[KLUG Advocacy] OT: uPNP

[Adam Tauno Williams]

> >You can configure 'demand dialing'.  Whenever the gateway receives
> >traffic that needs to be routed to the external network it will raise
> >the connection (dial in this case) and connect;  then, usually, the
> >connection is torn down after a certain period of idle (no traffic).
> >This works well, we used it for years before DSL.
> Tried that with the Windows box, with dismal success.  It would dial out 
> randomly (in response to NetBIOS broadcasts, I think), 

You can disbable NetBIOS on a per-interface basis

> always dial in response to something sensible like traceroute. Plus the

I'd consider ignoring ICMP a positive for a external facing interface.
 
> fact that the machine that controls the modem is a desktop I'd prefer 
> not to leave on all the time.  I've got an old machine that's going to 
> be a mini server when I get the kinks out.  Maybe the "when to dial" 
> logic is better in Linux.
> >The solution for line sharing is (a) don't or (b) get a $5 phone blocker
> >from Radio Shack, these won't let an extension get signal if the line is
> >already off-hook.
> Option b might be worth trying if I can't manage option a, which 
> involves dumping the modem for DSL.  The modem is a piece of junk 
> anyway.  External, so it's a real modem (not winmodem) but it only 
> manages a connection above 31.2k about once every other February 29th.

Seems normal, all the 56k noise is total nonsense; it is just this site of 
impossible to ram 56k over a phone line - a T1 channel with clear-channel 
encoding only does 64k,  add in the DAC/ADC process and the unbalanced 
impedence of a POTS pair....  I've seen phone lines from buildings where I 
could see the CO from the roof clock in at under 28k.

> >Otherwise look around for a 'modem server'.  They're used to be quite a
> >few techniques for doing remote modem control but modems don't get much
> >attention these days (they are the #1 devices to eliminate from a
> >network) and remote control of a modem only works till it freaks out and
> >needs a hard reset.
> Anybody want to guess how hard it would be to write a couple of putty 
> scripts or something that would connect, give a name and password, bring 
> up or down the Internet connection, and log out again?  They would need 
> to be launchable from Windows and pretty idiot-proof.

I'm quite certains several such things already exist - head over to 
freshmeat.net and have a look around.  The modem-in-the-windows box is going to 
be the really oddity you face, most solutions i think are the other way around.