[NCLUG] ISDN hardware and configuration

[Sean Reifschneider]

On Fri, Jun 14, 2002 at 08:28:17PM -0600, dobbster wrote:
>I've never touched ISDN in my life, and I know virtually nothing about
>it.  Apparently I have to learn, fast.  Do any of you have suggestions

Use a router that will do the job for you.  They tend to work really well,
though I think the NetGear has had some issues with doing NAT in the past.
Sounds like Frank has a handle on that.

You basically just have to set all the appropriate values in the router for
the phone numbers of each channel, configure NAT, dial-on-demand and
bandwidth on demand, and off you go.

The super nice thing is that ISDN connections usually take only a second or
two to make (unlike modem connections which take 30+ seconds).  As I
understand your environment, ISDN with dial-on-demand (make a connection
when a packet is trying to go out) plus bandwidth on demand (only dial one
connection, unless we get a bunch of traffic, then bring up the second
line) works really well and is much nicer on the ISP...

>for cheap, reliable hardware?  We were thinking of just buying
>something from eBay.

You can't get cheaper than free.  I've got a Netgear ISDN router+4 port
switch that you're welcome to have.  The only problem is that I don't know
that I have a password for it.  If there's some way of doing password
recovery, it should work fine for you...

>masqueraded network running through a modem that won't go above 33kbps
>as a result of poor semi-rural phone lines.  It's a bit slow. :-)

IDSL should have also been an option for you, the nice thing about that is
you get a little extra speed (the signaling channel is used for data as
well), and it's an "always on" connection.  It's basically just DSL ideas
applied to ISDN.

Sean
-- 
 The "PEANUTS" gang finds their first root-kit in "YOU'RE AN 3L33T H4CK3R
 NOW, CHARLIE BROWN".
Sean Reifschneider, Inimitably Superfluous <jafo at tummy.com>
tummy.com - Linux Consulting since 1995. Qmail, KRUD, Firewalls, Python