Qui Transtulit |
ca. December, 1999
I checked with SBC/SNET's web site to register my interest when service became available.
ca. June 1, 2000
I learned that SNET DSL service was probably available in my area in Branford. Submitted on-line request form. Web site indicates that I should allow two business days for processing.
ca. July, 2000
I called SNET DSL's service to request a connection. They said they'd have to do engineering tests and they'd get back to me a couple of days.
ca. August 1, 2000
SNET called back to say we are "go" and to schedule installation. August 25 is the first available slot. The installer might arrive any time during the day. I will schedule the day off from work. SNET will deliver a modem about a week before the installation.
When we discuss what work will be necessary, I explain that I have an existing home network, and that my preference would be to have my Linux computer act as a router for the house. SNET does not support Linux, only Windows and Macintosh. I persist, and they transfer me to DSL support, where they explain that they do not have PPPoE drivers for Linux.
SNET does not mention the possibility of a hardware router.
Reviewing the Linksys web site and some other resources, I decide that my network will probably work best with a Linksys BEFSR11 DSL router between my network and the DSL modem that SNET will provide. I could probably do much the same thing using my Linux box and downloaded PPPoE software (which is available), however it will save time & effort to go with the Linksys product.
August 25, 2000
No modem has been delivered. SNET does send two CDROMs with their ISP software, but more importantly, with my username and password for SNET's service.
Not long after the mail arrived with my disks, SNET installer Bob arrives. (Actually, he works for SBC Advanced Solutions Inc.- I think, not SNET. A separate company must handle DSL service, per FCC rule, he says.) When you call one of their lines, they answer "SBC Emerging Techologies Center" or words to that effect. Who are we daling with?
I show Bob the house telephone entrance. He immediately unhooks our phone line and clips on his elaborate handheld DSL tester. I can hear a distinct fan whine from the tester. After a length calibration process, Bob says DSL is "trying", but I don't have good signal. He calls the central office and negotiates for some time. Eventually, we decide he will do the physical installation, but a SNET service report has been filed so someone will check the line between the CO and the house. "I heard a hum," he said, "so probably there is a short on the line." The service crew should do their thing within a week, he says. "That's a lot better than it used to be."
Bob installs filters in our phone system to help isolate the high-frequency DSL signal from our existing phone equipment. He leaves a DSL modem with me, and we hook it up to the Linksys router. He will be happy to work with me on the router, which is more than some of the installers will do, he says.
Bob says I am fortunately in the "green" zone, i.e., within a certain distance (12,000 feet?) of the CO. That means they will keep trying until it works. If we had been in the "yellow" zone, they would have tried once and said tough luck if it didn't work.
The modem sits there, with a flashing green light, searching for the too-weak DSL signal.
Fortunately, SNET's DSL service includes their normal dial-up ISP service as well, so I can reconfigure my Linux/Masquerade PPP to use SNET's service. That will be interesting to compare with my normal Yale University service.
August 26, 2000
It appears that from SNET "New Haven" to my system at Yale is 19 hops, passing through Washington, D.C. Physically, the distance between SNET and Yale is maybe 6 blocks. So far, service to Yale is acceptable (on my 28.8 kbs modem), but somewhat slower that the direct Yale dialin PPP.
SNET's DSL "home page" is http://dsl.snet.net. It's a reasonable effort. I go to the User Options page ( http://options.snet.net ), which is a disaster so far. It is extremely sluggish, almost non-functional. With persistence, I do manage to set up my "free" web site, which you are now reading.
August 30, 2000
I called the 611 repair line. The automatic system says that a problem was reported on my line, but it cannot give further information. I am to wait for a representative to come on the line. I wait about 10 minutes on hold. Someone comes on the line, and I tell him my story. No DSL signal. My POTS (plain old telephone service) is good, however. He says he has no information. The people in the "DSL Department" operate on their own and he can't tell me anything about what is going on. It would be pointless to send out a truck. I say, "thanks."
September 2, 2000
The green light is still flashing - there is no DSL signal. I call back on 611. The automatic system says the reported trouble has been repaired. But there is no DSL! And the slight hum that Bob had reported is still there, too. Transferring to a live operator (fairly quickly this time), I repeated my tale. She says she will have someone call back within the hour. That was about two hours ago...
September 5, 2000
I arrived home to find an orange tag from SBC ASI. It said someone had been here just 15 minutes after I left that morning, and would I please call back at an 877 number. Inside, the green flashes continued. It is not clear if ASI did anything, although they could have easily checked for signal at the outside entrance box.
So I called the 877 number. They could not fathom the ticket number that ASI had left on the card. Apparently they are just a sales number. They transferred me to what turned out to be my "611" trouble number. Very long wait. (It was the day after Labor Day.) Someone comes on the line, but they say they don't know why I was transferred to them. They wanted to transfer me back where I had come from. I protested. Finally, they sent me to another 877 number that was not on my orange card, one I had never seen before. This number picked up on the first ring. I met Fred.
