November 2001 - NZNOG - lists.nznog.org

Real Engineering
by Roger De Salis 14 Nov '01

14 Nov '01

I thought this was sufficiently interesting from an engineering, economic and topicality perspective to merit a post. Basically another nail in the coffin of the myth that the PSTN is more reliable than the Internet. R >>November 12, 2001 >> >>THE COMMUNICATIONS >> >>Afghan Phone Links Are an American Legacy >> >>By SIMON ROMERO >> >>While the Soviet-built conventional telephone network in Afghanistan >>has suffered significant damage in recent bombing raids, a more >>sophisticated telecommunications system built by a United States >>company in the late 1990's remains in service and is an important >>link to the outside world, according to a report expected to be >>released today. >> >>The system is operated by the Afghan Wireless Communication Company, >>which grew out of a venture between the Afghan Ministry of >>Communications, controlled by the Taliban, and Telephone Systems >>International of Mount Olive, N.J. Afghan Wireless provides service >>in the Afghan capital Kabul and the city of Kandahar, the Taliban's >>political base in the south. >> >>Afghan Wireless, which is now entirely controlled by officials in >>Kabul linked to the Taliban, continues to provide local, long >>distance and international calling services, according to a report by >>Pyramid Research, a company in Cambridge, Mass., that focuses on >>telecommunications in developing countries. >> >>The endurance of Afghan Wireless's operations is the latest chapter >>of involvement in Afghan telecommunications services since 1998 by >>United States and British investors. Telephone Systems International, >>the New Jersey company that initiated the investment, exited the >>venture in 1999 after the United States banned Americans from doing >>business in Afghanistan. >> >>It is not clear why the United States' bombing of Afghanistan has >>left Afghan Wireless's network still functioning relatively well, >>given its strategic importance to the Taliban. The Defense Department >>declined to comment specifically on Afghan Wireless or its network. >> >>"If something is a military target, it's liable to go down," said Lt. >>Col. Ken McClellan, a spokesman for the Defense Department. "If it's >>not considered a military target, then it won't go down." >> >>Afghan Wireless generates about $1.8 million a year in revenue, >>assuming that the government, its main client, pays its bills. The >>company uses relatively inexpensive technology, which is wireless but >>not mobile. Customers have what appears to be standard telephone >>service at their homes or other fixed locations. But the signals are >>carried by a network of wireless transmission towers and switches, >>said Joseph Braude, a senior analyst with Pyramid Research. >> >>"Afghan Wireless has provided the Afghan government and >>nongovernmental organizations with a less expensive alternative to >>satellite telephones," Mr. Braude said in an interview. >> >>After the United States imposed sanctions in 1999 on trade and >>investment in the parts of Afghanistan under Taliban control, >>Telephone Systems International sought approval from the Treasury >>Department to continue doing business in Afghanistan, according to a >>letter from Michele R. Hart, the company's lawyer, to the Treasury's >>Office of Foreign Assets Control. >> >>According to a copy of the letter, Ms. Hart provided the Treasury >>with details of Telephone Systems International's investors, which >>included Ehsan Bayat, an Afghan migr living in New York, and the >>Wilken Group, a holding company with telecommunications investments >>in several East African countries. >> >>The Wilken Group's own investors include Lord Michael Cecil, a member >>of a prominent English family. Lord Michael's dealings in >>Afghanistan, which included pulling together investors for Aghan >>Wireless, is described in the current issue of Talk Magazine. >> >>Ms. Hart also said in her letter that Telephone Systems International >>had signed agreements with DeTeSat, a unit of Germany's Deutsche >>Telekom, for the supply of satellite receiving and transmitting >>equipment and with TMB Systems of Britain to buy telephone exchanges. >> >>Such deals by American and European telecommunications companies are >>common in the developing world, even in the poorest countries. But >>Telephone Systems International's involvement in Afghanistan raised >>eyebrows when it reached a deal with the Taliban to build a network >>in 1998. >> >>Gary Breshinsky, a former investor in Telephone Systems >>International, said the company signed an agreement with the Taliban >>in September 1999 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul. At the >>time, the White House said it looked favorably on the project as a >>way to ease the controls the Taliban had imposed on Afghanistan's >>communications with the rest of the world. >> >>"We were providing one of the poorest countries on the planet with a >>state-of-the-art telephone network," Mr. Breshinsky, who lives in >>Hackettstown, N.J., said in an interview. "The old network left >>behind by the Russians was atrocious." >> >>Mr. Breshinsky, a former satellite- telephone salesman, said he ended >>his involvement with Telephone Systems International soon after the >>United States imposed sanctions against Afghanistan. >> >>Mr. Bayat and Lord Michael, the other foreign investors in Telephone >>Systems International, could not be reached for comment. Telephone >>Systems International stopped work on the project in July 1999, >>according to a news release on Afghan Wireless's Web site. >> >>Mr. Braude, the Pyramid Research analyst, said telephone interviews >>with the people who use Afghanistan's conventional telephone system >>in Kabul and towns elsewhere suggested that many telephone lines had >>been destroyed in Kabul. But they say that damage to lines in the >>towns is minimal. >> >>Before the bombing campaign, the Soviet-built analog network in >>Afghanistan had less than one telephone for every 100 inhabitants. >>Afghan Wireless has operated about 9,000 telephone lines in Kabul and >>Kandahar since introducing service two years ago, Mr. Braude said. >> >>Much of the company's success in signing up customers can be >>attributed to cheaper prices in relation to calls made on satellite >>telephone services. International calls with Afghan Wireless cost 40 >>cents to $1.50 a minute, compared with $2 to $4.50 a minute on >>satellite telephone systems. -- \_ Roger De Salis rdesalis(a)cisco.com </' Cisco Systems NZ Ltd +64 25 481 452 /) L8, ASB Tower, 2 Hunter St +64 4 496 9003 (/ Wellington, New Zealand roger(a)desalis.gen.nz ` In October 2001, the 5th most important product line by value for Cisco is - the telephone. Cisco 79x0 IP telephones. - To unsubscribe from nznog, send email to majordomo(a)list.waikato.ac.nz where the body of your message reads: unsubscribe nznog

