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USB DSL modem and ICS

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7 replies

by ajdelo

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I am running Windows ME and I have an external USB DSL modem. I have a computer running Windows NT 4.0 SP6a connected to a hub and a network card in my WinME computer also connected to the hub. If ICS is not installed I never have any trouble withmy internet connection, my modem, or Windows and both computers can see each other fine.

When I do install ICS, although I can browse the internet from both computers and the connection is really good, if my computer sits idle for anywhere from 30 minutes to 24 hours, I loose my internet connection (regardless of whether or not I leave my WinMe computer online) and my DSL modem shows no power or physical connection to my ISP. If I unplug the USB cable from the USB port and plug it back in, I then get back my connection and can go ahead and get back on to the internet. This only happens when ICS is installed.

Any suggestions why this happens?

7 replies

by ghunter

Installing ICS amounts to setting up an additional IP address for the secondary computer - whether you specify the address or have Windows automatically supply it. Some ISPs do not allow more than one IP addresses per customer and will disconnect you after a period of time. Check with your ISP to see if they allow multiple IP addresses per account.

by timp999

I'd check your power management settings to see if your USB port is powering down after a period of inactivity. You may also be exceeding the system bandwidth reservation on the root hub. Also, using PPPoE with dynamic IP schemes tends to cause problems with the ICS manager renewing the lease.

I was fairly underwhelmed with ICS when I tried it, mostly because the security sucks, and I didn't like depending on a client machine to manage my lan-wan interface.

If you have an old 386 or 486 lying around, you may want to consider building yourself a NetBSD firewall. It's easy to build, much more stable, can usually be built from obolete parts lying around, and you don't have to waste the overhead on your clients. It's also very secure, and most importantly, it's free. You can check this out at www.dubbele.com. I'm not associated with the folks who wrote it, other than that I was one of the early beta testers.

The only hurdle I see for that with you is the USB modem. Can you exchange it with your ISP for an external with ethernet modem, or better still, an internal DSL modem? Then you could mount the modem in the firewall and not have to take up more desk space.

Good luck with what you choose.

Regards,
Tim

by the scruffy1

i agree with answer number 1 as i have a similar problem with my ISP but i get booted after 7 mins as they send a signal down the line to check if ICS is installed

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