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Top:Computers and Internet:Internet:My Connection:ISDN:Equipment
Note: I no longer use ISDN. I switched to DSL in November 1998. ISDN is a great service, but DSL is cheaper, faster, and fits my needs better. DSL is not widely available yet, so ISDN may fit the bill for you. If you're interested, I have a terminal adapter for sale.... The Short Scoop Key Features: Ethernet connection -- Most terminal adapters (i.e. the kind that plug into your computer rather than your ethernet network) are limited in their top-end throughput by your serial port. The Pipeline family connects to the ethernet so that their is no such bandwidth limitation -- you get the full use of the 128k pipe, as well as the ability to have more than one computer use the ISDN line. Dynamic IP address assignment -- I wanted something that could handle more than one computer over the same connection even though I am assigned an IP address dynamically by my ISP. Using NAT (network address translation), the P75 is able to do this. So, my computers here are all able to use the same Internet connection simultaneously without anyone's toes (or, more importantly, packets) getting stepped on. Dial on demand -- I don't have to manually dial anymore. If I access a web page, check my mail, start an FTP session, whatever -- when I need access to the Net, it just happens transparently. I like to think of it as a virtual dedicated connection. It's there whenever I need it and it's gone when I don't need it any longer. Dynamic Bandwidth Allocation -- In US West territory, "Life's better here." But, ISDN access is metered by the channel-minute. DBA allows the P75 to only use as much bandwidth as it needs. If I start moving a bunch of data, it will open up a second B channel for a 128k pipe and then shut down the second channel when bandwidth demand goes down, saving me money. Caller ID information passed through to POTS ports -- Cha. I wish. Actually, Ascend says this feature will be implemented in a future software release. BTW, ISDN caller ID provides a number only -- no name imformation. According to US West, this is unlikely to change anytime in the next few years. Someday, but not for awhile.... About Ascend The software version installed on the Pipeline did not support the key feature that I had bought the thing for, namely NAT. This feature was added after my Pipeline was shipped out of the factory, apparently. Unfortunately, there was absolutely nothing in the documentation that came with the Pipeline that told me how to connect to an ISP who was dynamically assigning me an IP address. After many hours of frustration, I downloaded the release notes for the newest software release (5.0a) and discovered a relatively obscure mention about the NAT feature. After downloading and installing the software (thankfully a relatively simple proposition as long as your terminal software supports Xmodem (mine didn't)), everything worked pretty much the way it was supposed to. Except for the filtering, that is. I am still fighting this. The problem is that my computer is apparently sending out the occasional packets over the ethernet that cause the Pipeline to needlessly dial the ISP and stay connected for two minutes. This happens every few minutes. The way to remedy this is to have the Pipeline filter out the offending packets. Simple, eh? Especially since I am running a vanilla installation of Windows NT. Well, after talking to Ascend tech support, I get the impression that they don't really know what to do about it either. They have given me two different filters to try. the second one helped quite a bit, but I'm still getting a bunch of stray calls. Updates as they happen... In short, Ascend desperately needs to update their printed documentation to include step-by-step instructions on how to set-up a P75 to talk to an ISP providing a dynamic IP address (the most common ISP scenario). More and more P75 buyers are going to be using them for this purpose. Also included with the Pipeline was a CD-ROM with the Java-Based Configurator. The JBC is intended to allow you to configure the Pipeline with a clean windowed interface instead of a clunky serial-based text connection. Nice try guys, but half the time it was lying to me. Plus, it is completely undocumented. In fact, the printed manuals all refer to the serial method, making things even more confusing. My advice is don't fool with it. Use the clunky serial interface. It's ugly, but it works. Equipment - Equipment
Vendor - Internet Service Provider Page created 2/18/97 by twisted@teleport.com.
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© 1995-2004 by Michael Heggen. All rights reserved, except as noted. |
