INews Newsletter - Sep 13, 2000
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* * * I N e w s * * *
A publication of Internet Nebraska, composed and distributed by
* * * manager@inebraska.com * * *
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Volume 3, Number 10 September 14, 2000
Welcome to another issue of INews, Internet Nebraska's customer
newsletter. This monthly newsletter communicates service bulletins,
announcements and other useful information to our customers. Please let
us know what you think of it. Archives of INews are located at
http://www.inebraska.com/inews
In this issue: DSL Special Extended
Windows Millennium
Support Positions Available
Speeding Up DSL Connections
More Payment Options
Mr. Internet
*** Special Offers on DSL and Dial-Up ***
The ADSL promotion has been extended to September 30!
Anyone signing a one-year contract for an ADSL circuit in September
will be eligible to receive a Cisco 675/678 router for the low purchase
price of of $99.95 (a savings of over $230). Anyone signing a two-year
contract will be eligible to receive a router absolutely free! Also,
prices on the regular 384K/272K circuit have been lowered in all areas
where this service is available. See http://www.inebraska.com/dsl/ for
details!
Also through the end of September, new flat-rate dial-up Internet
Nebraska subscribers qualify for a low monthly rate of just $9.95 for the
first year. Get your friends and family online and save them big money!
They'll love you more (if that's possible), and they'll have a great
e-mail service to use for telling you so.
*** Internet NE and ME ***
For those that have new computers with Windows ME or have upgraded to this
latest version of the Windows operating system for personal use, here are
some handy instructions for settings up a new connection with us or checking
your existing settings.
For creating a new connection to Internet Nebraska:
1) Double click the My Computer icon
2) Click the Dial-up networking link on the left
3) Double click the Make New Connection icon.
4) Enter the name "Internet Nebraska" and click Next
5) Enter the local phone number that you dial and click Next
Lincoln 437-8251
Omaha 898-9007
Hastings 463-8644
Beatrice 228-4820
O'Neill 336-1166
Valentine 376-3484
York 362-6321
Geneva 759-3928
Sioux City 494-6183
Beaver Lake 235-2963
Grand Island 398-0500
(for a complete list of access numbers check:
http://www.inebraska.com/access.html )
6) Click Finish
7) Double click the Internet Nebraska icon and click the Properties
button at the button.
8) Select the Networking tab
9) Click the TCP/IP settings button
10) Now, double click on the first number next to "Primary DNS". This
highlights the number. Now type, "199.184.119.1". As you type it
should advance to the next slot. Hit the tab key. And on the next
line type "199.2.252.10" in for the secondary DNS.
11) Click OK
12) Select the Security tab
13) Enter your username and password in the supplied fields
14) Click OK
15) You're done!
For those that have already created a connection to Internet Nebraska,
please just follow the above instructions starting from step 7.
*** Duey's Computer Service - Advertisement ***
Duey's Computer Service is your complete on-site
computer service solution. We do computer
upgrades, repair, software upgrades, and network
setup & support as well as information &
technology consulting. With Duey's Computer
Service you don't have to disconnect your
computer and find the time to take it to the
repair shop because we come to you! With our
Microsoft certified staff, you're in good
hands. To setup an appointment or for more
information visit our web site at
http://www.dueycs.com or call us at 402-730-4243.
*** Internet Nebraska Wants You ***
Interested in an exciting, fast-paced position in a rapidly growing
Internet company? Internet Nebraska is looking for you. We provide a fun,
friendly, challenging work environment with benefits. IN currently has
openings for User Support Specialists, providing first-level customer
support via telephone and e-mail. Verbal and written communication skills
are a must for this position. Experience with Windows and Macintosh
computers is required, and experience with UNIX, basic networking, and
modem technology is preferred. Full and part-time entry-level positions
available, with flexible scheduling of days, evenings and weekends.
Send resumes by e-mail (preferred) to mikeb@inebraska.com. Resumes may
also be faxed to (402) 436-2660, or mailed to or dropped off at our office
at 1719 N Cotner Blvd, Lincoln, NE 68505
*** There's No Such Thing As Too Fast ***
The network settings in Windows 9x are optimized for ethernet (which is a
high bandwidth and low latency connection) and for modem dial-up (which is
a low bandwidth, high latency connection). High speed Internet access
technologies such as ADSL are high bandwidth but also high latency. This
combination of factors requires different optimizations to perform at its
best, especially for applications receiving large amounts of data. (Think
streaming Huskers video.)
The settings that need to be changed to optimize your computer for your
ADSL connection are stored in the Windows registry. Note that the registry
contains most of the settings that make your computer work, and accidentally
changing something in the registry that you don't intend to could cause
system problems, up to and including a complete system crash requiring a
full re-install of the operating system and software onto your computer.
Do not edit your registry unless you know exactly what you're doing.
Internet Nebraska takes no responsibility for any damage caused to your
computer by following these instructions, nor does Internet Nebraska provide
any support for the following actions. Basically, follow this procedure
at your own risk, and without help from us.
