Re: (ASCEND) MAX TNT - Is it a good product.

[Jorge Paramo <jorge@tiny.iserv.net>]

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On Sun, 6 Dec 1998, Paul Nazario wrote:

> questions, please answer as many as possible.  The configuration we would 
> run would be using a CT3 card to bring in 56K calls digitally into the
> box.

We are in the process of moving part of one of our POPs into the scenario
you just described. (MultiChassis with DS3 card).  -- I am hoping to make
the transition sometime this week (coordinating things with the telco is
usually not the easiest thing ;)  )-- I will try to post something as to
how the transition was, and how good the TNTs are behaving..  

In the mean time.

We have configured:
	2  TNT Chassis
	1  t3-card, 28 PRIs, 2 NFAS groups
	1  4/1ether-card
	2  192hdlc2-card
	14 48modem-56k-cards
	No OSPF, No RIP
	Version: 2.1.9	

We encountered a little difficulty with the FastEth port (we had a 3-10BT,
1-100BT card on the new config), as the port would go 'dormant' during
random periods causing some disconnects while testing.  This was resolved
by swapping the card with a spare we had frm other config (4-10BT,
1-100BT). 


> - Is Ascend's V.90 code working well?  How is the connect rate and
> sustained rate of 56k calls?

I have not been able to place the box under heavy loads for now, but
several different modems (diff brands, diff speeds) have been able to
connect to it without too much hassle at acceptable speeds.  (I got a
screenshot frm one that captured my attention:  
	http://tiny.iserv.net/technical/tnt-speed.html)


> - Is Ascend's CT3 card stable. 

So far we have not encountred any problems with it. Had some problems at
the begining (one of the NFAS refused to come up, problems with ISDN
calls..) but all were solved by the telco as they found a problem in
translations.  -- I was unable to provide a soft loop on the DS3 for the
telco for testing (I couldn't find the info), but the telco was just as
happy with a hard loop using a 10-B2-T).


> - How well does a TNT which is fully loaded (multishelf system wiht
> 720 digital modems) seem to handle the load?  What bottlenecks appear to
> exist, if any?

I am hoping to find that out in the VERY near future.  So far we have not
been able to find any major bottlenecks.  Have been able to achieve ~6K
downloads.


> - Has the documentation improved any since the Max 4002 days?

They had documentation for the 4002?  ;)  -- I would like to see a little
more detailed info about debugging...


> - What problems does the TNT currently have regarding stability?
> - What other problems exist in the TNT?

One of our TNTs seems to have blown a port slot (the Ether card refused
to work, as it was stuck on a LOAD/POST loop); however, we need to
contact TAC to make sure. -- Besides that minor incident, it has been
behaving fairly decent; it had an uptime of 100+ days (running 2.0.10).

As Jason N. has indicated MANY times, make sure you have the 32M PCMCIA
card for better box performance.

Hope that helps,

Jorge.
- -- 
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Si nos cruzamos por la vida  |  Jorge Paramo   http://tiny.iserv.net
no me preguntes donde voy    |  jorge@iserv.net 
mira mis ojos y adivina      |
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           Jesus saves...but Yzerman gets the rebound!


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