FAQs - Dial-up ISDN

Both B channels are connecting but everything is extremely slow – what is wrong?

Check to make sure that your ISDN line speed matches that of your local telephone company. The B channel line speed should be 64Kbps in all cases – under certain conditions the telephone company may provision your circuit, or circuits within its network at 56Kbps. If this is the case your 64K connection will not work properly. To troubleshoot this, temporarily change your line speed within your ISDN router to 56K. If everything works up to speed again, then the phone company has changed the provisioning on your circuit – you should call them and report the trouble on your line. Please contact support@cyberlynk.net for more information/help.

Can I talk on the phone and be on the Internet at once with a single ISDN line?

Absolutely! That's part of the magic of ISDN: since both B-channels can be used for different purposes, you can use one to talk on the phone (assuming that your ISDN modem has POTS ports) and use the other channel to go on-line! This will however temporarily limit your bandwidth to 64kbps since you will only be using one B-Channel for the Internet. Most TA's have the ability to automatically resume the Internet connection on your second channel after you're done talking. Certain ISDN Adapters are capable of some neat tricks. For example, Some will disconnect the second B-channel if a call comes in. That means, if you log into our system with both channels (to surf the net at 128kbps) and a call comes in on the ISDN line, the Adapter will drop one of the B-channels (bringing your Internet connection down to 64kbps) and ring the phone that's connected to your Adapters POTS ports. When you hang up, the Adapter will automatically bring you back to 128kbps on the Internet.

Do I need a special modem to call CyberLynk through an ISDN line?
	Yes, you will. Most of our ISDN customers purchase an ISDN modem from CyberLynk so we can support and configure the modem. If you purchase your modem through a consultant and that consultant configures the ISDN modem and installs it, CyberLynk can do very little when troubleshooting connection problems should they arise.

Do you have a local access number for my area? Do you have an 800 number I can access from any location?
	To search for a local dialup phone number please go to http://phonelist.cyberlynk.net and search for a number in your area. CyberLynk offers Toll Free Dialup Service for access when your outside of local dialup coverage area. Please email support@cyberlynk.net and request a Toll Free to be setup.

How can I change my password?
	If you want to change your password, please contact CyberLynk Support. You can also send an email to support@cyberlynk.net requesting to have your password changed. Be sure to include username(s) and a detailed description of what you would like done.

How fast is an ISDN line?

A standard ISDN line carries two separate channels of information, known as B-channels. Each B-channel can operate as fast as 64kbps (more than twice as fast as a normal 28.8kpbs modem). If you use both channels to connect with CyberLynk, the speed of the connection would be 128kbps, almost two and a half times faster than a 56kbps modem. Not only that, but ISDN service, because it is digital, doesn't suffer from line noise potentially slowing it down like on analog modems.

I am trying to dial-in, but the system keeps asking me to verify my user name and password.
	This means that you have typed your username and/or password incorrectly. If you cannot remember your username and/or password please contact CyberLynk support.

I just got my phone bill and it shows that I made over 2000 calls this month – how is this possible?

Again, this comes under the ‘usage habits’ heading – if you have your computer set to check for mail every 30 minutes and we have our inactivity timeout set to 20 minute, you could see this on your phone bill! Think of it this way – you have your ISDN modem configured to connect with both B channels; you also have your computer set to check for mail every half hour. Your E-mail check causes an ISDN connection to be made with both B channels, your mail is downloaded (takes less than 2 minutes) – now the idle timeout starts – after 20 minutes our network disconnects you. Eight minutes later your computer initiates an E-mail check again – another call is made to CyberLynk and the cycle repeats. In this way you are making an ISDN call every 30 minutes with both B channels – this equates to 48 double B channel calls per day or 96 total calls per day because you are using both B channels. This totals 2880 calls per month – if you are paying $.10 per call this would total $288 in usage charges on your phone bill. If you have an ISDN router and it is configured with a shorter inactivity timeout, this number may be higher depending on other usage habits. Please contact support@cyberlynk.net for more information/help.

I'm getting an "Illegal Operation"... but I haven't done anything illegal! Also, I'm getting a GPF (General Protection Fault), or Invalid Page Fault. What am I doing wrong?

You're not doing anything wrong; an Illegal Operation error, a GPF error, or an Invalid Page Fault indicates that a program that you are running in Windows has crashed... and not that you were doing anything against the law. Below are the first three steps to try to eliminate these types of errors: 1. Make sure that you are running only software that is necessary for the operation of the program that is crashing. Screen savers, anti-virus scanners or anything else that is running at the same time as the program that is crashing could be causing the problems. In Windows 3.1, you can hit [CTRL][ESC] to bring up the list of programs running, and in Windows95/98/NT4, you can do the same by pressing [CTRL][ALT][DEL]. 2. Uninstall and reinstall the software. Often crashes can be due to corruption in one of the program's files, or caused by an incorrect configuration file -- reloading your software will restore the original settings, and hopefully eliminate the crashes. Be sure to back up any special information in that software before uninstalling, of course. 3. If the software isn't software distributed by CyberLynk, send a problem report to your software manufacturer -- they'd be able to give you detailed information on the problem, which we would not be able to.

Is there expandability beyond 128Kbps with ISDN?

Unfortunately no – at least not with the normal BRI circuit that is used for Internet connectivity. There are two Bearer channels (B) with a capacity of 56Kbps or 64Kbps each depending on the Telephone company – in CyberLynk coverage area ISDN B channels are 64Kbps each. By bonding the two channels together using a protocol called ‘Multilink Protocol’ or MP, we are able to make use of a connection that appears as a single 128Kbps path. Through compression a user should be able to actual transfers in excess of 500Kbps – remember that most files including graphics are already compressed!

