Re: Managing dial-up ISP traffic.

(E-Mail Removed) wrote:

> > since I'm not using M$loth, the ISP help desk clowns can't
> > answer any questions. They can just ask 'what is my error number'.
>
> > Based on the weather and time of day/week I can reliably
> > estimate if I'll be able to get on line or not:
> > * whether the kids are out playing ball or congesting the line;
> > * whether the mid-day office workers are on line;
> > * whether the TV offerings are unpopular and users go online.
>
> > The ISP help desk claims that no-where near their capacity
> > is utilised. And when I tell of the strict relationship between
> > expected traffic volume and my inablitity to logon PLUS the
> > fact that during confirmed can't-logon-for-congestion times,
> > I can logon to their branch in the 40Km distant town [at extra
> > telco cost].
>
> > Q- is it common to feed-back the load/congestion to the modems
> > to give an early warning engaged signal, instead of allowing the
> > caller [paying in my case] get through the dialin to just be
> > dropped,
> > or if possible to be kept in a long queue ?

Jim Berwick wrote:-
> Can't say I speak for everyone, but I've never found it better to
> make people not connect instead of connecting then dropping.
> Not connecting = instant phone call to tech support.

Perhaps you're a US poster who doesn't realise that this is an
international conference and that many countries charge for
local calls also. If you get an engaged tone then you know the
service is congested and you can delay going on line, which is
MUCH more intelligent that paying to go on-line and then being
thown off immedidtely. If you need to get a flight or train, do you
want to make a half hour journey to find out that you can't get a
seat, or do you want an 'engaged signal' as early as possible to be
able to re-arrange your schedule ?

> > Q- is it true that telco transmission channels degrade for high
> > traffic; possibly by cross talk ....etc .
>
> > Q - is it a reasonable analysis that my email is slow when fetched
> > via the distant town, yet other services : news & http; are not,
> > because the mailServer in my home town is congested when I need
> > to log on via the distant town, but other services don't use the
> > home town ?
>
> > Q - although as expected I have good connectivety after midnight,
> > what would be the reason that I can't connect at 4:00...;
> > perhaps the ISP [a bank] has a cron job, or uses the extra
> > capacity for itself ?
>
> > Thanks for any info.

Reply2 wrote:-
> I didnt read your whole post, but are you on ADSL or 56k Dialup.
> Maybe a bad phone line? What about your neighbors, their friends,
> or the kids playing outside?
> Do Their links get slow too? Get in contact with the other people
> using your ISP.
>

How can you make an intelligent contribution if you don't/can't
read the question ?!

Thanks,

== Chris Glur.




news@absamail.co.za