[lug] OT: ATT Broadband service interruptions?

[Fred Robinson]

Can't say I've seen this exact problem, but it sounds like an RF tuning
problem in your cable plant.  The RF is ranging which is causing your modem
to lose connectivity.  I would call AT&T and tell them there is an RF
problem in your neighborhood.  And it is possible that it is an isolated
problem with your cable run and your cable run may require more attenuation
to "tune" it properly.

And yes, your modem can be rebooted from the headend (from the Cable Modem
Termination System, CMTS), but that's not what's happening here.

Fred Robinson
Operator, SIPFusion

558 Copperdale Ln.
Golden, CO 80403
fred.robinson at sipfusion.com
office: 303.642.8061
mobile: 720.272.5201


-----Original Message-----
From: lug-admin at lug.boulder.co.us [mailto:lug-admin at lug.boulder.co.us]On
Behalf Of John Dollison
Sent: Monday, October 28, 2002 10:39 PM
To: lug at lug.boulder.co.us
Subject: [lug] OT: ATT Broadband service interruptions?


This isn't exactly Linux related, but you guys are more computer-savvy than
95% of the local Windows users.....

I'm on the AT&T Broadband service, and lately I've been having lots of
problems connecting to various websites.  I thought I was having a hardware
problem with my cable modem, but I just got off the chat-line with AT&T's
support guy, and he says it's a Network Operations Center problem.  Normally
I'd believe him, but this problem seems odd to me.  I'd like some feedback
from you guys.

Here are the details:

My home setup is two computers (both are dual-boot Linux and Windows)
connected to an SMC Barricade router, which connects to my cable modem.

I have an RCA DCM215 cable-modem which I've leased from AT&T for about 2
years now.  I noticed a long time ago that it will go into a hard-reset if
you bump it, exactly as if someone had pulled the power and then plugged it
back in again - all the lights go out, then come back on, one-by-one, until
the signal is re-aquired and service is restored.  So I always figured there
was a loose wire inside, but never bothered to call tech support about it.
(Also, I'm on a TrippLite UPS, so I believe my 115V power is stable.)

Over the past week or two, the problem has started occuring on its own,
without any "bumping" of the modem; but it seems to happen especially when
I'm trying to use Outlook to access my various e-mail accounts and
newsgroups.  It's now occuring several times a day.  I've never heard of any
software command that AT&T (or anyone else) could send to make the modem do
a hard reset, so I figured the modem was just getting ready to die on me.  I
got on the AT&T support website and talked to one of their reps, but he
insists it's not a hardware problem.  I asked if their network was under
attack, and he said no.  He did a tracert to my IP, and says there's a long
delay at my end, indicating a problem in the local network, but NOT at my
modem or PC.

So what gives?  Has anyone else seen problems on ATT Broadband?

Thanks,
John D


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