Contention question

[Docproc]

Hi

I'm about to sign up with IDNet (as soon as Eclipse get around to issuing my MAC) and have the first of what, I'm sure, will be a number of questions.

The broadband page at http://www.idnet.co.uk/broadband/default.jsp says "n/a" in the Contention column for the "Home Supermax" product, the one I'm considering. How is this different from the 1:1 contention offered by the "Uncontended *" products, which are much more expensive per month?

Thanks in advance

Glenn.

[Rik]

BT don't quote a contention ratio for Max products, it's a "best effort" service, so what happens at your exchange and on the BT network varies at different times of day, and days of the week. Once you enter the IDNet network, however, there is no contention.

[Lance]

Prehaps we need to suggest to IDNet that they state this on the webpage, we seem to have been asked quite a lot recently!

Welcome to the forum Glenn.

[Rik]

Good point, Lance. I'll drop Tim a note.

[Docproc]

BT don't quote a contention ratio for Max products, it's a "best effort" service, so what happens at your exchange and on the BT network varies at different times of day, and days of the week. Once you enter the IDNet network, however, there is no contention.

Thanks for that. Reading this made me realise I'm a little hazy on the network topologies involved.

Obviously the wires from my house to the BT exchange are part of the BT network. Thereafter, am I on the IDNet network, or are there more BT "nodes" to traverse? A pointer to some explanation of the details would be most welcome.

Regards

Glenn.

[Rik]

TBH, I'm not sure at exactly what point you leave the grasp of BT and enter the warmth and comfort of IDNet, but I know a man who does, so I'll ask him to take a look at this thread.

[Lance]

You are on the BT network to the point where you get to the IDNet routers (in London I guess?), which obviously is beyond your exchange.

Quite what happens at the other end of the IDNet network I'm not sure, but I guess (again!) that you go back out onto the BT network to whatever server you are requesting information from, and then all the way back again!

[Docproc]

You are on the BT network to the point where you get to the IDNet routers (in London I guess?), which obviously is beyond your exchange.

Quite what happens at the other end of the IDNet network I'm not sure, but I guess (again!) that you go back out onto the BT network to whatever server you are requesting information from, and then all the way back again!

That makes sense. Despite the fact that I used to work for BT, and for an ISP (UUNet - remember them?), all this stuff has always been rather hazy to me. It was always represented as a "cloud" on Powerpoint slides!

Glenn.

[Rik]

I've met a few of those clouds!

You're right, though, there's always a least one thrown in with nice blurry edges. You can see where you enter the IDNet network if you run a tracert, but it doesn't tell you much in physical terms.

[Rik]

NOTE:

The IDNet website has now been changed to indicate that BT do not provide contention ratios for Max products.

[Lance]

That was nice and quick!

[Simon_idnet]

The basic route that your data travels is like this:

your home -> exchange -> BRAS ->  BT Central -> ISP network ->  the world

TB has a diagram here: http://www.thinkbroadband.com/guide/howitworks/

Cheers
Simon

[Docproc]

The basic route that your data travels is like this:

your home -> exchange -> BRAS ->  BT Central -> ISP network ->  the world

TB has a diagram here: http://www.thinkbroadband.com/guide/howitworks/

Cheers
Simon

That's very useful, thanks.

Glenn.

[Lance]

Thanks for clearing that up, Simon!