Re: [SLUG] ADVICE REQUEST: Modem support in mission-critical environments
I have used RedHat Linux 6 and 7 through Cyclades Serial Hubs for a number of years since 1994 using NetComm Modems beginning with their 9600bps modems through to 56K modems. I had about 1000 modems until I replaced them with Cisco 5200s and 5300s. Providing the temperature environment is maintained at room temperature they just work. There are other parameters that you have to take into consideration like telephone line quality. Some lines are noisy than others, Telstra exchanges use different types of multiplexors, and Telstra uses various methods of delivering voice lines to different suburbs. All these affects reliability of your data line as far as uptime is concerned. Because of these you may have to implement different initialisation strings on the server and dialer modems. Bottom line is there are no major issues that I had to be worried about RedHat Linux, Cyclades, and Netcomm Modems. Disclaimers: I have no commercial interest in the Company that manufactures RedHat, Cyclades Serial Cards, and Netcomm Modems whatsoever. No warranty and guarantee is assumed with this info. > Hello, > > One of the customers wants to run Linux Enterprise > Server 3 with several modems attached to it. > > They purchased HP ProLiant DL380 server and > wish to use NetComm modems. > > The issue is that hey wantto have "unbreakable" > evnironment and that modems do not fail > under Linux. > > I have spoken to Netcomm and their official response was > that none of their modem products officially support Linux, > and no drivers and technical support were available for Linux. > > Red Hat offers support for the CDC/ACM driver, which is > classified as "Working". > > >From experience, if a modem is a full hardware based modem > and using serial interface for external modem, then it can be > worked with Linux. > > Only two NetComm modems are full hardware devices: > > AM5698 NetComm Roadster V.92 (serial interface) > AM4068 NetComm Wave V.92 (serial interface) > > The question is: is it worth playing with Linux support for > modems on what customer wants to call mission-critical > server? > > What is you experience? Do you run, or are you aware > of any critical environment where Linux servers are used > with directly-attached (or through a hub, Adaptec for example) > modem pool? > > I know that Linux can work for reasonable use, but the > services that customer have in mind are higly critical and > highly utilised round the clock... > > I welcome and thank you for any comments in advance. > -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
Re: [SLUG] ADVICE REQUEST: Modem support in mission-critical environments
-BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE- Hash: SHA1 if they are just hardware modems then there is no need for 'drivers'. you just initialise it and off you go. its just that windows calls everything 'drivers'. drivers is a strange word anyway, do you need a driver for your cpu?. oh the philosophy of it is mind blowing. i would put linux ahead of windows. my advise would be to be conservative with your install. not throw on the latest kernel straight from CVS and expect 3 year uptimes. im assuming linux enterprise server is a redhat distribution. its sad how windows-esque names are invading the linux world. anyway its all just a kernel, glibc and some random console tools to me. im also a big fan of freebsd on servers. without being flamed too much i usually prefer to run freebsd/openbsd on servers and use linux on my desktops. but thats mainly because i think the bsds are packaged better. you should have no problems running some form of radius or ldap server etc. id pay money youll get closer to a perfect solution on free unix that you would on one of bills crowd Dean VK2COT wrote: | Hello, | | One of the customers wants to run Linux Enterprise | Server 3 with several modems attached to it. | | They purchased HP ProLiant DL380 server and | wish to use NetComm modems. | | The issue is that hey wantto have "unbreakable" | evnironment and that modems do not fail | under Linux. | | I have spoken to Netcomm and their official response was | that none of their modem products officially support Linux, | and no drivers and technical support were available for Linux. | | Red Hat offers support for the CDC/ACM driver, which is | classified as "Working". | |>From experience, if a modem is a full hardware based modem | and using serial interface for external modem, then it can be | worked with Linux. | | Only two NetComm modems are full hardware devices: | | AM5698 NetComm Roadster V.92 (serial interface) | AM4068 NetComm Wave V.92 (serial interface) | | The question is: is it worth playing with Linux support for | modems on what customer wants to call mission-critical | server? | | What is you experience? Do you run, or are you aware | of any critical environment where Linux servers are used | with directly-attached (or through a hub, Adaptec for example) | modem pool? | | I know that Linux can work for reasonable use, but the | services that customer have in mind are higly critical and | highly utilised round the clock... | | I welcome and thank you for any comments in advance. | | Regards, | | Dusan (Amateur Radio VK2COT) -BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE- Version: GnuPG v1.2.4 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Using GnuPG with Thunderbird - http://enigmail.mozdev.org iD8DBQFAo1XZI1HDX08lY+ARAgtHAJ9LLoVXFmbty2J+juU6JibCPxSOkQCeLROY GcJMcowz8zY7MnzVyABQDPI= =0OGa -END PGP SIGNATURE- -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
[SLUG] ADVICE REQUEST: Modem support in mission-critical environments
Hello, One of the customers wants to run Linux Enterprise Server 3 with several modems attached to it. They purchased HP ProLiant DL380 server and wish to use NetComm modems. The issue is that hey wantto have "unbreakable" evnironment and that modems do not fail under Linux. I have spoken to Netcomm and their official response was that none of their modem products officially support Linux, and no drivers and technical support were available for Linux. Red Hat offers support for the CDC/ACM driver, which is classified as "Working". >From experience, if a modem is a full hardware based modem and using serial interface for external modem, then it can be worked with Linux. Only two NetComm modems are full hardware devices: AM5698 NetComm Roadster V.92 (serial interface) AM4068 NetComm Wave V.92 (serial interface) The question is: is it worth playing with Linux support for modems on what customer wants to call mission-critical server? What is you experience? Do you run, or are you aware of any critical environment where Linux servers are used with directly-attached (or through a hub, Adaptec for example) modem pool? I know that Linux can work for reasonable use, but the services that customer have in mind are higly critical and highly utilised round the clock... I welcome and thank you for any comments in advance. Regards, Dusan (Amateur Radio VK2COT) -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
