Subject: (usr-tc) Bind 2 ISDN chammels

From: Steve Cobb <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 08 Jun 2000 15:52:08 +0000

OK guys, I have a little more information now than I did.  We are trying to use a virtual ISP for some of our pops but we want to offer 128k ISDN.  I am told by the virtual ISP that they only offer 64K ISDN.  They are apparently using Lucent Portmaster access servers which I don't have access to.  I know this is a USR list but I was hoping someone had an idea.  Is there an ISDN router out there that will take 2 separate accounts, i.e. two different usernames with two different 64K channels, and bind them to each other to make a single 128k channel?

Thanks for your help guys!!
Steve

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From: Paul Farber <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 08 Jun 2000 16:02:08 +0000

Yes there is, would be expensive though...

Look at a webramp 300e has 3 serial ports for serial devices (modems/TA's
whatever you want to conect to a standard serial port) does NAT, VPN.

$349 from DataComm Warehouse.

Paul Farber
Farber Technology
[email-masked]
Ph  570-628-5303
Fax 570-628-5545

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From: Brian Gordon <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 08 Jun 2000 16:02:08 +0000

We are think about getting a 1-800 number for access network for our
customers traveling etc.

What is the best way to keep track of this?  Dedicate a T1 to that number?
Just use ANI digits then bill the customer?

Is anyone else doing this out there?

Brian Gordon
Supervisor Of Internet Operations
Westelcom Family of Companies
http://www.westelcom.com
[email-masked]
518.566.6726 Voice
419.831.9137 Fax

"We will exceed our customers' expectations in providing
competitively priced, superior quality, state-of-the-art
communications and information services."

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From: Jeff Mcadams <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 08 Jun 2000 16:07:31 +0000

Also sprach Brian Gordon

>What is the best way to keep track of this?  Dedicate a T1 to that
>number?  Just use ANI digits then bill the customer?

We use DNIS information to track which number is dialed...If our 888
number shows up, then we charge them for the "roaming" access.

Oh, and BTW, if you get switched toll-free service, the 800 or 888 or
whatever number won't show up directly.  Basically you'll get the number
showing up that the toll-free number is pointed to.  What you'll
probably want to do is get another local number pointed to your hunt
group and point your toll-free number at the new local number...then
when you see the new local number show up in your DNIS, then you know
they dialed the toll-free number actually.
-- 
Jeff McAdams                            Email: [email-masked]
Head Network Administrator              Voice: (502) 966-3848
IgLou Internet Services                        (800) 436-4456

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From: Jeff Mcadams <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 08 Jun 2000 16:13:02 +0000

Also sprach Steve Cobb
>OK guys, I have a little more information now than I did.  We are
>trying to use a virtual ISP for some of our pops but we want to offer
>128k ISDN.  I am told by the virtual ISP that they only offer 64K ISDN.
>They are apparently using Lucent Portmaster access servers which I
>don't have access to.  I know this is a USR list but I was hoping
>someone had an idea.  Is there an ISDN router out there that will take
>2 separate accounts, i.e. two different usernames with two different
>64K channels, and bind them to each other to make a single 128k
>channel?

Not well...but it can be kinda done.  It wouldn't work as a true
balancing of the data across the lines like MP does it.  MP can fragment
a packet so that it travels over both lines simultaneously thus truly
making the most efficient use of the lines...with seperate accounts you
won't be able to do that, but there is software that will do things like
initiate half of your network requests (ftp, http, smtp, whatever) over
one of the lines and the other half over the other line.  This results
in some semblance of load balancing the lines, but is rather kludgy.

