Pace bridge mode with static IP - Can not find ATM circuit

[bronscon]

A little background before I jump into the issue... I've been using a Pace 4111n, in bridge mode and with a static IP, since last November with no issues up until last night. My friend is a new Sonic.net subscriber who is unsatisfied with his service and I was helping him do some basic troubleshooting before he called Sonic to complain, so I brought my modem over to his apartment to see if it fared any better (to rule out or confirm a bad modem). While there, I had to factory-reset my modem, which wiped out the bridge mode configuration I had, which has worked for several months.

Now we're caught up to today. When I enter my static IP info everything works fine, the modem grabs the IP and all is good -- except that I have a dual band router I wish to use and a development server I need to be able to access remotely. Depending on what project I'm working on, I could need any number of ports in any number of ranges forwarded to my development server, so manual forwarding is not a viable option (even moreso due to double-NAT), thus bridge mode. Well, as soon as I enable bridge mode (e.g. disable routing) on the modem, it discards my static IP config and can no longer find an ATM circuit (the ATM PVC changes from 0/35 to just a / and the diagnostics page reads "PVC Connection Can not find an ATM circuit").

Okay, so I don't *NEED* bridge mode. I can set my router to use DHCP and tell the Pace device to assign it the public IP and put it in the DMZ. Not ideal, but workable.

Done. Great! So I go to bed (after wrestling with it for 4 hours!!)

Wake up this morning and the Pace device no longer says my router is being assigned the public IP via DHCP, but rather that it has been statically assigned 192.168.42.2 and that it is no longer (and can no longer be) in the DMZ. The router itself, still using DHCP, still sees itself using the public IP, I can access the modem just fine, I can access the internet just fine, but the router is in fact no longer in the DMZ -- and truly can not be placed in the DMZ again!

I clear the device list and set it up the way I want it once more. The page reloads and indicates the settings I wanted. I check the firewall page; router in the DMZ. Okay, good. Go back to the IP allocation page and BAM! 192.168.42.2 (static!) and firewalled. WTF?! Clear the device list, repeat settings, repeat results.

Did another factory reset of the modem, put in my static IP info, set the DHCP assignment for my router to use the WAN IP, router got that IP, put it in the DMZ, it's in the DMZ, good. Grab a snack then check the assignment again; still holding the WAN IP, still in the DMZ. Okay good. Popped on the Sonic.net forum to check the status of a previous post; check the assignement again afterward and.... GAH! 192.168.42.2, static, firewalled.

W. T. F?

Looks like I need to get bridge mode working again. Anyone got any ideas?

[bronscon]

In case my description was not clear, here is what I am trying to set up:

And when the Pace device displays this information (as I configured it), this is what I see in my router configuration:


Perfect. It's not bridge mode but it does what I want and I'm satisfied with that. Good.

However, anywhere from seconds to an hour later, this happens:

At which point my router config looks like this:


Note that the Pace device is stating that the router (edge) is using statically-assigned IP 192.168.42.2 while the router states that it was assigned, via DHCP, 192.168.42.66. The router is the only device connected to the modem and wireless is disabled; the router has no statically-assigned IP address (and when it did, when I was able to use bridge mode, it was my WAN IP, 50.0.51.xxx, not in the 192.168.42.xxx local range, so the 192.168.42.2 is coming from the Pace device).

When in this state, I am able to browse the web and access the modem configuration just fine. What does not work is accessing machines on my LAN from the WAN (which does work for the moments between the first and second sets of screenshots -- it breaks when the Pace device mucks up the config). Also, when in this state, I am unable to change the IP assignment ("Static IP - No DHCP" is the only option in that dropdown), disable the firewall for edge, or place edge in the DMZ; the firewall and DMZ actions fail with a notice that the private device can not have its firewall disabled.

The only solution is to clear the device list, release the DHCP lease on my router, renew until it pulls a new IP, then assign it the WAN IP and place it in the DMZ again (see first screenshot). This works every time, but the configuration reverts again (second set of screenshots) anywhere from a few seconds to an hour later. Before it reverts everything functions as I want it to.

I need to make the Pace device stop mucking up my configuration or get bridge mode working again.

[cduran]

It sounds like bridged mode is the right configuration for what you're trying to do. If you are having trouble with bridged mode on static fusion your modem is likely running older firmware (9.5.1.49.9 or older?). Devices should be set to receive firmware updates from our ACS during a nightly maintenance window. That being said, I can also push a firmware update to your modem manually. As there is some downtime involved while the firmware update is being applied please give us a call at your convenience to coordinate the upgrade.

[bronscon]

Since this previously worked, I'm not sure if that is the issue; it is also possible that the firmware got jacked up with all the moving from one location to another and resetting. A firmware update sounds great at this point.

I'm at work right now and my wife is asleep (e.g. nobody is using the connection right now), so if you're able to push that now, that would be great. If not, I can call at lunch tomorrow (I'll be working from home) to set it up.

If settings will be cleared (such as the static IP assignment) then definitely hold off for my call so I can pop those back in. If I leave my wife without internet for the day she might kill me LOL

[cduran]

Firmware update complete. Please let me know if you run into any problems with bridged mode post-upgrade.

[bronscon]

Thanks!

[bronscon]

That worked perfectly, bridge mode enabled bust still kicked out the settings (now that I think about it, that's normal); as soon as I configured my router with the correct IP I was back online and all is well.

Is it possible that my modem got a firmware "downdate" at some point, or was in the middle of a firmware update when I unplugged it to take it to my friend's house and I broke something by doing that? Because this was 100% working less than a week ago. Just asking for my own knowledge, since it's working great now.

Thanks!

[cduran]

Glad to hear that worked. I didn't see any record of your CPE being upgraded to 49.10 through our ACS prior to my pushing the update out manually. Bridged mode would have worked fine on a dynamic IP. Did the problem occur after an upgrade to static IP?