Ascend Archive
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RE: (ASCEND) No Transmit/Receive

> Hey Matt from Ascend:
> 
> I don't want to beat a dead horse but felt compelled to point out that this
> was _exactly_ what I was talking about.  So maybe it's not pilot error and
> clearly it's not just me.

I think you are completely missing Matt's point.  In my opinion, Matt is
*not* denying that you may have problems, he is saying that there can be
multiple causes for the problems and you have to do the troubleshooting
required to isolate the possibly different problems in each individual
case to correct them.

If you don't believe Matt (or me) then just take a look at some of the
other recent messages on this mailing list from people who saw problems
but found many different causes.

http://archives.real-time.com/ascend_user_group/msg19210.html
http://archives.real-time.com/ascend_user_group/msg19165.html
http://archives.real-time.com/ascend_user_group/msg19163.html
http://archives.real-time.com/ascend_user_group/msg19164.html
http://archives.real-time.com/ascend_user_group/msg19158.html
http://archives.real-time.com/ascend_user_group/msg19149.html
http://archives.real-time.com/ascend_user_group/msg19113.html
http://archives.real-time.com/ascend_user_group/msg19112.html

You need to try to treat each instance of a problem as unique.  You then
need to try to start gathering as much information as possible on each
problem incident.  Try to determine if a set of problems is consistent or
only intermittent.  Then start trying to identify the root cause of each
problem.

The point is that any number of things can cause problems -
 * there could be a problem with the Ascend hardware
 * there could be a bug in the Ascend code
 * there could be a problem in the Ascend configuration
 * there could be a problem in the local wiring
 * there could be a problem in the local telco switch or lines
 * there could be a problem in an intermediate telco switch or lines
 * there could be a problem in the remote telco switch or lines
 * there could be a problem in the remote home or office wiring
 * there could be a problem in the remote modem hardware
 * there could be a problem in the remote modem configuration
 * there could be a problem in the remote PPP configuration
 * there could be a problem in the remote operating system

Example: configuring the modem to use software flow control and
         not properly configuring PPP to avoid sending XOFF/XON.
Example: USRobotics firmware bug
Example: T1 clock slippage
Example: signal levels (either too high or too low)
Example: too many modem cards in an old MAX4000 (SN below 645000)

I have tried to write down some information that you want to gather -

What was the nature of the problem?
  * pause with no disconnect
  * pause followed by disconnect
  * disconnect
When did the problem occur?
Where did the call originate (phone number, location)?
Did the problem seem to occur during high traffic or low traffic?
What flavor of PPP was the client using?
Was LQM enabled or disabled on the client?
What was the connection speed of the call?
What type of modem was used to originate the call?
What is the firmware revision of the modem that originated the call?
What type of flow control is the remote PPP client using?
What type of flow control is the remote modem using?
What was the output of the modem diagnostics on the remote modem?
 (example: on a USRobotics the "ATI6" will display "Link Diagnostics")
Can you ping the peer (the MAX)?
What is the size of the output queue on the PPP interface?
What does the routing table look like?

Where did the call terminate (which PRI/channel, BRI/channel, NAS, modem)?
What is the type of modem card that is terminating the call?
What is the serial number of the modem card?
What type of connection was made (ISDN, 56K, 33.6 or lower)?
Was LQM enabled or disabled for the connection?
What was the transmit and receive speed recorded for the call?
What was the disconnect code?
What was the progress code?
What was the output of the "modemdiag" diagnostic command?
Can you ping the peer (the remote client)?
What is the size of the input queue on the PPP interface?
What is the size of the output queue on the PPP interface?
What does the routing table look like?

I don't know how much equipment you have or how you have it configured,
but if possible, you should strongly consider setting up a test system,
and configuring it with the latest software (6.1.7) for comparison.
This would allow you to see for yourself some of the problems can be
resolved by using the new Rockwell firmware in 6.1.7 compared to 5.0Ap51.
(56K cards - 2.084 vs 1.160T)
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