Look at the number of changes in ComOS 3.8 - do you want them to release
every alpha, half-done version like Ascend seems to do? Not me - we
just sold our last piece of Ascend server equipment (as soon as we can
get a half dozen more customers of off it). We weren't happy with the
"release of the day" mentality of Ascend. You know that you have to use
"Stac-9" on Ascend equipment to talk standard STAC to PM3s? Well, guess
what happens when you enable Stac-9 on an Ascend MAX and make a
connection: the box reboots after a minute or two! This is with their
release 5.0A, the current software release for the MAX (since 5 Feb
1997, nearly a year!). Sure, there are patch and incremental releases,
but which one do you pick? You are supposed to contact Ascend support
to get version advice, but it usually takes us a week to get through to
them at the least.
However, I think it would be a good idea if modem code could be upgraded
separately from ComOS on the PM3. That way, we could stay with a stable
ComOS while new features are being developed and still upgrade modem
code to the latest release. With the 56k standard coming, I expect
there will be a lot of changes in everyone's modem code over the next
few months. ComOS would still include the modem code, but the modem
code could be loaded separately as well.
Also, if you could load modem code separately, make it so the modem code
immediately takes effect as new calls come in. That way, the box
doesn't have to be rebooted when new modem code is loaded. After a
call, each modem is reset and tested, right? Just load the new code
instead of the old code after that.
-- Chris Adams - cadams@ro.com System Administrator - Renaissance Internet Services I don't speak for anybody but myself - that's enough trouble. - To unsubscribe, email 'majordomo@livingston.com' with 'unsubscribe portmaster-users' in the body of the message.