[luau] Re: Configuring Router

Dustin Cross dusty at sandust.com
Wed Jul 24 22:31:00 PDT 2002


Aloha,

I just set-up a business account with RR and we are getting ~3.7Mb down
~1Mb up.  The installer said the system was capped at 4Mb.  That costs $199
per month and comes with 5 static IPs and we can have servers.

An OC-12 is 622Mb per sec.  An OC-3 is 155Mb/sec.  When I was at Level3
Communications they were testing OC-192s working with Cisco to get OC-768.
An OC-1 would be 53Mb, but we start at OC-3.  The bandwidth is out there.

I have heard rumors about RR and other cable companies shutting down users,
but have not experienced it myself.  I did have some friends in San Diego
kicked off @home for running servers.  And other friends who lost incomming
port 80 from @home when NIMDA was big.  I don't want to gamble with having
my mail server down so I use DSL and a provider who doesn't care.  I do
miss the speed I gave up in the switch though.

Dusty


> I dunno what you guys are capped at out there, but I hear it's even
> higher than what I'm at here.
>
> Here I get 2.5/.5 for $45/m.  That amount of bandwidth probably costs
> them (even at the rate they buy it) about $1000/m.  They gamble that
> you  won't use it all most of the time.  When you run a server, you
> mess that  up.  If you want to run a server, they offer "commercial
> contracts"  where you can do whatever you want as long as it's not
> illegal (same  thing you get with like a T1).  These contracts cost a
> LOT more (usually  around $200-$700/m), but still less than buying a
> "real line" from the  phone company.  The reason they cost more is that
> you're using more.


>
> Unfortunately, the equipment to run at these insanely high speeds is
> expensive. An OC-12 for example runs 155Mbit full-duplex over a single
> pair of fiber at insane distances.  That laser has to switch
> 155,000,000  times per second.  Any volunteers to build it cheap? The
> telcos inflate  their prices a LOT, which is why they're so rich...if
> you guys have  competitive phone service your prices are probably lower
> than my
> examples as that's what it is in Indiana where we have a baby bell, but
>  they still have to make money, pay their workers, and buy equipment.
> Hawaii is also a little more bandwidth rich than Indiana (it's a hub
> between west coast, Japan, and .au), but it's still expensive.
>
> RR isn't being mean; they're being realistic.  Normal residental use is
>  VERY bursty.  Small business usage is less, but still so.  They count
> on  this to give you the kind of connection you get at decent prices.
> Try  to get your connection from the phone company; it won't be cheap.
> If RR  let you do whatever you wanted on their $50/m residential
> contracts,  they'd be out of business in less than an hour probably.
>
> Also, remember that cable modems are a shared bandwidth medium.  Think
> of them as a huge coax ethernet segment.  In fact, they even run a LLC
> protcol similar to ethernet!  When one person uses a disproportionate
> amount of bandwidht, it slows the others down.  This can cause
> nightmares for the cable co as they have to go splitting subnets.
>
> Here's an idea though, and this might actually be possible since you
> guys are on small islands and seem to be fairly well organized.  Use
> various devices to set up a big public access network.  Start off with
> T1s and upgrade as you go.  Eventually you'll become so big, that the
> telco might be willing to PEER with you.  This ain't buying bandwidht
> folks, this means you ARE another telco (expect them to fight it at
> first though; telcos HATE competition).  Telephone companies have no
> choice but to peer with others, otherwise they're of no use.  Ideas for
>  links:
>
> *RONJA: http://atrey.karlin.mff.cuni.cz/~clock/twibright/ronja/
> *Directional Microwave, 802.11b/g, or possibly 802.11a
> *If two people live next to each other or close enough where buying a
> right of way is feasable, go all out and run fiber!
>
> Unfortunately the startup costs are EXTREMELY high (and you need some
> dedicated individuals to maintain it), but it's amazing what you can do
>  when you have a community owned network.  You can run native IPv6 on
> it  and offer VoIP services.  Every telephone can have it's own phone
> number, or be tied to a central one for the house.  Built in voicemail,
>  caller ID, etc.  The possibilities are endless.
>
> Extreme idea.  You bet, I probably wouldn't even bother trying.  But
> that gives you a good idea of what roadrunner and others are trying to
> do.  It's not easy to provide high speed internet at reasonable prices.
>
> --MonMotha
>
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