Return-Path: Received: from anj.boltz.cs.cmu.edu by K.GP.CS.CMU.EDU id aa12782; 8 Feb 91 11:21:01 EST From: Ajay Jain Date: Fri, 8 Feb 91 11:18:58 EST To: bovik@CS.CMU.EDU Subject: MCN information Summary of responses about MCN service: -------------------------------- We have MCN and it is great. I almost never have trouble getting a connection. The only time that it has been a problem has been during scheduled downtimes that I didn't know about. The speed feels more like 9600 to me but I can certainly live with that. Every once in a great while there are some noise problems but they are *very* intermittent and logging out and logging back in usually fixes them. Having one phone line without Bell wire maintenance is no problem (thats what we have). I find it most useful when I am downloading something to my Amiga. I used to have 2400 baud and it was almost unbearable. All in all, I recomend MCN if you can afford the expense. -------------------------------- I have a Concept at home on MCN. The Concept runs at full speed, and I almost never have problems. Originally, there were some problems with audible squealing on the line, but these were found to be caused by horrendous wiring in the basement. MCN is down maybe one Saturday every month or so, for different reasons. I have never been unable to get a connection to CMUCS. -------------------------------- Basically, MCN is a win. I've never had a problem with it. I rarely come to school now. I at home right now. -------------------------------- Ajay, I've been using MCN service since I got here, and it's flawless. I've never failed to get a connection, or had one drop, due to MCN lossage. There've been a handful of brief, well-advertised outages, most of them having to do with somebody changing lightbulbs in the UCC or the equivalent. Sure seems like 19.2KB My understanding of wiring is that the incoming line has to pass through the DOV modem first, on the way to the phones (i.e. cut and splice in a pair of modular plugs.) Bell of PA will charge you a lot do to this. Don't see any reason why you can't do it yourself, as long as the wires are where you want them, but don't take my word for it. (Skees seems to be up on these things.) -------------------------------- As for the reliability of MCN, I would say that it is very reliable. I rarely have any problems connecting to the cmucs service. -------------------------------- > I am thinking about getting MCN service for my apartment in Shadyside > (phone prefix 363). I have some sketchy information about cost and > stuff like that, and it seems to be worth it from that perspective. > I would like to hear from some MCN users about how reliable the > service is. Is it often hard to get a connection? Are there frequent > service interruptions? Is it terribly complex to use? Is it really > 19,200 baud? Any hints on the proper way to get this done in a hurry? Very reliable. Never a problem with connections. 1 service interruption in the last 6 months. Simpler than a modem. Yes, it's 19,200 baud (if your emulator can keep up with that (on a mac +, perhaps not?) Go to the computer store. ------------------------------- I've been using MCN for about 2.5 years without a single unexpected interruption. (Though they once diconnected me due to an administrative mistake !). Yes, it does run at 19.2KB, though you need to be sure that all links between the MCN box in the UCC and your machine can run that fast. I currently use an IBM PS/2 running KERMIT to communicate with my PMAX in Hamerschlag at 19.2Kb. I use the TEKTRONIX emulation in KERMIT to get crude (but fast) vector graphics. I believe that using X has just become possible. Sometime late last year they started offering an experimental serial-line IP protocal (SLIP). I think SLIP is designed to work at 64Kb (synchronous) which would probably be good enough for X. One person who may know the details is Paul Crumley at the ITC. If you find out anything on this, please let me know ! -------------------------------- I read in the trade press recently that we can expect high-speed modems to come down in price soon, to about $200. I'd shop around before I signed up to MCN, which sounds like an obsolete loser of a system. you might also ask the telco about special services like t1, though they'll probably say "oh, sure, in 199x" for x>3. --------------------------------- just thought i'd let you know that only the annex connections are 19200 baud. so, once you have mcn, you have to say ANNEX when it asks you what service you want and not CMUCS. apparently, a lot of people don't know this, since they log in through the cs front end. connections are always available, interruptions are extremely rare. jim skees might be able to help you get this set up fast.