From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Fri Jun 5 06:04:42 2009 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 0105A106566B for ; Fri, 5 Jun 2009 06:04:42 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from m.seaman@infracaninophile.co.uk) Received: from smtp.infracaninophile.co.uk (gate6.infracaninophile.co.uk [IPv6:2001:8b0:151:1::1]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 1FC1F8FC13 for ; Fri, 5 Jun 2009 06:04:40 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from m.seaman@infracaninophile.co.uk) Received: from happy-idiot-talk.infracaninophile.co.uk (localhost [IPv6:::1]) (authenticated bits=0) by smtp.infracaninophile.co.uk (8.14.3/8.14.3) with ESMTP id n5564XEi017675; Fri, 5 Jun 2009 07:04:34 +0100 (BST) (envelope-from m.seaman@infracaninophile.co.uk) X-DKIM: Sendmail DKIM Filter v2.8.2 smtp.infracaninophile.co.uk n5564XEi017675 DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=simple/simple; d=infracaninophile.co.uk; s=200708; t=1244181874; bh=5ncmpSrg3hXA+SyVYOP5xnS4WiCLC7VmOAYS5Nw1eBs=; h=Message-ID:Date:From:MIME-Version:To:CC:Subject:References: In-Reply-To:Content-Type:Cc:Content-Type:Date:From:In-Reply-To: Message-ID:Mime-Version:References:To; z=Message-ID:=20<4A28B56A.7000406@infracaninophile.co.uk>|Date:=20F ri,=2005=20Jun=202009=2007:04:26=20+0100|From:=20Matthew=20Seaman= 20|Organization:=20Infracaninophi le|User-Agent:=20Thunderbird=202.0.0.21=20(X11/20090420)|MIME-Vers ion:=201.0|To:=20Reid=20Linnemann=20 |CC:=20Mark=20Hartkemeyer=20,=20freebsd-questi ons@freebsd.org|Subject:=20Re:=20ISP=20questions|References:=20<40 96aedd0906040923p6288e319ia083f47c7ccc29e1@mail.gmail.com>=20<4A28 1AB8.5030004@cs.okstate.edu>|In-Reply-To:=20<4A281AB8.5030004@cs.o kstate.edu>|X-Enigmail-Version:=200.95.6|Content-Type:=20multipart /signed=3B=20micalg=3Dpgp-sha256=3B=0D=0A=20protocol=3D"applicatio n/pgp-signature"=3B=0D=0A=20boundary=3D"------------enigBC02C35197 87C5CC9CDCA667"; b=a9yZhO/UpZsHSEKRtdJFwkXOznkbezsyxLiBobDuG9hV6wftlh5HvMoUmKtnUx036 sr5QzA3x6OwmRt+hugVlIYDLQbT4j1zltPpDKpyfn87adVCUWK1sFaI999H8OHFi3L 6RZsr8NRe8wl9C2YQHMRFUY6GFYmClPOo6cKpuss= X-Authentication-Warning: happy-idiot-talk.infracaninophile.co.uk: Host localhost [IPv6:::1] claimed to be happy-idiot-talk.infracaninophile.co.uk Message-ID: <4A28B56A.7000406@infracaninophile.co.uk> Date: Fri, 05 Jun 2009 07:04:26 +0100 From: Matthew Seaman Organization: Infracaninophile User-Agent: Thunderbird 2.0.0.21 (X11/20090420) MIME-Version: 1.0 To: Reid Linnemann References: <4096aedd0906040923p6288e319ia083f47c7ccc29e1@mail.gmail.com> <4A281AB8.5030004@cs.okstate.edu> In-Reply-To: <4A281AB8.5030004@cs.okstate.edu> X-Enigmail-Version: 0.95.6 Content-Type: multipart/signed; micalg=pgp-sha256; protocol="application/pgp-signature"; boundary="------------enigBC02C3519787C5CC9CDCA667" X-Virus-Scanned: clamav-milter 0.95.1 at happy-idiot-talk.infracaninophile.co.uk X-Virus-Status: Clean X-Spam-Status: No, score=-3.0 required=5.0 tests=AWL,BAYES_00,DKIM_SIGNED, DKIM_VERIFIED,NO_RELAYS autolearn=ham version=3.2.5 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.2.5 (2008-06-10) on happy-idiot-talk.infracaninophile.co.uk Cc: Mark Hartkemeyer , freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: ISP questions X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Fri, 05 Jun 2009 06:04:42 -0000 This is an OpenPGP/MIME signed message (RFC 2440 and 3156) --------------enigBC02C3519787C5CC9CDCA667 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Reid Linnemann wrote: > Written by Mark Hartkemeyer on 06/04/09 11:23>> >> I'm pretty new to FreeBSD and was reading part of Greg Lehey's The >> Complete FreeBSD 4th Edition. I found the section on ISPs in chapter >> 18 really interesting. I put some of his recommended questions to my >> ISP, Cincinnati Bell's Zoomtown. I think I talked to three or four >> people before I even got some of them answered. >> >> Here are some of the questions and answers: >> >> 1. What speed connections do you offer? >> 