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LAT/LONG of sky tower
by Joe Abley 11 Nov '01

11 Nov '01

Anybody happen to have latitude/longitude for the sky tower? Something to GPS accuracy would be ideal. - To unsubscribe from nznog, send email to majordomo(a)list.waikato.ac.nz where the body of your message reads: unsubscribe nznog

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RE: LAT/LONG of sky tower
by Mike Conner 11 Nov '01

11 Nov '01

LAT/LONG as follows. 36.509S 174.458E Regards, Mike. -----Original Message----- From: owner-nznog(a)list.waikato.ac.nz [mailto:owner-nznog(a)list.waikato.ac.nz]On Behalf Of Joe Abley Sent: Monday, 12 November 2001 5:53 p.m. To: nznog(a)list.waikato.ac.nz Subject: LAT/LONG of sky tower Anybody happen to have latitude/longitude for the sky tower? Something to GPS accuracy would be ideal. - To unsubscribe from nznog, send email to majordomo(a)list.waikato.ac.nz where the body of your message reads: unsubscribe nznog - To unsubscribe from nznog, send email to majordomo(a)list.waikato.ac.nz where the body of your message reads: unsubscribe nznog

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MFAT mails out virus
by Dean Pemberton 11 Nov '01

11 Nov '01

Hi all. The Subject is kinda true. I'm on the MFAT mailing list which tells me which countries hate Kiwis at any point in time. And this morning it mailed out a strange message which had a subject of "The Auster story goes back into the 1930s." And came from an xtra email address. I just wrote it off as spam. It turns out though that the email contained a virus. Now it's not MFAT's fault (although I don't know what the list was doing unmoderated. I might look at sending out an Advisory for Kiwi's living in Sydney =) (THIS IS A JOKE!) But it does bring up a good point. Do list managers have a duty of care when it comes to scanning for viruses? My mail box is now filling up with messages from people virus scanners who are auto responding to the MFAT mailing list. Thoughts, Comments, Calls for me to shut the **** up? Dean - To unsubscribe from nznog, send email to majordomo(a)list.waikato.ac.nz where the body of your message reads: unsubscribe nznog

