MBi>> Why are you using the dialer at all, then?

DH>> Because that's the only way to coax the Cisco to connect at
DH>> ISDN. 

DH>> No dial, no connect.

MB> You have me really confused now.  When we talk about
"dialer," we are 
MB> obviously talking about some process running on the machine actually 
MB> connected physically to the ISDN terminal.  If the Cisco router has the 
MB> ISDN hardware, then the machine running FNOS is connected only via Ethernet 
MB> to the Cisco, right?  In this case, we would not mean the FNOS
"dialer" 
MB> module, which is what was confusing me.

In essence, what I have to do for the "dialer" function is to
produce something the Cisco considers "an interesting packet".  
This will convince the Cisco to make an ISDN connection to the target site
(Provided I get there, that is, -and- am able to make the technique nimble
enough to connect to the list I'd need to access to make the mooted net
fully functional.)

The capabilities are here - but most of the assumptions are pointed at
right angles or worse to what I apparently need.   My current level of
ignorance doesn't help worth 20 cents either.  Still - patience is, and
knowlege will come.  Odds on, so will function.  This is good gear - it's
the nut holding the keyboard that has adjustment problems...:-)

DH>>> "Transport" needs to be handled in a pretty
generic way if it's 
DH>>> to survive in all of the Modem/Cable modem/ISDN/T1/EtherNet 
DH>>> environments.  So does node addressing.  Workin' on it.

MBi>> Maybe I'm not following what it is that you are doing?

DH>> At the moment, trying to understand / make use of the
DH>> potential on ISDN interfaced Cisco 1003's.   Watch this
DH>> space, there will be further developments after this primary
DH>> task completes...:-)

MB> Marc:

MB> If FNOS is looking to find out if a particular interface is up, it should 
MB> query the interface through the ifconfig facility.  All interface types 
MB> (including asy/slip, asy/ppp, and packet/Ethernet) should be pollable for 
MB> the "up" condition.  Using DCD directly in any way is a
bad idea.  Is this 
MB> what is causing Dave grief?

"UP" isn't the problem.  I have a "dial-up" need with
ISDN - rather similar to the concepts used with a modem network.  This
isn't a permanently connected internet site on the line I'm sweating over -
it's a multi-site, occasional connect at need situation.  I have a list of
sites I must connect to on demand - each on ISDN, each TCP/IP.

Hence the "dialer" line of thought.   ifconfig doesn't help.

What my normal lines of thought would be amount to "please connect to
(address) now".  With this complicated by the Cisco having control of
connection, and the only effective demand for connection being to offer the
Cisco an "interesting" packet.

I may well wind up simply doing an ethernet packet pump independent of the
remainder of the software, if a better way doesn't hammer its way into my
brain before then.

Regards,
Dave Hatch.

--- Msgedsq 3.20