Re: [cobalt-users] Need advice on Colocating or Self Location

[Jeff Lasman <jblists@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Brent Sims wrote:

> What I would suggest you do is obtain T1. They're dirt
> cheap now. A Sprint Rep offered me a full T1 for under $600.00 per
> month this very morning - without an install fee.

If that included the local loop please send me the Rep's name.  If it
didn't, be aware that the local loop will bring it into the $1000/month
area.

> If that's too
> steep, go for an xDSL circuit with a dialup backup. SDSL is perhaps
> your best choice

I really thought sDSL was right for me, from my home, almost three years
ago.  It wasn't.  Companies went out of business, lines failed, repairs
took days.  It was NOT worth the money for me.  I used it to run a
mail-server for a small ISP I'd bought.  I lost a lot of customers, and
it was only a mail server.

> but business class ADSL will do quite nicely.

On this one I completely disagree.

Recently when my home connection aDSL from SBC went "slow" (we were
losing between 25 and 35% of all packets at the DSLAM) they couldn't
tell me how long it would take to resolve, wouldn't tell me how long it
would take to resolve, and when I finally spoke to someone in the SBC
resolution center (they euphamistically call it the "President's office"
to make you feel better), she admitted that DSL might not be
satisfactory for me.  Not because I wanted to host from it, but because
I expected a connection that worked 24/7.

> If
> the local telco will let you nail it up 24x7, without any per minute
> charges, ISDN is worth looking into also.

Which is exactly how I started in 1994.  But then entire universities
were connecte with 56k, so I still had enough bandwidth.

Today however, if you've got an ISDN connection three dialup users
browsing your clients' sites will see a slowdown, one broadband user
will think a site is too slow and perhaps never return, perhaps complain
to your client.

> My experience with this
> outfit is not at all good, thus I can't recomend them, but if SISNA
> works your area they a perfect package - SDSL with a dialup backup.

Are you really recommending a dialup backup for a hosting company?

If you are, the router I bought for home use should be perfect; it's an
SMC Barricade; it cost me $60 on sale, and if the broadband connection
goes down, it automatically dials out through an external modem. 
Sweet.  The only problem is that 30% loss of packets meant the network
was still down, though quite unusable.  So I had to pull the wire
manually to get the automatic dialout to work <wry grin>.  But I add,
this is for HOME use.  Not for hosting.

> Prior to that the installers would walk in here and practially
> mess their pants - I ended doing most all of the configurations for
> them.

I still run in to a lot of these guys.  For people in So. California
looking for their own T-1, I heartily recommend PAJO.  They're great,
and their plan is simple.  And they don't pay me anything <smile>.

Jeff
-- 
Jeff Lasman <jblists@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Linux and Cobalt/Sun/RaQ Consulting
nobaloney.net
P. O. Box 52672, Riverside, CA  92517
voice: (909) 778-9980  *  fax: (702) 548-9484