I’m looking at implementing PPPoE on my network due to the amount of time it would save me doing basic administrative work, authenticating users, creating queues, etc. My question is where do you place the Access Concentrator. And do you use only one? or do you use one per POP?
It’s really dependent on the current topology of the network. If you currently have a single router at the head end of your network and everybody is bridged back to that, that is where you want to put it at. If you have the traffic routed all the way out to each tower/AP, then you want to put the AC there. Either way, the access concentrator has to touch the end users somehow, and that means per AP usually.
Currently its bridged and that poses problems in itself due to the large broadcast domain. Would PPPoE eliminate that by tunneling traffic to the AC and dishing out /32 addresses? or would I still have issues with broadcasts. I was planning on subnetting to break up the broadcast traffic, but if that could be avoided by using a single PPPoE AC with RADIUS I’m all for it.
OK I talked to a CCIE buddy of mine and it sounds like I’d still have to subnet to break up broadcast domains.. but I could start by implementing one AC and then subnet and implement more AC as needed. I can’t wait to get this implemented, its going to save me hours of administrative work! 