5MBps upload/5MBps download (she said bytes, but should it be bits= ?) >> 768kBps >> >> 2. Can you supply a static IP address? At what cost? >> Yes, $49.95/month for the whole Internet package >> >> 3. How many hops are there to the backbone? >> "It depends on the site you're trying to reach." (I think they >> misunderstood what I meant by "backbone"?) >> >> 4. What kind of hardware and software are you running? >> "Can't provide this, due to security reasons." >> >> 5. Can you supply primary or secondary DNS for me? >> "You need a static IP." >> >> 6. Can you provide name registration? At what cost? >> "Talk to residential services." >> >> 7. Do you give complete access to the Internet, or do you block some p= orts? >> "Cannot provide this info, due to security reasons." After >> asking, I was told that I would be able to run a mail server and http >> server on my connection. >> >> 8. Do you have complete reverse DNS? >> (They didn't know.) >> >> I assume this is a pretty typical response from ISPs. Has anyone >> asked their ISP questions like these? If so, what kind of response >> did you get? Does anyone know of a really good ISP, or a good >> resource for finding a good ISP around Cincinnati, OH? >> >> Thanks, >> Mark Hartkemeyer >=20 > These responses don't surprise me. I'm actually impressed your rep knew= > the numbers for the up/down bandwidth, even though their metric was > wrong. There was a point in time when a technical support representativ= e > for an ISP was knowledgeable and courteous, but those days are forever > gone and those reps have been replaced with poorly trained monkeys that= > are forbidden to divert from The Script. You could not get any > intelligible information about the ISP's services any more than you > could expect to get intelligible information about a Dell computer's > north bridge controller from a Walmart Associate. This is attributable > to the explosion in popularity of personal internet access, resulting i= n > a greater need for servicing a high volume of low complexity technical > support requests (e.g., "my internet don't work"). The reps are paid fa= r > to little to be technically competent and the ISP doesn't get a return > for training them to be proficient when they can just ist them in front= > of a knowledge database they've already invested cash into and tell the= m > to read what it says. You have to meander your way at least up to tier > II or III support to get to anyone who might possibly be invested enoug= h > in the service to know the meaning of your questions and the answers. Man, you're with the wrong ISP. The one I use would have no problems at all answering all of the above, and they'd do it on the phone, by e-mail,= usenet, IRC and probably by generating smoke-signals from the roof of the= datacenter if they thought it would help. Brilliant approach to customer= management; technical service levels damn good too, despite everything it= seems their NSPs do to foul things up. Actually, the answers to virtually all of those questions are on their we= b site already. Oh, and they actually like you to run your own mail, web and DNS... The = only slight flaw is that they are a bunch of penguinistas rather than embracin= g the one true daemonic faith. But I can forgive them for that. Cheers, Matthew --=20 Dr Matthew J Seaman MA, D.Phil. 7 Priory Courtyard Flat 3 PGP: http://www.infracaninophile.co.uk/pgpkey Ramsgate Kent, CT11 9PW --------------enigBC02C3519787C5CC9CDCA667 Content-Type: application/pgp-signature; name="signature.asc" Content-Description: OpenPGP digital signature Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="signature.asc" -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v2.0.11 (FreeBSD) Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - http://enigmail.mozdev.org iEYEAREIAAYFAkootXEACgkQ8Mjk52CukIz/PwCeLXznA/lyOfVIjzAjem1hN7AJ efgAn13OzpeLCiiBiFsY6LYIMVyqCbRK =fdLE -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- --------------enigBC02C3519787C5CC9CDCA667--