From: robert@cc.utah.edu (Robert Roll)
Subject: Supra woes
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.4-b1  
Organization: University of Utah Computer Center
Date: 12 Sep 1992 18:41 MST  


     We are experiencing a rather strange problem with our Supra modems.
Most of the time they work just great but once in a while they will go
into a mode where they seem to make a good connection but the character
processing is bogus. These modems do get a fair amount of use. They are
connected to our Cisco Systems terminal server for the purpose of
supporting dial in access to our campus network. It is best for me to
illustrate the problem with an example. The following is the normal login
screen presented from the Cisco.


        ================             .-.
      // UU      UU     \\          /  | __     _  _    __   .  . __
     //  UU  UU  UU  UU  \\        /     __)  /' |' )  /  ) /  / (_
    //   UU  UU  UU  UU   \\      (___/ (__(_/   |  (_/_./ (_.(____)
   ||    UU  UU  UU  UU    ||                        /
   ||    UU  UU  UU  UU    ||     .--.  --          /               /
   ||    UU  UU  UU  UU    ||    ( / |  / __ __/_.     _ __  ,_.   /__
    \\    UU UU UU   UU   //      /  | / /__) /  |  .  )/  )/  |  /<
     \\    UUUUUU   UU   //      /   |/ (___ (__ |_/|_/(__//   |_/  \_
      \\       UUUUUU   //
        ================         Helpline (801) 585-HELP (585-4357)
                                 Monday - Friday  7:30am - 5:30pm





    Enter  library  - To connect to the Marriot Library.
           guest    - To connect to another computer on campus.


User Access Verification

Username: 



     The following is how it appears when the modem goes into its "funky"
processing mode.

   j=Oj=Oj=Oj=O    .K)                                                   

! /     UUUUUUUU\  / _ i|J z J \/B_C! z/ UUUUUUU E  B_u= iu!_     iuz9/B_ 
    j

     5

     j

     U

     )

     Y

     X
! *9tY.lZ,r^-"= ,K9e,"= +MX.%ob%b.Iy)                                    
     H
                                        g]VQ  K"= ,K9e,"= XkQhY.


     Actually there are a number of 8 bit and non printable characters
mixed in with this. This is simply how the terminal emulator displays it.
We have most definatley tracked this to the modem. I know this looks
somewhat like mismatched baud rate and other anomalies but it is not. Two
people in the organization have independently verified this. We've swaped
modems on the line and cables all over the place. The culprit is the
modem. In fact simply "talking" to it in at command mode and issuing an
at&v seems to be sufficient to clear it. Actually, if people have made
connections to it at different speeds after it has gone into this bozo
mode I have experienced times when the high speed connections will no
longer work at all but the lower speed connections do just fine. In all
cases simply power cycling the modem clears the problem up till it appears
later. Has anyone else out there had similar problems? I have called Supra
and they indicate nobody else has reported any such problems.

                                                       Thanks,

                                                       Robert

----------------------------------------------------------------------
+  Robert Roll                                                       +
+  Networking Specialist          robert@cc.utah.edu   (Internet)    +
+  University Of Utah             robert@utahcca       (Bitnet)      +
+  Computer Center                (801) 581-7655       (Bell net)    +
----------------------------------------------------------------------
=  The race is not always to the swift nor the battle to the strong  =
=  but that's the way to bet!                                        =
----------------------------------------------------------------------


Xref: sparky comp.dcom.modems:12979 comp.sys.mac.hardware:16584