Topic: Aust ADSL errors

[Craig Foster]

I have an e-smith server 4.1.1. setup with an Alcatel External Modem (Not USB) running with Telstra BigPond ADSL. I mainly have two problems...

After a random amount of time, I receive a message in /var/log/messages saying that the link is down and when trying to reconnect it times out with a "PADO timeouts". Therefore the link won't reconnect. A power off / power on quickly rectifies this, but this physically restarting the modem is not very practical.

Secondly, while everything worked well for masq through a modem connection, the ADSL (when working) has a lot of problems with masq. Squid web-browsing works OK, but passive FTP and e-mail have timeout problems. I can tracert from the Win98 machine on the network, but the e-smith machine has problems with timing and resolving the hops. The machine ran as a modem gateway, and I run the admin console to "upgrade" it with another nic and the ADSL connection, so it's likely not something with the machine itself.


Thanks,

Craig Foster.

[Craig Foster]

Just some more info....

from /var/log/messages :-
Mar 22 17:47:30 server adsl-connect: ADSL connection lost; attempting re-connection.
Mar 22 17:47:30 server pppd[11146]: pppd 2.4.0 started by root, uid 0
Mar 22 17:47:30 server pppd[11146]: Using interface ppp0
Mar 22 17:47:30 server pppd[11146]: Connect: ppp0 <--> /dev/pts/0
Mar 22 17:48:01 server pppd[11146]: LCP: timeout sending Config-Requests
Mar 22 17:48:01 server pppd[11146]: Connection terminated.
Mar 22 17:48:05 server pppoe[11147]: Timeout waiting for PADO packets
Mar 22 17:48:05 server pppd[11146]: Exit.
Mar 22 17:48:05 server adsl-connect: ADSL connection lost; attempting re-connection.
Mar 22 17:48:05 server pppd[11149]: pppd 2.4.0 started by root, uid 0
Mar 22 17:48:05 server pppd[11149]: Using interface ppp0
Mar 22 17:48:05 server pppd[11149]: Connect: ppp0 <--> /dev/pts/0
Mar 22 17:48:36 server pppd[11149]: LCP: timeout sending Config-Requests
Mar 22 17:48:36 server pppd[11149]: Connection terminated.
Mar 22 17:48:40 server pppoe[11150]: Timeout waiting for PADO packets
Mar 22 17:48:40 server pppd[11149]: Exit.
Mar 22 17:48:40 server adsl-connect: ADSL connection lost; attempting re-connection.
Mar 22 17:48:40 server pppd[11152]: pppd 2.4.0 started by root, uid 0
Mar 22 17:48:40 server pppd[11152]: Using interface ppp0
Mar 22 17:48:40 server pppd[11152]: Connect: ppp0 <--> /dev/pts/0
Mar 22 17:49:11 server pppd[11152]: LCP: timeout sending Config-Requests
Mar 22 17:49:11 server pppd[11152]: Connection terminated.
Mar 22 17:49:15 server pppoe[11153]: Timeout waiting for PADO packets
Mar 22 17:49:15 server pppd[11152]: Exit.

I've upped the LCP-REQUESTS to 6 and the LCP-TIMEOUT to 120 in /etc/ppp/pppoe.conf as a test. I've also changed the MSS to 1412

Secondly, I can telnet mailserver 110 to my ISP, but whenever I try to read e-mail (TOP 25 99999) it downloads *really slow*. EG after waiting for 5 minutes:-
+OK mailserver.myisp.com.au POP3 server (Post.Office v3.5.3 release 223 with ZPOP
 version 1.0 ID# 0-67499U1500L200S0V35) ready Fri, 23 Mar 2001 10:32:41 +0800
+OK Password required for someuser
+OK Maildrop has 25 messages (1994020 octets)
+OK
1 2281
2 332675
3 2644
4 12231
5 5844
6 30220
7 18008
8 1419
9 1360
10 2139
11 1674
12 88550
13 1627
14 2004
15 10204
16 112395
17 506409
18 1591
19 80695
20 98100
21 2046
22 3456
23 669490
24 4904
25 2054
.
+OK Top 100 lines of message 25
Return-Path: xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Received: xxxxxxxxxxxxx
          by xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Post.Office MTA v3.5.3 release 223
          ID# 0-67499U1500L200S0V35) with ESMTP id au;
          Fri, 23 Mar 2001 10:27:56 +0800
Received: from xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
 (xxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxx.com.au [xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx])
Date: 23 Mar 2001 13:22:04 +1000

[Charlie Brady]

Craig Foster wrote:

> Mar 22 17:47:30 server pppd[11146]: Using interface ppp0
> Mar 22 17:47:30 server pppd[11146]: Connect: ppp0 <-->
> /dev/pts/0
> Mar 22 17:48:01 server pppd[11146]: LCP: timeout sending
> Config-Requests
> Mar 22 17:48:01 server pppd[11146]: Connection terminated.
> Mar 22 17:48:05 server pppoe[11147]: Timeout waiting for PADO
> packets
> Mar 22 17:48:05 server pppd[11146]: Exit.
> Mar 22 17:48:05 server adsl-connect: ADSL connection lost;
> attempting re-connection.

I believe that there are many non-e-smith ADSL customers experiencing difficulties with performance and reliability. I think this is a Telstra problem and not an e-smith problem.

Please send mail to bugs@e-smith.com if you find otherwise.

Regards

Charlie

[Craig Foster]

There are *many* problems with Telstra at the moment, but the bulk of them are over-subscription problems. The bulk of these PADO timeout errors occur during the night, when there's little or no traffic / congestion.

I 'spose I was hoping to hear that its' a known thing, or that it can be fixed by some arcane setting before reporting it to bugs@e-smith.com


Craig Foster

[zac]

hi

i know this sounds silly, but check whether you've got line sync (the line sync light should be a solid green as opposed to flashing) when the connection goes down. i've signed up with pacific.net.au for adsl, and we had the problems at the start (fingers crossed they don't continue).....

so far as i know, pado timeouts are just to do with being unable to connect to the service. perhaps you should recheck all of your telstra settings, maybe they've changed some of them?

also, i heard somewhere that telstra has been experiencing 'brownouts' on their dsl network - this may be causing you grief. ring telstra and find out.

zac

[Beno]

Try using zipworld or pacific.net for your adsl. They give you a static IP number. Bigpond don't. Everybody has problems with telstras adsl network. They cant make it work...

Your machine is probably fine. Tried testing with standard modem connection?

[Craig Foster]

Postscript:-

Everything works fine now... The modem *was* faulty, as I had the chance to play with the Alcatel Speed Touch Pro (plus some other slight bios mods and everything went well. Telstra then took the Pro and replaced our old Speed Touch Home with a new one.

A warning for those looking to ADSL - put in a new line if you have a Commander system (Aussies know what this is) or PABX system. Even if the wires are supposed to be separate but still go in the same box, get the installers to rip 'em out and connect direct. It saves a lot of headaches as well


Craig Foster