[NCLUG] Linux-friendly satellite modem service

[Matt Taggart]

mike cullerton writes...

> on 12/17/00 1:12 PM, Matt Taggart at matt at lackof.org wrote:
> 
> > CWX is very Linux friendly. It's also going to be cheaper and have better
> > latentcy than any of the satelite solutions.
> 
> ya, but if you actually use bandwidth, they ask you to leave. i've got two
> friends who were CWX members who were asked to leave because they created
> too much traffic playing online computer games.

<rant>
No, if you're not being a good network citizen you are asked to be. The coop 
buys our bandwidth from FRII on a 95% percentile basis. All it takes is a 
couple bad apples to drive our bandwidth bill through the roof. As a 
cooperative we can't afford to have our bandwidth bill double due to a couple 
users. The people in question were asked repeatedly to cut back for several 
months and failed to do so. These two customers were using more bandwidth than 
the other 30 combined. IIRC, after they did not cut back there was talk of 
increasing rates for people who were contributing more that their fair share 
of the bandwidth. Then these users dropped out. I may have things mixed up but 
that's how I remember it.

BTW- they we're consuming a very large amount of bandwidth. I have 4 systems 
here and run serveral web/mail servers and that's not a problem. IIRC these 
guys had 3-4 gamers in the house playing 5-6 hours a day plus game servers 
running a lot of the time. We were still willing to have them in the coop but 
not if they weren't going to pay their own way and spoil it for the rest of us.

FRII also has limits as to the amount of data you can pull on a monthly basis. 
If you go over the generic amount they start charging you more. This shouldn't 
be a surprise to anyone.
</rant>

As one of CWX's longest customers, I've been very happy with the service. The 
bandwidth and latency are very good and I can do things I couldn't do with 
cable/dsl like have extra static IPs, run servers, etc.

Plus for a lot of people, myself included, its the only option.

-- 
Matt Taggart
matt at lackof.org