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[weezer]

Been chugging along quite fine on a 3.5 meg profile, connection rate 4064 kbps for some time using st 585 v6 with the older tweakable firmware. Today however I noticed a loss of connection and discovered line stats now at 288 up 2272 down, fixed 2 meg profile. Also, although the characters are mangled for the remote vendor id, they too have changed from 4 small squares to some greek character    TMMB / µ.
Might this indicate someones been tinkering at my exchange and borked my profile?
ISP is Eclipse, no problems at all in 10 months, so I've got to wait for their ticketing system to respond but any ideas welcome.

[kitz]

The change of remote vendor id would seem to indicate a change of DSLAM/MSAN.

In the past Eclipse have "stealth" transferred users over from BTw dslams to other wholesalers, so its a possibility that this is what has occurred, although you shouldnt have been moved to a fixed rate product if this is the case.
Can you still log into the BT Test login to see if youre still on the BTw network.

[weezer]

Thanks Kitz, no, can't log in at all. Downstream attenuation has also changed from 56 to 54, not a lot I know but still...
Assuming I've been moved off BT's network does this mean my line has to be retrained again when/if I ever get back to adsl max?

[orainsear]

If you are using firmware 6.1.4.3 there is a possibility that it may not reporting the correct hardware at the DSLAM.  I have noticed that using a 585v6 with firmware 6.1.4.3 I get the µ (ST Micro) symbol for the DSLAM hardware.  If I plug in a Draytek or Speedtouch 608wl with the latest firmware it is reported as TSTC (Texas Instruments).

I haven't tried the 585v6 with newer firmware, basically because it's a bit of a pain to downgrade.

[weezer]

Yes it is that firmware but in the months I've been using it the remote ID has stayed the same strange character which I know is for alcatel chipset, it's just today since the downgrade to adsl I've noticed this other character.
Oh well, will use this opportunity to monitor my snr margin to see if the apparent change in chipset makes a difference.

[kitz]

>> Thanks Kitz, no, can't log in at all.

 

Another test to try is see if you can access the BTw performance test which previously would have told you your IPprofile.

Its looking a bit like you've been moved to LLU or perhaps tiscali datastream which I believe Eclipse may sometimes use.

Whilst trying logins you could see if rather than the BT platform, you can log into tiscali's platform
http://www.kitz.co.uk/isp/tiscali_llu.htm

[weezer]

No Tiscali LLU in my exchange, will try logging onto the Tiscali checker once kids have finished doing what they do online 

Trying the BT speedtest, whereas before I got either just configured throughput or this :

Test1 comprises of Best Effort Test:  -provides background information.
    Your DSL connection rate: 4032 kbps(DOWN-STREAM),  448 kbps(UP-STREAM)
    IP profile for your line is - 3500 kbps
    Actual IP throughput achieved during the test was - 3228 kbps

I now get redirected to a speedtester application and get this :

The speed test has completed on test server speedtester1.nat.bt.com for user xxxxxx and you have downloaded a 1.7Mb file at a speed of

 208 kilo bits per second (Kbps), your service bandwidth will have been quoted to you in kilo bits per second.

Your IP address is 91.84.xx.xx, your browser is reported as being Mozilla 5.0 and is running on X11 Linux i686.

BT would regard the speed ranges shown below as normal service:

     For 250kbps End Users speeds between 50 - 250kbps.
     For 500kbps End Users speeds between 100 - 500kbps.
     For 1000kbps End Users speeds between 200 - 1000kbps.
     For 2000kbps End Users speeds between 400 - 2000kbps.

[kitz]

I now get redirected to a speedtester application and get this :

The speed test has completed on test server speedtester1.nat.bt.com for user xxxxxx and you have downloaded a 1.7Mb file at a speed of

 208 kilo bits per second (Kbps), your service bandwidth will have been quoted to you in kilo bits per second.

Hmm  a chance that you are still on the BTw platform then....  but for some strange reason you do indeed appear to have been moved over to a 2Mb fixed line.
That is the sort of result you would expect to see on a fixed rate line as it doesnt provide an IPprofile..   but saying that so would something called
BT IPStream Max - Capped Rate Profile 2000.

I'm afraid you are going to have to chuck this one back to your ISP stating that you believe you have inadvertently been moved to either fixed rate 2Mb product and can they please sort it.

[weezer]

Well got onto "technical support" and although at first they denied all knowledge of any changes grudging agreed that I had indeed been migrated over to Tiscali's datastream. Weren't going to budge until I started quoting vendor IDs and upstream/downstream rates etc..
From couldn't see a problem it went to there's been quite a few problems recently with these migrations!
Now I have to wait for Tiscali to get their finger out.
Only 3 months to go though and I'm free. Only LLU here is Orange and Talktalk, no way, and every other exchange in Aberdeen is getting Be this month apart from mine, balgownie.
Onward and upward 

Edit: What's different about datastream? Does it work the same way with profiles etc.?

[kitz]

Datastream is similar to IPStream in that BTs ATM backhaul is still used to transport traffic to something called a PoP (Point of Prescense), which is where it joins the Tiscali network.
The PoP location depends on the ISP setup and location. 

The main difference is that with IPStream the ATM backhaul generally consists of a "pipe segment" when transports traffic from all the various IPStream ISPs which arent segregated until they have traversed the Colussus network.

With DataStream the ISP rents a VP of a fixed bandwith size for their own traffic. - Actually Im begining to repeat myself - have a read of IPStream -v- Datastream

Yes it has the equivalent of the IPStream products I mentioned above - only surprisingly its called Datastream Capped Rate Profile 2000...  and Datastream Maxdsl also has a DLM process and IPprofile.

[weezer]

Thanks for that Kitz, very lazy of me. Should have known there'd be the info I required if I looked myself
Anyway, last question, support suggested my line characteristics should remain the same as what they were before when I get put onto max again, how do you think snr margins etc.. will respond. Was on downstream 9 db before.

[kitz]

Yes they should end up similar.
However you will have to recommence a new 10 day training period which will set the characteristics of your line.

[weezer]

Thanks again, will post relevant line stats once I'm up and running again on datamax for comparisons sake.

[weezer]

Got put data max this p.m..
Current line stats are :

Bandwidth (Up/Down) [kbps/kbps]:   448 / 4,320
Line Attenuation (Up/Down) [dB]:   31.5 / 54.0
SN Margin (Up/Down) [dB]:   16.0 / 8.5


before on Ipstream:

Bandwidth (Up/Down) 448 / 4,128
Line Attenuation (Up/Down) dB: 31.5 / 56.0
SN Margin (Up/Down) dB: 17.0 / 8.5

Seems ok so far, not much harm done.

[weezer]

Just a quick update in case anyones interested, FEC errors after 12 hours 60,956,219
Before transfer, maybe 100,000 per day.