Now that we've scared off the weak willed, here are the instructions for
optimizing your Windows 9x machine for ADSL. The vales shown are typical,
you may want to adjust them up or down somewhat and see if that changes
your throughput. Use regedit to change the values of the following registry
keys. If you don't know what that means, you shouldn't be doing this. :)
If you're using Windows 95, and haven't already installed the Windows Socket
2 Update for Windows 95, you must do so before continuing. It's available
at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/downloads/bin/W95ws2setup.exe
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Class\NetTrans\000n
(Where "000n" is your TCP/IP protocol. It contains "TCP/IP" assigned to the
"DriverDesc" value. "n" can be any number from 0 to 9)
MaxMTU="1500" (string var)
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\VxD\MSTCP
DefaultRcvWindow="372300" (string var, has to be a multiple of MSS for best
results, i.e. (MaxMTU-40) x number... The
maximum value of this setting is 2*30, or 1Gb
in Windows 98. Recommended settings to try are
372300, 186880, 93440, 64240 and 32120, in that
order)
DefaultTTL="64" (string var, range 1-255, use any number between 32 and 128)
PMTUDiscovery="1" (string var, boolean, 0-false or 1-true. Many connections
perform better with this entry at 1, however, if you
prefer to set your upstream to send fixed 1500 packets,
you might want to use 0 instead). When set at 1,
establishing connections and initial transfer speed
might slow down a bit, however you will get better
throughput if somewhere in the path large packets need
to be fragmented.
PMTUBlackHoleDetect="0" (string var, zero for optimal performance)
Tcp1323Opts="3" (DWORD decimal var, recommended setting is 3. The possible
settings are 0 - No Windowscaling and Timestamp Options,
1 - Window scaling but no Timestamp options, 3 - Window
scaling and Time stamp options.)
SackOpts="1" (string var, recommended setting is 1. Possible settings are
0 - No Sack options or 1 - Sack Option enabled) Selective
Acknowledgments, as documented in RFC 2018
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\VXD\MSTCP\Parameters
MaxDupAcks="3" (DWORD decimal var, taking integer values from 2 to N.
Recommended setting is 3)
Enjoy. Let us know how it works out for you.
*** Schaefer's TV & Appliance Center - Advertisement ***
Schaefer's is an independently owned and
operated television, appliance, and home
theater retailer in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Born out of a small corner drugstore four
decades ago, Schaefer's TV & Appliance is a
22,000 square-foot "superstore" today,
specializing in commercial/professional-grade
appliances, whole house sound systems, home
theater and central vacuum systems. The
success of Schaefer's is key to repeat
business. If a customer happens to have a
problem with a product, Schaefer's will bend
over backwards to get it solved. Our service
center is the largest in the city, and has been
voted Lincoln's #1 servicer for 10 years in a
row! A knowledgeable sales staff, express
delivery, easy financing, and our customer
service representatives are just a few of the
ways in which we at Schaefer's distinguish
ourselves from the rest. Stop by our showroom
at 48th and R in Lincoln, or call us at
and see for yourself.
-- http://www.schaeferstv.com/index2.htm
*** We've Discovered Discover ***
Internet Nebraska is pleased to announce that we can now accept Discover
cards in addition to VISA and MC. Using your Discover card is easy; simply
use the secure "Pay by Credit Card" customer utility on our home page or
call the help desk and the staff can take the card information for you. Now
there are four ways to have your account automatically and conveniently
paid each month: VISA, MC, Discover, and Electronic Funds Transfer from
your checking account.
*** The Capital Soccer Association - Advertisement ***
Capital Soccer Association specializes in
teaching soccer. However we recognize that
soccer, or any other youth sport is merely
one tool in the development of a young
child. Teamwork and sportsmanship through
knowledge and proficiency of the game are
our main goals.
-- http://www.capitalsoccer.com/
*** Mr. Internet ***
Q: I don't understand what part of the ADSL connection is provided by Internet
Nebraska, and what part is provided by Alltel. Could you explain it to
me?
A: Alltel provides the physical wiring from their equipment to your house
(your phone line) and the special ADSL signal that runs over it. Internet
Nebraska provides the Internet access through this ADSL connection.
To use an analogy, you can think of your ADSL connection as a water pipe.
Alltel provides the actual pipe, while Internet Nebraska provides the
water to fill it. (Please, no jokes about how IN is all wet.) :)
There are some other common questions about ADSL. Here are some of the
answers. (We'll leave it as an exercise for the reader to figure out
the questions.) In most cases, ADSL can run over your existing phone
line, and you don't need to have another line installed. The ADSL line
charge is in addition to the charges you already pay for your phone line.
In order to get ADSL, your location must be within 15,000 wire feet of
Alltel's equipment, and subject to certain other restrictions (no bridge
taps, no load coils, etc.) So for example to get ADSL in O'Neill,
either Qwest would need to install ADSL equipment in O'Neill, or the
physicists would need to find a way to warp space and time such that
O'Neill is closer than 15,000 feet to city where ADSL is available. We
refuse to speculate on which of these events will happen first.
Mr. Internet is a regular feature of the INews, and he welcomes questions
of any kind. Just mail them to mrinternet@inebraska.com, and he'll answer
one or two each issue. Those he doesn't use will not necessarily be
answered, and you should still use 'manager' and 'accounts' for regular
business.
*** Advertise on Our Home Pages ***
What better way to advertise your business than on a Web page that is seen
tens of thousands of time every month? None, if you're paying as little
as we charge for it!
We are now offering banner advertising that rotates on all our pages
which is priced based on the number of impressions (viewings) per month.
Your banner can reach thousands of Nebraska residents, and this is a
unique way to advertise your Nebraska business to residents in the area.
Prices for banner advertisement can be found at:
http://www.inebraska.com/ad.html
We will also be selling links from our main page. Please contact
manager@inebraska.com, or give us a give us a call at our office,
402-434-8680, and ask how you can reserve banner spots on some of the
hottest URL's in the state. The advertisers in this issue did, and we
recommend them highly.