Re: [SLUG] ADVICE REQUEST: Modem support in mission-critical environments
On Wed, May 05, 2004 at 06:55:17PM +1000, David wrote: > > > On Wed, 5 May 2004, VK2COT wrote: > > > Hello, > > > > One of the customers wants to run Linux Enterprise > > Server 3 with several modems attached to it. > > --- snip --- > > > > I welcome and thank you for any comments in advance. > > > It's a dumb requirement. There's no such thing as a machine that never > breaks. If they want it signed in blood, you had better find out > whose blood it's going to be. If it's yours, then drop out quick. > --- snip --- > If it's THAT critical, I would be more worried about hard drives, power > supplies, UPS, phone lines, rats, cockroaches, human operators and > terrorists than I would be about linux. For the record, the netcom that > cooked did so after somebody stacked another modem on top of it. Modem > sandwich :-) Or on the silly side, why not get a cyclades PC400, which is a 30modem pci card that handles ISDN primary or basic (different models). The cards are built for linux in mind. A > -- > SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ > Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html > signature.asc Description: Digital signature -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
Re: [SLUG] ADVICE REQUEST: Modem support in mission-critical environments
On Wed, 5 May 2004, VK2COT wrote: > Hello, > > One of the customers wants to run Linux Enterprise > Server 3 with several modems attached to it. > > They purchased HP ProLiant DL380 server and > wish to use NetComm modems. > > The issue is that hey wantto have "unbreakable" > evnironment and that modems do not fail > under Linux. > > I have spoken to Netcomm and their official response was > that none of their modem products officially support Linux, > and no drivers and technical support were available for Linux. > > Red Hat offers support for the CDC/ACM driver, which is > classified as "Working". > > >From experience, if a modem is a full hardware based modem > and using serial interface for external modem, then it can be > worked with Linux. > > Only two NetComm modems are full hardware devices: > > AM5698 NetComm Roadster V.92 (serial interface) > AM4068 NetComm Wave V.92 (serial interface) > > The question is: is it worth playing with Linux support for > modems on what customer wants to call mission-critical > server? > > What is you experience? Do you run, or are you aware > of any critical environment where Linux servers are used > with directly-attached (or through a hub, Adaptec for example) > modem pool? > > I know that Linux can work for reasonable use, but the > services that customer have in mind are higly critical and > highly utilised round the clock... > > I welcome and thank you for any comments in advance. It's a dumb requirement. There's no such thing as a machine that never breaks. If they want it signed in blood, you had better find out whose blood it's going to be. If it's yours, then drop out quick. I've got two netcom modems that have been going 24/7 for over three years without a glitch. One is pretty much permanently connected, the other is constantly dialled in from different locations. Both are Netcom Roadsters, although I don't recall the model. It isn't mission critical, but it wouldn't have made any difference because it never broke. Another netcom I had literally cooked in about 2 months, and became quite unreliable until I just gave up and bought a new one. I can't see where the linux part has much to do with it. Once I got the original configs sorted I've never had to look at the linux part again. If it's THAT critical, I would be more worried about hard drives, power supplies, UPS, phone lines, rats, cockroaches, human operators and terrorists than I would be about linux. For the record, the netcom that cooked did so after somebody stacked another modem on top of it. Modem sandwich :-) -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
Re: [SLUG] ADVICE REQUEST: Modem support in mission-critical environments
Hey Dusan, Long time no chat. The issue is that you can't have an unbreakable modem under Linux because you can't have an unbreakable modem, because you can't have an unbreakable phone line. What if someone digs up your phone lines? What if the line just drops out, which even with the most reliable modems will happen once every few days? Having said that, Linux will work fine with any of the hardware modems you mentioned. Get used to replacing the modems every few years as they burn out from constant use, and perhaps consider rack modems which are more reliable but cost a lot more. -- Del -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
[SLUG] ADVICE REQUEST: Modem support in mission-critical environments
Hello, One of the customers wants to run Linux Enterprise Server 3 with several modems attached to it. They purchased HP ProLiant DL380 server and wish to use NetComm modems. The issue is that hey wantto have "unbreakable" evnironment and that modems do not fail under Linux. I have spoken to Netcomm and their official response was that none of their modem products officially support Linux, and no drivers and technical support were available for Linux. Red Hat offers support for the CDC/ACM driver, which is classified as "Working". >From experience, if a modem is a full hardware based modem and using serial interface for external modem, then it can be worked with Linux. Only two NetComm modems are full hardware devices: AM5698 NetComm Roadster V.92 (serial interface) AM4068 NetComm Wave V.92 (serial interface) The question is: is it worth playing with Linux support for modems on what customer wants to call mission-critical server? What is you experience? Do you run, or are you aware of any critical environment where Linux servers are used with directly-attached (or through a hub, Adaptec for example) modem pool? I know that Linux can work for reasonable use, but the services that customer have in mind are higly critical and highly utilised round the clock... I welcome and thank you for any comments in advance. Regards, Dusan (Amateur Radio VK2COT) -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