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Locating (netwise) root and ccTLD name-servers by means other than a hint file
by Chris Wedgwood 11 Nov '01

11 Nov '01

Anyone out there know if there are significant numbers of people using some means other that a bind 'hint' file[1] to locate TLD and ccTLD name-servers? I was under the impression that if the name-servers for a ccTLD were changed for some reason and this change accurately reflected in the root name-serves, pretty much the entire world would notice such a change within a little more than the objects TTL. However, I discovered a couple of hours ago that some of these 'alternative TLD' proponent sites out there are actually suggestion people not use a static hint file but rather AXFR "." from a server which they have set up... ignoring the obvious security implications here, there is no guarantee this information will be kept synchronized with the rest of the world and indeed in some instances appears to be inaccurate. Is anyone using such schemes or perhaps even hint files which specify ccTLDs explicitly? --cw (preparing to kill of legacy ccTLD name-servers) [1] a la "dig . axfr @a.root-servers.net > named.hint" sort of thing - To unsubscribe from nznog, send email to majordomo(a)list.waikato.ac.nz where the body of your message reads: unsubscribe nznog

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Re: Update
by Matt Brown 08 Nov '01

08 Nov '01

Michael, I have CC this to NZNOG since wireless is the topic of the week. These are my guidelines . Outdoor networks are not toys. To build a proper outdoor network you need to do the following things. 1) Site Survey - Using diagnostic card or Spec Analyzer to determine the channels noise levels at 20 Degree increments. Build a pie graph that shows all 360 Degrees and elevation. From this you will know the right channel to use in the best direction. Never assume that since the link only goes 500m that you need not to worry. I have a POP that goes 20km that has the capacity to kill most radios on the same channel within 10KM radius. ( Transmit gain is a deadly weapon ). I condone the use of outdoor networks that are not site surveyed. 2) Network ID - Identify all the surrounding networks with the correct software ( Unnamed for others security ). Make sure you know the people that run these networks. You never know when you might need to ask them to change channels. Shooting there POP down does NOT give you a foot in the door. 3) Antenna Choice - 500m is not far, But using two 100 Degree leaky antennas with bad Rad patterns will introduce you to a lot of interference. Stick to a good Grid of 15 - 19dbi . Panels are OK if the patterns are good. Keep you beam tight and loose the gain in the cables. Run RG-50 to the antenna ( 6-8M MAX! ) and compensate with the bigger tighter antennas. DON'T USE OMNIS! ( but you all know that right :) ) 4) Equipment Choice. - Love Thy Neighbors. Use DSSS 11mb equipment with European Firmware. Stick to Channels 1-6-11 . These are the main points to ANY out door network. Scan / Map / Plan / Deploy Good Luck with the network. !!! Best Regards Matthew G Brown - Wireless Network Specialist - Tasman Solutions LTD - Nelson, NZ - 03 543 9092 025 807731 ----- Original Message ----- From: "Michael Hallager" <michael(a)comsolve.net.nz> To: "Matthew G Brown" <Matt(a)tasman.net> Sent: Friday, November 09, 2001 7:54 AM Subject: Re: Update > Hi Matthew, > > I have already spoken to you regarding this stuff. Now that > I have your contact details, I will remove the feedback I > left on you @ TradeMe. > > I am still very interested in what you have to offer. I am > doing a short range (> 500M) wireless link in the next couple of > weeks and am looking for a cheap (used) access point for this as > the person at the other end is on a tight budget. > I have not forgotten you. > > Best regards, > > Michael Hallager > > On Thu, 08 Nov 2001 23:12, you wrote: > > Maybe you should concider just buying new Lucent from LAN1 . If you are not > > familiar with Wireless then you can make a real mess of things VERY fast. > > Make your life easy. Call LAN1, Talk to Liam , Get a solution. They can > > support you should you have trouble. Cheap WLAN's turn to muck, Ive seen > > and fixed plenty around the country latley . > > > > > > -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=--=-=-=- > > Matthew G Brown > > Tasman Solutions LTD > > Wireless Network Specialist > > DDI: +64 3 543 9092 > > http://www.tasman.net > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Joe Abley" <jabley(a)automagic.org> > > To: "Michael Hallager" <michael(a)comsolve.net.nz> > > Cc: <nznog(a)list.waikato.ac.nz> > > Sent: Thursday, November 08, 2001 7:23 PM > > Subject: Re: Update > > > > > On Thu, Nov 08, 2001 at 07:10:20PM +1300, Michael Hallager wrote: > > > > I have just recieved a condesending and irrelevant email from > > > > a list member (Who was attempting to second guess my setup/ > > > > application and got it totally wrong). > > > > > > Condescending *and* irrelevant? tsk, tsk :) > > > > > > > To reiterate, I am after wireless access point/s for use with > > > > external roof top aerials. I am after more than one unit. > > > > I need a unit that can do point > multipoint (Lucent AP500/1000 > > > > or similar) and also interested in point to point style units > > > > for another project. In any case a unit has to > > > > be able to handle a external aerial and be 802.11b compat. > > > > > > Are you looking for second-hand boxes, or recommendations on > > > vendors? > > > > > > [cue Simon/Richard grand-prix Apple Airport disassembly and > > > retrofitting speed trial anecdotes] > > > > > > > > > Joe > > > - > > > To unsubscribe from nznog, send email to majordomo(a)list.waikato.ac.nz > > > where the body of your message reads: > > > unsubscribe nznog - To unsubscribe from nznog, send email to majordomo(a)list.waikato.ac.nz where the body of your message reads: unsubscribe nznog

