorer or Safari) and then we were able to get my friend connected up to the Internet with no problems. So why don't they just do this automatically when people are filtered into the "Other Operating Systems" group? - would save a lot of headaches.

So here's the bottom line... tell the people at Verizon that you know it is possible to connect Linux to their ISP service and so you would like have them to manually setup your PPPOE username/password instead of using the the self-setup utility via Internet Explorer. You can then connect to your Westell 6100 router and use the "Edit Profile" feature to enter the PPPOE username/password for connection. Don't take NO for an answer, it's fully possible (and easy) to get your modem connected to Verizon regardless of what browser is installed on your computer or even what OS is on your computer in the first place.

The reason I am documenting this is because large companies like Verizon shouldn't be so quick to snub their customers by saying "We don't support Linux" - just because their users are not able to use Internet Explorer or Safari. I mean are these the two applications that make the Earth spin or something? I don't think so. I also wanted to post this out there so in case other Linux newbies happen to try Verizon service, they don't find themselves as being classified as "NOT SUPPORTED".

I mean really, we weren't calling up Verizon to ask them to rebuild our Linux kernel or anything, we were just trying to get the ISP provided PPPOE username and password so we could connect to the Internet service that we had already paid for. Also, really, how hard is it to pass on some simple networking troubleshooting steps for your tech contact person(s) things like: ifconfig, ping, http:// to the webadmin, etc.??

Where's the Love? Hello - we live in a world where there are actually other software products besides Windows by the way.

Linux is growing by leaps and bounds. It's high time that other companies out there realize this fact and start better supporting the consumers that fund them.

Shannon VanWagner for creating Linux but Linux still has to be labeled as "Other Operating" system??? Where's the love? I'm sure that Verizon is using Linux in their Network Infrastructure somewhere).



Here's a recap (tested again on 10-21-08):
eth0 10.10.10.10 - For use with the router only (top on box, near side)

eth1 (DHCP) - inet addr 192.168.1.47 - For use with the modem or router(you can try)(bottom on computer)



If resetting the modem, hold the reset button in for 30 secs.

With computer connected to modem, open the browser, go to 192.168.1.1

Login with admin / password

Reset user / pass to admin / admin

Click connected

Rename connection name to verizon

enter leeawilbur as userid /and/ click apply

type 192.168.1.1/verizon/redirect.htm into the browser address bar, hit enter, type admin / admin, click the disable button to disable the walled garden

type 192.168.1.1, click connected, click disconnect, confirm with OK (changes to connect), then click connect to reconnect

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