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By Richard Brown (April 25, 2001)
Why does dialing into Dartmouth's network seem so hard? In part, the answer
is because it is hard.
Network connections on campus are relatively straightforward. There's a wire
that runs directly (and permanently) from your desktop to some network
equipment in your hallway, and then there's a direct connection to the basement
of Kiewit, where it taps directly into the campus network's backbone.
With dial-up connections, there are many pieces that must be configured and
working properly before anything will work. They include two modems and two
telephone lines (at your house and in Kiewit), your dial-up software, and the
dial-up and authentication servers in Kiewit. A failure or degradation of any
of these components will cause a failure to connect reliably.
In addition, many troubles with dial-up connections are transitory. Dialing
in one minute may work successfully, and be unsuccessful the next.
Below is a list of possible failures, starting with the most common:
- Busy signals: Dartmouth currently has a limited number of
dial-up modems. When they are all in use (this occurs during peak times, mostly
in the evenings), you will receive a busy signal. You can avoid the busy
signals by keeping your sessions as short as possible and by dialing before or
after the peak times.
- Ring-no-answer calls: From time to time, a modem in Kiewit
will fail to answer. Instead, it will ring and ring. This is a serious failure
— when it occurs, it prevents new callers from dialing in. If this happens, you
should contact the Help Desk (646-2999) during normal business hours or the
Machine Room (646-2075) after business hours. They can fix the problem or call
someone who knows how.
- Improperly configured software or modem: This problem is
especially common for people who have never dialed in before. Check your
dial-up software documentation and modem manual for the proper configurations.
Make sure you are dialing the right number; check it by dialing with a voice
telephone. You should hear ringing, then a high-pitched set of tones.
- Slow connections: Your modem software may report a
connection speed that is slower than the modem's rating. Today's modems will
adjust their connection speed to send data as fast as is physically possible. A
high-quality telephone line can result in a connection at the full rated speed.
A poor-quality line may cause the modem to "fall back" to a slower
speed, even though your modem is capable of faster.
- Poor quality telephone lines: The telephone line's quality
is governed by a number of factors: the distance between your house and the
telephone company; the age of the outside wiring; the quality of your inside
wiring; or even the path the call takes through the telephone system. Notice
that you have very little control over any of these factors. If you are having
trouble maintaining a connection, you should try plugging the modem into a
different telephone outlet in your house. Or, if you have two telephone lines,
try dialing from the other line. You may also ask the telephone company to
"test the line." Call Residence Repair (the number is listed in your
telephone book) and tell them that you have occasional troubles with a modem.
They may tell you that modems aren't guaranteed to work, but be firm, and ask
them to test the line. They can do it while you are on the line (be sure you
are not calling from the line to be tested). If there is a problem, they will
offer to fix it. If no problem is found, then you should look elsewhere; it's
probably not a telephone line problem.
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