Another thing you might consider though...and you might consider this
kinda kludgy as well, not sure.  If you have control of the RADIUS
entries for these users, what you might be able to do is set up the
RADIUS entries so that the user is not a PPP user, but is actually a
tunnel user.  Set it up so that whenever the account dials in, its
tunneled to a system that you have direct control over (I'm assuming the
PM's will do tunneling), and then you can run MP over the
tunnels...caveat here is that I've never actually tried this.  :)  The
HiPer Arcs will serve as tunnel terminators (LNS or PNS for l2tp and
pptp respectively), so you can do this with just a HiPer Arc of your own
to work with.  You could even conceivably put this functionality on a
HiPer Arc that is taking calls directly, though I'd want to be careful
of how much load you put on it.
-- 
Jeff McAdams                            Email: [email-masked]
Head Network Administrator              Voice: (502) 966-3848
IgLou Internet Services                        (800) 436-4456

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From: Steve McConnell <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 08 Jun 2000 16:48:34 +0000

We do exactly what Jeff suggests as well, but for some of our larger 
clients, who will be using the 800 number a lot, we advise them to just get 
an 800 number themselves which points to the lead number in our dialup line.

simplifies billing and makes them happier as they can control and allocate 
that number internally without having to go through us.

steve

> they dialed the toll-free number actually.

Steve McConnell
EMJI
919.303.3217:126

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From: Jeff Mcadams <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 08 Jun 2000 16:53:39 +0000

Also sprach Steve McConnell
>clients, who will be using the 800 number a lot, we advise them to just
>get an 800 number themselves which points to the lead number in our
>dialup line.

>simplifies billing and makes them happier as they can control and
>allocate that number internally without having to go through us.

Ooh...nifty...hadn't considered that.  :)
-- 
Jeff McAdams                            Email: [email-masked]
Head Network Administrator              Voice: (502) 966-3848
IgLou Internet Services                        (800) 436-4456

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From: Steve McConnell <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 08 Jun 2000 17:04:05 +0000

I forgot to mention that the telco through which you get the 800 number may 
complain a little as the number you are pointing to is not your own, but 
just remind them that they should not care where the line points as you 
(customer ) are the one paying the bill.

att did that to one of our customers and I had to talk to them (15 seconds 
worth ) As soon as they saw what we were doing they put it right through.

made my life SOOOOO much easier.

steve

Steve McConnell
EMJI
919.303.3217:126

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From: Ray Bellis <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 08 Jun 2000 17:18:30 +0000

> Ooh...nifty...hadn't considered that.  :)

What happens if someone else figures out what your 800 number is?

As it happens I run an 800 number based service in the UK
but we do check the username in the RADIUS server against
a table to ensure they're entitled to use the number before
letting them in.  We still run the risk of someone calling
the number and just leaving it open, though, which over here
in the UK will leave us picking up the tab for the call :-(

Ray.

--
Ray Bellis, MA(Oxon) - Technical Director - community internet plc

Windsor House, 12 High Street, Kidlington, Oxford, OX5 2PJ
tel:  +44 1865 856000   email: [email-masked]
fax:  +44 1865 856001     web: http://www.community.net.uk/

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From: Jeff Mcadams <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 08 Jun 2000 17:27:03 +0000

Also sprach Ray Bellis
>What happens if someone else figures out what your 800 number is?

Well...we publish ours I believe, so that's not a big deal.

>As it happens I run an 800 number based service in the UK but we do
>check the username in the RADIUS server against a table to ensure
>they're entitled to use the number before letting them in.  We still
>run the risk of someone calling the number and just leaving it open,
>though, which over here in the UK will leave us picking up the tab for
>the call :-(

We limit the amount of hours they can use it...not to protect us as
much, but to prevent them from running up a huge bill on toll-free
charges without realizing it (which then protects us because that keeps
them from yelling at us and disputing the charges :)

There is a bit of risk involved, but if they don't have a valid
userid/password, they get dropped pretty quickly, so there's not a huge
risk there.  Yeah, if someone were *really* out to get us they could run
up a pretty big bill...but that's a risk we're willing to take (hasn't
been a problem yet)
-- 
Jeff McAdams                            Email: [email-masked]
Head Network Administrator              Voice: (502) 966-3848
IgLou Internet Services                        (800) 436-4456

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