[ale] BellSouth/ATT DSL

[Jeremy T. Bouse]

Sid Lane wrote:
>     Strangely, if I call up Comcast and tell them that I have Ubuntu
>     when they ask me what version of Windows I am running they are very
>     quick to blame my software (even if 40 minutes of pre-call
>     testing---or the cable modem /itself/---shows that the fault lies
>     with Comcast's network).  They've even blamed my Internet access
>     woes on Ubuntu when their network was in an utter state of outage,
>     which is a bit outrageous to me.
> 
> 
> yea, I've gotten that routine too
> 

	I once went a virtual 20 rounds with SBC/ATT out in San Francisco bay
area when they switched my DSL line to use PPPoE. I had previously been
grandfathered in with my static configuration and not knowing that
requested a larger netblock which resulted in me being moved to PPPoE
(or as they call it "sticky IP"). I was told it was configured and ready
and given a week to move over to the new config. I gave it a shot and it
didn't work so I called back and told them it wasn't working and
questioned whether it was in fact properly configured. This went on for
a week and I then found myself without internet access at all so I
started complaining up the corporate ladder until they finally put me in
touch with one of their "troubleshooters".

	Turned out it was SBC/ATT's fault. First the line wasn't configured to
allow me to be able to reach the access concentrator to even
authenticate over PPPoE. Next the equipment was unable to handle my new
netblock configuration so they were seeing me authenticate but the
connection would not be established. So the troubleshooter got creative.
  I was living in Sunnyvale but close enough that I was going through
the Mountain View CO. He had my DSL line routed from the Mtn View CO to
the Richmond CO over the ATM (over 40-50 miles) and had my DSL line
terminate there. Reconfigured my IP block for Richmond and surprise it
all worked. He had to do that because he didn't have the access to fix
the configuration issue with the Mtn View equipment. But it wasn't
something the ones that maintained the Mtn View equipment were able to
figure out for themselves to have corrected it in a weeks time.

	I put little faith in the tech support personnel regardless of what
operating system you're running. From their POV if it isn't working it's
easier to blame it on the customers equipment than their own, luckily I
have enough networking knowledge to do my own troubleshooting before I
ever start to call them.