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Update
by Michael Hallager 08 Nov '01

08 Nov '01

Hi all, I have just recieved a condesending and irrelevant email from a list member (Who was attempting to second guess my setup/ application and got it totally wrong). To reiterate, I am after wireless access point/s for use with external roof top aerials. I am after more than one unit. I need a unit that can do point > multipoint (Lucent AP500/1000 or similar) and also interested in point to point style units for another project. In any case a unit has to be able to handle a external aerial and be 802.11b compat. When contacting me, please specify whether cards are included or not. (I don't mind). My email address is: michael(a)comsolve.net.nz Please keep things short and simple as I know what I am after and include contact details. Best regards, Michael Hallager Managing Director Comsolve Networks (NZ) Limited - To unsubscribe from nznog, send email to majordomo(a)list.waikato.ac.nz where the body of your message reads: unsubscribe nznog

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WANTED: Access Point/s
by Michael Hallager 07 Nov '01

07 Nov '01

Wanted: 802.11b compliant access point that will either support 64/128 WEP or allow a Lucent Silver/Gold card to be plugged in to it. Please E-Mail: michael(a)comsolve.net.nz, including contact details. Michael Hallager Managing Director Comsolve Networks (NZ) Limited - To unsubscribe from nznog, send email to majordomo(a)list.waikato.ac.nz where the body of your message reads: unsubscribe nznog

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Emergency Outage
by Andrew McGhie - Domainz 06 Nov '01

06 Nov '01

Yo The drs is up again Cheers Andrew - To unsubscribe from nznog, send email to majordomo(a)list.waikato.ac.nz where the body of your message reads: unsubscribe nznog

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Emergency Outage
by Andrew McGhie - Domainz 06 Nov '01

06 Nov '01

Further to the previous email, the latest update is that the system outage will take a further 40 minutes to an hour. Once again my apologies for any problems this is causing. Cheers Andrew - To unsubscribe from nznog, send email to majordomo(a)list.waikato.ac.nz where the body of your message reads: unsubscribe nznog

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