Fred seems to be an ASI person who actually lives near the DSL equipment in my Central Office. Is that Branford? New Haven? I will have to ask. I explain the blinking green, and he seems to understand that I know a little about networks and blinking lights. Finally he says an ASI tech will come to the house and verify that there is no DSL signal. That will allow them to put in another trouble report to SNET.
September 8, 2000
I called Fred again, since I had had no further orange tags. We repeated our last conversation, more or less. An ASI guy will come...
September 10, 2000
Could the weak DSL signal be caused by house wiring problems? Bob had set me up with all the filters he thought I needed, but he had not throroughly traced all the many phone wiring branches in the house, as far as I knew. So I took my modem out doors and connected it straight to the incoming line with the whole house disconnected. No joy.
September 11, 2000
I arrived home to find a phone message from Fred saying that another fault had been fixed, and I should be OK. Rushing in to the computer room, I find the green light still flashing, indicated no signal. Hoping against hope, I started playing with different phone wires, disconnected various devices. Finally the modem showed all green lights! It appears that I have to put a filter on my second phone line, which is used only by my fax machine and a modem. Why should I need this, since DSL is on the other line? I don't know, but I will accept success.I spent quite a while reconfiguring my Linux and NT systems to work with the DSL router. No special problems. Everything worked as it was supposed to. I measured download throughputs of 300 kb/s or so. SNET promises "up to 1.5 Mb/s", but what we have is about 10 times faster than the old dial-up modem.
September 12, 2000
Came home from work to find no DSL signal again. Bummer! Will have to put in another call, etc. Did not get to it that day, however. Heavy rain that night.
September 13, 2000
Still the flashing green! After less than 12 hours of service! Called Fred's number, but talked to a different person. Can't do much for me, his computer is stone cold dead. He took my number in order to call back during the day. No call.
I came home from work to see solid green again. Had Fred done his magic? Do we have stable DSL? We went out to dinner and came back in an hour or so to find flashing green again. Kicked back to watch Bill Moyers for a couple of hours. At about 11, I came in to find all green.
Ran a new traceroute. This shows the DSL timing, and it also shows fewer hops thanks to Yale's switchover to Qwest service.
We seem to have an intermittent or marginal connection. It would be nice if the modem would give some diagnostic information. It's something to look into. Meanwhile, I will have to call ASI again...
September 14, 2000
I received a call for "Bob" (not the same) saying he was all set to install my DSL! He likes to take care of his people in Branford, since he is from here. I was sorry to tell him my DSL was already "installed" - if that's the word. He left his beeper number, with instructions to call if I ever needed him.
September 15, 2000
There was a severe thunderstorm during the night. As I usually do, I shut down both computers. At 8:20 pm, I restarted the systems. DSL synchronized for a little while, but then dropped out. The connection resumed about 11 pm.
September 16, 2000
At 3:11 pm, I needed to reconfigure the modem's phone line. That required an interruption of about 15 seconds. The modem recovered about a half hour later.
September 17, 2000
What can I really do with DSL? At 1 pm I started a download of Red Hat 6.2 Linux, which fills most of a CDROM. All worked well until the transfer was about 90% complete, when at about 6:30 pm, the modem dropped sync again. At about 11 pm, the modem synced up again.
September 18, 2000
I called Bob #2, but he said I had to report the situation to 611. I did call them, and they told me they would report my complaint to the DSL department.
September 19, 2000
At 12:40 am, I power-cycled the modem to see how well it would recover. It actually did resync by about 1:00 am. At 6:30 pm, we lost sync again, and soon after I shut down power because of another thunderstorm. At 8:25 pm, I powered up again, but the modem would not sync.
September 20, 2000
Around 8:30 am, still no sync on the modem. (And, according to my Linux script it had not synced during the night at all.) I called 611, but Mark says I should call the DSL maintenance number. I called there and Fred gives me a little real information, for once. He says my connection has been giving below-normal transmission rates (about 300 kbs?). That low rate indicates poor signal level and excessive path length. I must be too far from the CO. He asks me where my CO is. (He's the phone company! bad sign.) Well, I say, it's somewhere in Branford, maybe on Main Street. Well, I must be outside the Green Zone.
Recap: So SBC/ASI/SNET (whoever I am dealing with) took my location over the web, said I'm OK, then took my data over the phone, said I'm probably OK, but they'd need to do an Engineering test. The Engineering test said I'm OK, and they took my order. The ASI installer came and said I'm within the Green Zone, so they (SNET) would _have_ to make DSL work. Now, since they have technical problems, they have decided I can't be in the Green Zone after all.
SNET/ASI/SBC whoever they are has wasted a huge amount of their resources and mine in this episode. Am I a happy customer yet?
DSL sync is still dead - did they pull a switch? I have reconfigured my network for dial-up, and we'll see.
September 21, 2000
SNET calls and the nice lady says "I have some bad news for you." All is cancelled. SNET just can't do it. All charges will be credited and I will get an airbill to send back the modem. But good news, Project Pronto is going to come to town to help people like me. Already, they are in Danbury. When will we get service in Branford? Oh, I don't have any information on that. How pronto is pronto?
Have we got a loyal customer here? Has SBC made any money?
more to come... (maybe)