PPPoE Users Read Me!

Do you have a PPPoE connection to the internet? 

PPPoE users have been experiencing a lengthy delay at startup while the firewall rules are applied, because the ipfw tool (which is executed by the /Library/StartupItems/Firewall/Firewall script) is causing a domain name lookup for each rule that is applied. Since you aren't connected to the net at the point that this is happening, it delays while the name search(es) times out.

I've been working to try and determine why this is happening and how to avoid it. It appears to happen to a lesser degree even when the firewall startup script is removed (there are several failed lookups when the firewall kernel module itself is loaded by the system early in the boot sequence).

Several PPPoE users have found that if they turn OFF 'Connect automatically when starting TCP/IP applications' (this is in the PPPoE 'Options' panel in Network Preferences), the startup delay goes away. I haven't been able to verify that this solves the problem myself since I don't have access to a PPPoE connection, but it's worth trying.

The other way to avoid this delay is to remove the /Library/StartupItems/Firewall directory so it doesn't attempt to install the firewall rules at system startup. Then, after you connect to the internet manually using InternetConnect, startup the BrickHouse application, and click 'Apply' to apply the firewall rules immediately.