Laying Network Pipes

We encountered some problems on the connectivity front. To ensure sufficient bandwidth for our new systems, we needed an Internet connection for NWC Inc. separate from the connection that supplies the Green Bay Real-World Labs®. We occasionally do ugly, disruptive things to the lab network and its Internet connection while testing, and that simply would not do for NWC Inc. We also wanted to have a second Internet provider online in the event of a catastrophic failure--or in case the ISP providing access went belly up. We learned this lesson the hard way last year in the event of @link's precipitous demise, which left us with no Internet access except dial-up for nearly a month and a half.

First, we looked to our local Baby Bell, Ameritech/ SBC. We discovered that a T1 line was too expensive on an ongoing basis and that SBC's local offerings for DSL were inadequate. We eventually settled on a 1.5-Mbps symmetrical DSL line from Choice One Communications. The only problem was that--as with DSL installs in Green Bay--secondary providers (read: anyone who isn't SBC) have to wait for SBC to perform a preinstall inspection and then allocate space in the switch. The long and the short of this is that we are using our McLeodUSA Green Bay lab connection for NWC Inc. until our permanent connection is completed by SBC and Choice One. On the plus side, we have our own Class C block of IP addresses that Choice One is thrilled to route for us at no charge because it doesn't have to assign us any of its own IP addresses.