This means I have to enable ipdivert option in the kernel and then recompile the kernel. That is very scary... I use this tech beanie stuff to keep my mind off the wretched state of the nation... CG
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I know it unseemly to answer my own post and its questions, but I thought ravi, dwayne, colin and other propeller tech beanie types might be interested in the answer.
This afternoon, I finally faced the prospect of modifying the kernel to enable the natd routing facilities which are turned off by default. The kernel configuration and compile went by flawlessly. The compile of the dependencies took maybe 1m 40sec. Compiling the new kernel took about 5mins. These are awesome speeds for anyone used to the old twenty minute wait to see if they have ruined their system with a kernel compile that crashed. I enabled the natd system and modified the rc.conf file that loads last minute local modules.
So, here we are. I am on my old machine which is now a host to my new machine which is a dsl gateway and home network server, and I have dsl on the old box. For an old fuck used to 56k modem speeds it is pure pleasure to run a browser, rsh, telnet, ftp and so on. The nat (network address translation) daemon is cooking along doing its job with no external router or wires or other crap. When FreeBSD works, it is very very good, and when it doesn't it is horrid.
There is a moral to this success story. RTFM. Ain't it the truth. Read the fucking manual. Absolutely god damned right. But if the handbook is some 800 pages in two volumns and the manual pages are in the thousands who wouldn't dodge that task? So UTFID, use the fucking index, dummy. It's like doing your algebra homework on Sunday night at ten o'clock. Bad kid habits stay with you forever.
Anyway, thanks for the moral support. I felt it, it gave me hope.
CG