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Path: sserve!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!simtel!news.kei.com!news.mathworks.com!news.alpha.net!usenet From: Dick@Seaman.Chenequa.WI.US (Richard Seaman, Jr.) Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.bsdi.misc Subject: Re: ISDN Support Date: 13 May 1995 13:34:11 GMT Organization: Alpha.net -- Milwaukee, WI Lines: 51 Message-ID: <3p2cgj$qbf@homer.alpha.net> References: <D8HrLr.BnG@emr1.emr.ca> Reply-To: Dick@Seaman.Chenequa.WI.US(Richard Seaman, Jr.) NNTP-Posting-Host: spro.seaman.quaestus.com X-Newsreader: IBM NewsReader/2 v1.09 In <D8HrLr.BnG@emr1.emr.ca>, jjanarth@emr1.emr.ca (Jay Janarthanan) writes: >Can some one tell me if BSDI support ISDN yet, I do not want to go out >and buy a 2000$ router, Also ISDN cost less then 56k from the telco. I don't know anything about BSDI support for internal PC cards. But, you have several choices for external support. 1) Buy an external async ISDN Terminal Adaptor and plug it into a RS232 serial port on the PC. Looks and acts just like a modem, except faster. 2) Buy an external sync ISDN TA, some of which output V35 and some RS232 sync. I believe BSDI does support at least one sync serial card (Riscom). 3) Buy an ISDN ethernet bridge or router. Of course, there's nothing specific to any OS about these. I understand that if you want to try to save money by buying the "single user" or "restricted user" versions of some of the ethernet bridges/routers, you can just add an ethernet board to your PC, connect the bridge/router to it directly with cross-over cable, and then use your BSDI machine to route a LAN. Might save a few bucks over the "unlimited user" ethernet stuff, which is normally $300 to sometimes more than $1000 more expensive than the single user stuff. These would appear to listed on order of increasing performance (and price). Option 1 should cost less than $500 per end. Also, you can get option 2 TAs for just under $500, then ranging up to around $900. Option 3 starts at around $750 and goes up to around $1300. BTW, there appear to be "unlimited user" ISDN ethernet routers with street prices less than $1,250, so thats less than the $2,000 router you were thinking about. Also, ISDN tariffs are tricky and vary greatly area to area. Here in Wisconsin, you can get ISDN lines that you can use at 128kbps (by bonding 2 B channels) for prices ranging from about $35/end/month to over $1500/end/month depending on what tariffs are applicable. When we setup our ISDN lines intially the orders got all screwed up. We ordered (we thought) lines that would give us unlimited usage for around $35/month. Instead we go the tariffs that would cost us $1500/month for 7/24 useage. It is supposedly fixed now. But, my advice is, watch it all carefully. In some parts of the country, you may not be able to get flat rate ISDN. Check business vs. residential vs. centrex. Also, for each, check the difference between circuit switch voice and circuit switched data configurations. Somtimes, if CSD has per minute charges, CSV may not. Some ISDN equipment will do data over CSV, though you may only get 56kbps instead of 64kbps per B channel. Richard Seaman, Jr. Dick@Seaman.Chenequa.WI.US 5182 North Maple Lane voice: 414-367-5450 Chenequa, WI 53058 fax: 414-367-5852