AC66U DHCP ignores Discover packet from PS2 console

[ColinTaylor]

Turn the firewall back on and try again.

If that doesn't work try 192.168.1.0/24.

 

[Marsi4eg]

I really appreciate your advices, but it seems you don't read my messages carefully. But maybe it's also my fault because I edit messages so often with new info, to not make double-post.
I have written in the first post that I've tried to do a factory reset, so network 192.168.1.0/24 was already tested.

P.S. tried to disable NAT and upnp - no positive effect

 

[ColinTaylor]

My mistake. I forgot you said you had tried it after a reset to factory defaults.

 

[Marsi4eg]

So, we have following information summary:

It's over9000% related to WAN state:
1. Router does not start to see discover packets from the console if I just disable WAN (plugged out cable / disabled wan through webui) --> Reboot router.
2. Router does see and accept discover packets from the console anytime after reboot with WAN disabled (plugged out cable / disabled wan through webui) --> Enable WAN
3. Router continues to see and accept request packets from the console anytime after enabling WAN (plugged in cable / enabled wan through webui)
4. Router stops to see discover packets from the console after enabling WAN (plugged in cable / enabled wan through webui)

Experiment: rebooting with WAN enabled (just as usual):
1. Router does see and accept discover packets from the console on ~70% of rebooting, after last time of ports initialization (when all lights are off and on again, dhcp server started but wan isn't up yet)
2. Router stops to see discover packets from the console after it's completely ready.
3. See #1.

 

[sfx2000]

I have got a PS2 console recently and faced some problem with network functions using AC66U router. The problem is that router just ignores dhcp-discover packets from the console. I have tried a couple of default firmwares, some older Asuswrt-Merlin releases and Merlin forks - and nothing on all of them.

I'm assuming you have the PS2 Network adapter and a memory card in Slot 1. I used to have one of the PS2 (not slim) with the hdd and ethernet expansion, but it's been a really long time since I moved on...

These things are pretty old, and if I recall, they're fast ethernet only - they might actually have problems with newer ethernet ports - so check if you have good link status there.

Do you have the MAC address of the console, and perhaps create a DHCP reservation for that MAC address? Alternately, some games will allow one to set a static IP address config (and that will work for the game, and perhaps update the console as well) - but having a memory card in slot one was a semi-requirement if I recall correctly, irregardless if DHCP or Static IP's...

 

[sfx2000]

Once my post gets uncloaked - also note that Final Fantasy XI has the full HDD/Network setup utils. Makes life a lot easier to work with the PS2 expansion bay...

 

[Marsi4eg]

Hmm, I tried what you said but not with Final Fantasy, it was NFS Underground 2 disc. It has integrated official network configuration tool (I used homebrew one)

Officially created network profile works correctly, and it has a different discover packet..

Frame 19473: 342 bytes on wire (2736 bits), 342 bytes captured (2736 bits) on interface 0
  Interface id: 0 (\Device\NPF_{B1E0F717-50C5-48D5-AACD-C61585957630})
  Encapsulation type: Ethernet (1)
  Arrival Time: Mar 18, 2016 23:14:37.585250000 RTZ 2 (����)
  [Time shift for this packet: 0.000000000 seconds]
  Epoch Time: 1458332077.585250000 seconds
  [Time delta from previous captured frame: 0.061658000 seconds]
  [Time delta from previous displayed frame: 0.000000000 seconds]
  [Time since reference or first frame: 61.718251000 seconds]
  Frame Number: 19473
  Frame Length: 342 bytes (2736 bits)
  Capture Length: 342 bytes (2736 bits)
  [Frame is marked: False]
  [Frame is ignored: False]
  [Protocols in frame: eth:ethertype:ip:udp:bootp]
  [Coloring Rule Name: UDP]
  [Coloring Rule String: udp]
Ethernet II, Src: SonyComp_f2:03:86 (00:15:c1:f2:03:86), Dst: Broadcast (ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff)
  Destination: Broadcast (ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff)
  Address: Broadcast (ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff)
  .... ..1. .... .... .... .... = LG bit: Locally administered address (this is NOT the factory default)
  .... ...1 .... .... .... .... = IG bit: Group address (multicast/broadcast)
  Source: SonyComp_f2:03:86 (00:15:c1:f2:03:86)
  Address: SonyComp_f2:03:86 (00:15:c1:f2:03:86)
  .... ..0. .... .... .... .... = LG bit: Globally unique address (factory default)
  .... ...0 .... .... .... .... = IG bit: Individual address (unicast)
  Type: IPv4 (0x0800)
Internet Protocol Version 4, Src: 0.0.0.0, Dst: 255.255.255.255
  0100 .... = Version: 4
  .... 0101 = Header Length: 20 bytes
  Differentiated Services Field: 0x00 (DSCP: CS0, ECN: Not-ECT)
  0000 00.. = Differentiated Services Codepoint: Default (0)
  .... ..00 = Explicit Congestion Notification: Not ECN-Capable Transport (0)
  Total Length: 328
  Identification: 0x0004 (4)
  Flags: 0x00
  0... .... = Reserved bit: Not set
  .0.. .... = Don't fragment: Not set
  ..0. .... = More fragments: Not set
  Fragment offset: 0
  Time to live: 64
  Protocol: UDP (17)
  Header checksum: 0x79a2 [validation disabled]
  [Good: False]
  [Bad: False]
  Source: 0.0.0.0
  Destination: 255.255.255.255
  [Source GeoIP: Unknown]
  [Destination GeoIP: Unknown]
User Datagram Protocol, Src Port: 68 (68), Dst Port: 67 (67)
  Source Port: 68
  Destination Port: 67
  Length: 308
  Checksum: 0xd2ad [validation disabled]
  [Good Checksum: False]
  [Bad Checksum: False]
  [Stream index: 282]
Bootstrap Protocol (Discover)
  Message type: Boot Request (1)
  Hardware type: Ethernet (0x01)
  Hardware address length: 6
  Hops: 0
  Transaction ID: 0xdd4dc7c1
  Seconds elapsed: 0
  Bootp flags: 0x0000 (Unicast)
  0... .... .... .... = Broadcast flag: Unicast
  .000 0000 0000 0000 = Reserved flags: 0x0000
  Client IP address: 0.0.0.0
  Your (client) IP address: 0.0.0.0
  Next server IP address: 0.0.0.0
  Relay agent IP address: 0.0.0.0
  Client MAC address: SonyComp_f2:03:86 (00:15:c1:f2:03:86)
  Client hardware address padding: 00000000000000000000
  Server host name not given
  Boot file name not given
  Magic cookie: DHCP
  Option: (53) DHCP Message Type (Discover)
  Length: 1
  DHCP: Discover (1)
  Option: (61) Client identifier
  Length: 7
  Hardware type: Ethernet (0x01)
  Client MAC address: SonyComp_f2:03:86 (00:15:c1:f2:03:86)
  Option: (255) End
  Option End: 255
  Padding: 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000...

Posted all this to PS2 forums, maybe the homebrew author will fix this on his side.
Thanks for help everyone who helped, without you I would not be able to get those results.

 

[Marsi4eg]

Hello again. Today I have noticed one super-interesting thing related to this problem.

So, after clean router reboot, Discover packets don't appear in router's log, and PS2 doesn't get network address. BUT if I enable OpenVPN Client (used to get access to remote office network) - Discover packets appear to the log and network settings go to PS2. After that I can disable OpenVPN client but dhcp functionality continue to work well with PS2. And all works until next router reboot.

So I have a new question: how OpenVPN client on-off thing could cause router's DHCP server to see PS2 'discovers'?