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RE: [TCLUG:521] US West Megabit service




(for those of you who hate USW, http://chef.intexp.com/ufwest.mp3 :)

here is some more info on the system (i have a bunch more technical info that
the marketing people havn't been told)

A friend of my roomie has it allready installed.. the system in use is RADSL,
Rate Adaptive Digital Subscriber Line, it works like a combination of several
technologies, but the data mostly resembles ATM packets, therefore it actually
saves USW load on their switches, since they only have to forward ATM packets
for tbe actual data, and not a stream for a voice connection (modem)

i have actually used the system (at his place) it's quite fast, comparable to
T1, (semi-loaded.. you have to deal with interenet bandwidth, more than DSL
bandwidth)  I have successfully transfered at a stable 80+K/sec (to a local T1
based ISP, 10 hops

the box they are currently promoting is external, it has 4 ports

DSL in.. where you plug the line from USW in
10baseT Etherenet, where you plug your box in
Console, an RJ45 serial port.. the DSL box is a full router. (telnetable)
Analog, where you can plug in normal phone extnetions.. (similar to ISDN, can
carry voice over the data line)

i did not get the chance to actually play with the console of the DSL box, but
i will try and get the chance soon.

here are a few things that USW won't tell you:

they do NOT have the ability to limit your bandwidth yet, even tho you pay for
256K/sec you may get more.

the IP address configuation is DHCP, as long as the box is on, it keeps the
DHCP ip address.

you CAN simply plug a hub into the DSL box, and DHCP more than one IP address,
allowing for many boxes on one DSL line.. 

a few other notes of warning:

you must be within 15000 wire feet of your Switch (not the central office)
USW usually can simply ask the switch how far you are from it, other times,
they may need to come out onsite to test.

the speed can range from 256, 512, 768, 1024, it goes both way, same speed, and
you do NOT share the bandwidth with anyone.. (why it's more cool than cable)
if your switch supports it, you can also get 3Mbit down, 1up, and 7Mbit down,
1up.

warning, DHCPing many IP address may get you in trouble, i still recomend using
IP_MASQ to get more than one box on the line.

and another warning.. they are not limiting bandwidth, but if you use excessive
ammounts, (large web server, quake server, or something) they may disconnect
you.  don't worry, downloading large files won't cause problems, but if you
constantly take up, say, over 100K/sec, 24/7.. they could cut you off.. :(

On 03-Jul-98 Timothy Wilson wrote:
> Hi everyone,
> 
> I requested some information from U.S. West recently about their Megabit
> internet service. I just got an email message telling me that the service
> was available in my area so I rang them up. Here's a summary of what I
> found.
> 
> Megabit service
> ==============
> 
> One-time fees
>       setup fee       $110
>       U.S. West fee   $25
>       modem and NIC   $295
>       installation    $85
>                       -----
>       total           $515
>                       =====
> 
> They are running a special right now that provides all of the above for
> $110 *if* you sign up for a year of service.
> 
> The monthly fees
>       256k line       $40/mo.
>       U.S. West ISP   $20/mo.
> 
> They use dynamic IP assignments. A permanent IP address is an additional
> $15/mo.
> 
> If you call their number, 1-888-MEGAUSW, they will check to see if your
> area has service yet, and they will test your line to see if it supports
> the fast connection.
> 
> I asked the guy which OSes are supported. He said Win95, NT, or MacOS 7.5
> or higher. I asked him if they supported Linux. He didn't know, but
> checked with someone else and came back on the line and said it was! (What
> he meant by "supported" is still a mystery.)
> 
> Service includes 24 hr. tech support and unlimited two-directional
> internet access. You can get more info at http://www.megaspeed.com
> 
> Does anyone use this service yet? I'd like to hear your comments.
> 
> Later,
> Tim
> 
> --
> Timothy D. Wilson                     "A little song, a little dance,
> University of MN, chem. dept.         a little seltzer down your 
> wilson@chemsun.chem.umn.edu           pants."   -Chuckles the Clown
> Phone: (612) 625-9828                       as eulogized by Ted Baxter
> 
> 
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TTYL,
        Ben Kochie (ben@intexp.com)

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