PPPoE client setup is triggered when a BRG is created with any PPPoE parameter provided during authentication. At least one PPPoE Epipe service ID and one PPPoE client policy name must be provided. A MAC address for the client should also be provided, but, if absent, the system attempts to parse the BRG ID as a MAC address. An optional service name can be configured that are reflected in PPPoE setup. LCP keepalives are defined in the PPPoE client policy. The client supports either no authentication, PAP, or CHAP. The username and password can be transmitted as parameters during BRG authentication.
The PPPoE client allows negotiation of both IPCP and IPv6CP with SLAAC and, optionally, stateless DHCPv6. The negotiated IPv4 address is used as a NAT-outside address and is not signaled to the clients in the home. The received IPv6 SLAAC prefix is reused as a SLAAC prefix toward the home. The Preferred and Valid lifetimes signaled toward home are not synchronized with the values received with the BRAS, but are only subject to local configuration. DHCPv6 hosts in the home cannot be subject to the PPPoE client.
The BRG can use the PPPoE client for address assignments instead of traditional sources such as AAA, LAA, or NAT pool. PPPoE client is mutually exclusive to other address sources. The used NAT and firewall policies must be configured in l2-outside mode. DNS, DNSv6, and NBNS can be provided by both the PPPoE client (IPCP, RA, stateless DHCPv6) or by vRGW AAA. Nokia recommends operators do not mix sources, because there is no strict precedence and only the last update is kept.
Setup of the BRG and devices linked to the BRG is blocked until setup of the PPPoE client is complete. If, after a timeout (configurable in the BRG profile) the client does not completely come up, setup of the BRG and devices continues with the information available. This allows, for example, IPv4 to continue setup even if IPv6 negotiation fails.
Aside from the MAC and service ID, most PPPoE client parameters can be changed while BRG is operational. Changing any PPPoE parameters causes the PPPoE client to restart, which impacts data traffic in the same way as a PPPoE client failure.
Non-LCP PPPoE control plane packets are always sent within the NC forwarding class and dot1p 0. Egress remarking can be used to change dot1p values.