Should both B channels be connected all of the time?

Depending on how your router is configured it may, or may not connect with both B channels. The preferred configuration would have the initial connection maintained through just one B channel. The second B channel would then connect as needed – meaning that as bandwidth needs increased the second channel would connect, and as bandwidth needs decreased the second channel would disconnect. Of course this configuration would incur more connection charges as the second channel connected and disconnected on demand.

The dialup/ISDN phone number I'm dialing into is busy.
	Please go to http://phonelist.cyberlynk.net and use the prefered phone number from the search.

We have an ISDN router that is configured for ‘bandwidth on demand’, what does this mean?

As mentioned earlier, most ISDN routers and modems have the capability to connect initially with only one B channel and then as needed connect and disconnect the second channel. There are typically settings within your ISDN device that allow you to set the levels at which the second channel comes up and goes down. It is important to note that the factory settings are usually not defined in a way that will ensure a minimal phone bill for you – the thresholds are set too tight causing the unit to connect and disconnect unnecessarily increasing your connection charges. Using 75% for the up setting and 25% for the down setting should be a good place to start. You will have to watch the ISDN router or modem to see just how it is connecting and disconnecting – fine tune it to your satisfaction! Contact support@cyberlynk.net for more information/help.

What are CyberLynk's DNS servers?
	CyberLynk maintains 2 DNS server's: ns1.cyberlynk.net = 206.54.254.3 ns2.cyberlynk.net = 206.54.254.15

What if I run something on my computer to keep the connection active indefinitely?

Under the terms of our Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) the customer cannot artificially keep the connection open. This includes running mail clients that check for mail in such a fashion that it fools the inactivity timeout mechanism. After 10 hours CyberLynk will disconnect any connection, as this is the maximum session length. As stated in CyberLynk’s AUP - any customer account that exceeds the average of 10 hours per day on a monthly basis will be considered a dedicated connection and will be billed accordingly.

What is a "cookie"?

A cookie is a small piece of information sent to your browser which contains information about preferences you've set on a web site. For example, if you go to an on-line bookstore and put 3 books in your cart but then decide that you want to purchase those books later, the web site will send a cookie to your browser with information on what books you selected. When you visit that site again, the cookie will be sent back to the site, and the site will display "where you left off." While some have theorized that cookies may be being used to track information on your actions on a web site for advertisement or monitoring purposes, cookies can be considered a valuable and harmless tool for web sites to use for "saving your settings" for a particular page.

What is a SPID?

The Telco assigns you 2 SPID's (Service Profile Identifier) since your ISDN has 2 channels, this identifies your location so a call's data packets can be routed to you. You need to set up your ISDN equipment to use the SPID's SNET assigns you after you order your ISDN line (please see the material that came with your ISDN equipment for help). An ISDN SPID has the format: area code, ISDN phone number, 0101. For example, a typical SPID looks like: 26288410880101.

What is ISDN?
	ISDN stands for "Integrated Services Digital Network" and is a replacement or addition to telephone lines you may already have in place in your location. ISDN is a type of phone service which is completely digital.

When I visit a web site, new information doesn't show even though I know it's been changed.

Netscape and Internet Explorer both cache (pronounced "cash") the web pages you visit; meaning that they store the pages on your hard drive so that if you visit the page again later, the program will be able to load the page quickly off of your hard drive instead of slowly through your modem. However, you may find that there is a case where you'll see the cached copy of the web site even though the page has changed: click on the reload button in your browser, and the newer version of the page will appear. If that does not work, you should be able to clear the disk and memory cache or remove the temporary internet files by going into the preferences of your web browser. Restart the web browser and try going to the page again.

Why are my ISDN costs so high every month? I thought that it was supposed to be less than $50 per month from Ameritech.

The phone companies charge connection fees on an ISDN line. Each call will incur a connection charge of between $.04 and $.10 per B channel. A common ISDN BRI circuit has 2 B channels so depending on your configuration you may see a charge for just one B channel per call, or in most cases a charge for both B channels on each call. The actual rate per call will depend on whether the account is residential or business and if there is a contract in place. In Illinois there is also a per-minute charge associated with ISDN! Depending on which ‘band’ your call is from you can expect to see $.015 to $.105 per minute per B channel. It is best to check with your local telephone company to determine your ISDN charges ahead of time. If you are setup for the BussinessLynk ISDN and your phone bill is still very high please contact support@cyberlynk.net. This type of connection an always on connection.

Why do I get a "DNS" or "Host not found" error?

A DNS error indicates that your web browser could not look up the numeric equivalent (IP address) of the text address (Domain or URL) that was entered into the location box or in the link you clicked on. This could be for several reasons: 1. The address of the site was misspelled by the person entering it in the Location blank, or by the person who set up the link. 2. You are actually not connected to the Internet, and so the address couldn't be found. Some dialers, especially the Windows 95/98 are particularly prone to not dialing in automatically. If this happens, try dialing in with your dialer utility before running your Internet Broswer. 3. You have the DNS server addresses entered incorrectly in your dialer configuration. Check the configuration of your dialer (the program you use to connect to the Internet) and make sure the DNS information is correct.

Why is there an inactivity timeout on my ISDN account?

All ISP’s offer dial-on-demand ISDN on the principle that the ISDN lines will be shared by multiple customers. Just like regular dial-up service, a certain realistic user to modem ratio is maintained. This means that in order for other customers to have access to the ISDN circuits, customers that are not using their connection will be disconnected after a certain period of inactivity. At CyberLynk this period is 20 minutes.