DSL FAQ - Frequently Asked Question

For the DSL pre-qualification FAQ - Click Here
Information about pre-qualification and disqualification.

1. How do I setup my DSL?
   Click Here to Setup your DSL.
   
   
2. How do I setup my e-mail?
   Click here to Setup your e-mail.
   
   
3. How many e-mail address do I get with my DSL account?
   10 E-mail addresses, 100 MB capacity each.
   
   
   
4. How long will it take to activate my DSL after I place an order?
   
   From the time that you order the line a lot has to be done before your DSL is ready to go. However the real end all to DSL service is when the telephone company is able to activate DSL on that telephone line. The telephone company will let us know when the line will be active 5-7 days before activation. The Telephone company will have the line on sometime in the 24 hour period of that day, this means that they will have line on by midnight on the activation date. So your line may not turn on until late that night, this is completely normal. You will be sent an email informing you of your activation date as soon as we know it, this email will be sent to the email address you provided us with when you signed up for your DSL service.
   
   
   
5. What is the difference between a Static and Dynamic IP address?
   
   A static IP address is generally used in a business scenario. The IP address is the number that identifies your computer on the Internet. Each computer on the Internet has a unique IP address.
   
   With Static IP addressing, you will be assigned an IP or IP's that don't change. These IP's will be yours for the duration of your service.
   
   With Dynamic IP addressing, your IP's change every time your restart your computer. This method is generally safer. If someone was trying to break into your computer, they would have to know your IP address.
   
   
   
   
6. How can I protect my computer from hackers?
   
   If you are using a Zoom Modem, then you are using the built in NAT firewall. NAT (Network Address Translation) converts your IP address into a non-routable IP address that is not accessible from the outside world. This essentially hides your computer from attacks.
   
   NOTE: Zoom modems are only available on certain DSL networks. If you received a different modem, you are required to use the modem that you received. An additional DSL Router can be purchased to supplement your DSL with this capability.
   
   If you require further protection, firewall software can be downloaded from http://www.zonelabs.com Zone Alarm is a shareware program that is available for Free.
   
   
   
   
7. What is DNS and what does it do?
   
   DNS (Domain Name System) resolves a name to an IP address allowing the user to browse to that site into a simpler manner. For example well you know yahoo.com as yahoo.com your computer knows yahoo.com as an IP address (for example 66.159.22.180). In order to make surfing the internet easier and more user friendly DNS associates a name to an IP address. When people say DNS is resolving it means that DNS is "translating" the name typed in into an IP address so that your computer is able to browse to it.
   
   
   
   
8. How can I avoid RPC shutdowns?
   
   RPC shutdowns are caused by buffer overflows in the windows RPC client. These can occur for many reasons, viruses can cause this, however it can also be a natural buffer overflow as well. Out of the box windows XP is very susceptible to RPC and LASS buffer overruns. More recent updates to windows, especially windows XP service pack 2, have made windows much more resilient to buffer overflows. If you happen to get a LASS/RPC/NT Authority shutdown you can take the following steps to avoid it. Please note these steps must be taken quickly since NT authority shutdowns operate on a 30 second timer.
   
   Quickly go to start>run and type cmd into the run prompt and press enter. A black DOS console will appear. In the console type "shutdown -a". This will abort any pending system shutdowns. Since the RPC buffer is over run at this point all services which report to RPC will most likely not respond, so this is not a permanent solution. The permanent solution is to go to Windows Update and download all updates and patches.