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Date:      Wed, 13 Mar 1996 11:44:24 -0800 (PST)
From:      Jake Hamby <jehamby@lightside.com>
To:        hackers@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Microsoft "Get ISDN"?
Message-ID:  <Pine.AUX.3.91.960313102359.25177B-100000@covina.lightside.com>

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Microsoft's Web page now has an entire section called "Get ISDN" 
encouraging consumers to install ISDN lines, and making it just a matter 
of completing a fill-out form and they will forward your request to your 
phone company.  Presumably they will also sign you up to Microsoft 
Network, I didn't try it.  :-)

Anyway, my question is this:  Other than the ISDN telephones at work, I 
have no experience with ISDN, but it does sound like something I would 
eventually want.  It looks like I may be receiving a free ISDN Internet 
connection through work, and even a free ISDN adapter, but I will have to 
pay for the line installation myself.  The Microsoft page has a lot of 
information on ISDN, but I think I'll have to take a lot of it with a 
grain of salt, for example, the section on "provisioning":

>"ISDN is a very powerful and flexible service, providing support for
>solutions as diverse as PC connectivity, burglar alarm monitoring, and
>virtual PBX telephone services. There are hundreds of options possible on
>an ISDN line. The power and flexibility of ISDN can make it a very complex
>process to get configured just right. 

>      If you request an ISDN line through the Get ISDN Now facility on
>this web site, your line will be configured by default for connection to a
>Windows-based PC and you can avoid the complicated provisioning process
>altogether. " 

Now, the idea of configuring the ISDN for a "Windows-based PC" sounds like 
typical Microsoft-speak, but is the provisioning process as difficult as MS 
makes it out to be if I don't go through them?

Also, I just checked FreeBSD's ISDN support as of -current, and it only 
supports two "Dr. Neuheus" brand internal ISDN adapters!  Does this mean 
that, given a choice, I should ask for an external ISDN modem?  If so, 
which brands are recommended for use with FreeBSD?  Also, am I correct to 
assume that an external ISDN modem is treated just like a regular 
Hayes-compatible modem, or does it require special kernel support?

Thanks in advance (this info should be included in the FreeBSD handbook 
or FAQ, BTW..).

---Jake




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