[TelstraClear] LLC or VC-Mux or what??

Forums › One New Zealand (including Vodafone, WxC, Farmside) › [TelstraClear] LLC or VC-Mux or what??

jpolapop

14 posts

Geek

#53843 14-Dec-2009 11:15

(Sorry the 1st post didn't go through some how)

I've long suspected that the on-going saga of connection type (or multiplexing) setting on your modem is not a client issue but a TCL one.

Basically (one day or several days or even several times in one day) alternate between LLC or Mux-VC settings to get internet connection again.

TCL have told me this is now a 'known issue' and have added my case to others.

They further state that "currently awaiting new line profiles to be added" and "rolled out on 4 exchanges, we are currently testing this"

If you have this problem then place a complaint with TCL.

ohpersven

27 posts

Geek

#282373 14-Dec-2009 16:49

90% of the connections I've seen have been typical DSL faults and nothing to do with the new network.

Yes there are issues when the connection is dropping it can take awhile to be re-established or sometimes be locked out for a lengthy period(this can be fixed, but if the root problem is not fixed, it will re-occur and often).
But the problem is rarely directly related to the equipment.

VC-Mux/LLC both work as the ISAM is configured to use either option.

If you are experiencing issues, go through the basics, check over everything and isolate as best as possible, this will save you much time and frustration, as doing it with support rep's can be annoying.

If the problem is still occurring and just as bad, log a fault and if the problem IS related to the network, then you have to live with the problem till a proper fix is implemented.

If you've already done all this and your not getting anywhere, drop me a PM and I'll look into it for you.
But don't expect anything magical, I'm not a wizard, just a pawn.

jpolapop

14 posts

Geek

#282475 14-Dec-2009 21:25

I've been through all the checks and I've spoken with Tech support several times since this started Nov, and your complaints department will probably know me by now.

From my perspective I never had problems before we got changed over to the 'new network' and you can put it down to coincidence if you like.

However, after persisting with my complaint I've been advised by TCL that my issue is not unique to me, you seem to be implying the converse.

I'm presuming you work for TCL so may be you could enlighten me or outline what exactly the issue is and whether the fix that your Customer Complaint Dept is referring to will actually work?
i.e. 'new line profiles' and roll out to '4 exchanges'

ohpersven

27 posts

Geek

#282677 15-Dec-2009 13:16

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying your issue is due to your CPE, merely double checking the basics as I'm not familiar with what you've already done etc.

If that is what has been told to you, that is the case.
They are testing many changes to get your connection as well as others up to a satisfactory level.

Nothing to do at this stage but wait for these to go through.
Last I heard changes were made over the weekend and last night even.

I'm sure the Complaints dept. will take care of you and once the issue is resolved you'll be reimbursed for everything etc.

jpolapop

14 posts

Geek

#282692 15-Dec-2009 13:43

Thanks for the concern.

ohpersven

27 posts

Geek

#282700 15-Dec-2009 13:58

Np man, I just wish I could fix it for ya :)

eXDee

4032 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#282711 15-Dec-2009 14:28

ohpersven:VC-Mux/LLC both work as the ISAM is configured to use either option.

Just wanting to jump in here with a question about this

Is it better to use "LLC/SNAP" or "VC Mux"? connected to a whisper cabinet so i assume it supports both. Will one have advantages over the other in terms of stability, latency or speed?

ohpersven

27 posts

Geek

#282740 15-Dec-2009 15:26

eXDee:
ohpersven:VC-Mux/LLC both work as the ISAM is configured to use either option.

Just wanting to jump in here with a question about this

Is it better to use "LLC/SNAP" or "VC Mux"? connected to a whisper cabinet so i assume it supports both. Will one have advantages over the other in terms of stability, latency or speed?

Unless you're on the new LLU network, VC-Mux will have to do.

Some info I found for ya:
PPPOA or PPPoA, Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) over ATM, is a network protocol for encapsulating PPP frames in ATM AAL5. It is used mainly with cable modem, DSL and ADSL services.

It offers standard PPP features such as authentication, encryption, and compression. If it is used as the connection encapsulation method on an ATM based network it can reduce overhead slightly (around 0.58%) in comparison to PPPoE. It also avoids the issues that PPPoE suffers from, related to having a MTU lower than that of standard Ethernet transmission protocols. It also supports (as does PPPoE) the encapsulation types: VC-MUX and LLC based.

PPPoA is specified in RFC 2364.

Virtual Circuit Multiplexing or VC-MUX is a form of network traffic control. It is used in situations where multiplexing is preferable to switching. Multiplexing is used when there's a need to transport multiple data streams over a single data link. VC-MUX is commonly used in conjunction with PPPoE and PPPoA. Which are used in various xDSL implementations.

According to the IEEE 802 family of standards (Ethernet, WiFi, etc), in VC Multiplexing (VC-MUX), each ATM Virtual Circut (VC) carries PDUs of exactly one protocol type. When multiple protocols need to be transported, there is a separate VC for each.

Advantages:

* VC multiplexing tends to reduce fragmentation overhead (e.g., an IPV4 datagram containing a TCP control packet with neither IP nor TCP options exactly fits into a single cell).

According to the IEEE 802 family of standards, Logical Link Control (LLC) is the upper sublayer of the OSI data link layer. The LLC is the same for the various physical media (such as Ethernet, token ring, and WLAN).

The LLC sublayer is primarily concerned with:

* Multiplexing protocols transmitted over the MAC layer (when transmitting) and demultiplexing them (when receiving).
* Optionally providing flow control and detection and retransmission of dropped packets, if requested.

The protocol used in IEEE 802 networks and in some non-IEEE 802 networks such as FDDI for LLC is specified by the IEEE 802.2 standard.

Some non-IEEE 802 protocols can be thought of as being split into MAC and LLC layers. For example, while HDLC specifies both MAC functions (framing of packets) and LLC functions (protocol multiplexing, flow control, and detection and retransmission of dropped packets), some protocols such as Cisco HDLC can use HDLC-like packet framing and their own LLC protocol.

PPPoE, Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet, is a network protocol for encapsulating PPP frames in Ethernet frames. It is used mainly with ADSL services. It offers standard PPP features such as authentication, encryption, and compression. Unfortunately it has an MTU lower than that of standard Ethernet which can sometimes cause problems with badly configured firewalls.

PPPoE is a tunneling protocol which allows layering IP, or other protocols that run over PPP, over a connection between two Ethernet ports, but with the software features of a PPP link, so it is used to virtually "dial" to another Ethernet machine and make a point to point connection with it, which is then used to transport IP packets, based on the features of PPP.

It allows the use of traditional PPP-based software to handle a connection which does not use a serial line, but a packet-oriented network like Ethernet, to provide a classical connection with login and password for Internet connection accounting. Also, the IP address on the other side of the link is only assigned when the PPPoE connection is open, allowing the dynamic reuse of IP addresses.

PPPoE was developed by UUNET, Redback Networks, and RouterWare. The protocol is specified in RFC 2516.