Has anyone had issues with PPP authentication just stop working on their Centurylink DSL line?
This past Saturday afternoon (Oct. 31), my DSL just...stopped...working. No fiddling around, no nothing. It worked one minute, and didn't the next. Power cycle, no joy.
I'll get into the no-help-whatsoever-desk stuff in a minute. First the details.
1) DSL signal is getting through, with proper speeds and info (PVC info is right, transport info is right, etc).
2) IP network info is not being obtained.
3) 2nd level Centurylink support stated authentication isn't only not happening, it's not even getting to the authentication server. So, no IP net parameters received.
4) PPP Authentication on my end looks to be sending but not receiving. LCP is down (or connecting); IPCP is down.
5) DSL Transport status shows packets being sent upstream, but downstream is a big 0 across the board.
6) CRC errors are at 0, both near and far.
7) SNR is around 19-20 dB upstream, ~36 downstream (I'm at 1.5 Mb/s)
8) Something similar happened to me last spring I think it was. Centurylink had to reset something (PVC or Authentication server, can't remember). I've told Centurylink this, but they've ignored me.
9) Centurylink's trouble ticket system only goes 60 days, so any institutional history of customer problems are gone after that.
Now, this is the kicker. The authentication issue is happening across three (3) different DSL routers from three (3) different manufacturers:
Cisco 678--old reliable, this was the operational modem when outage hit Saturday.
Centurylink C1000Z--bought this last spring to replace 678 when time came. It has been used operationally,
so I know it works.
Centurylink C1000A--yeah, I know. Purchased it this morning, for reasons soon enough.
Since Saturday, I've worked solely with the C1000Z and C1000A with tech support.
So, on Saturday, Tuesday and today (Wednesday), I've spent nearly 8 hours on the phone with Centurylink tech support, both 1st level, and a couple of times with 2nd level. Each time it's been the same think multiple times (the definition of insanity): reinput username/password; factory reset router; repeat; repeat; repeat.
So they ended up on Tuesday telling me I needed a different modem. Yeah, right. I'll humor them though, and bought a C1000A this morning. It failed, and was back on phone with them less than an hour after purchase. We tried it a few times, then went back to C1000Z.
In the end, the CSR--who was the best I've dealt with so far--said, "I think you got a bad router." I chuckled and said, it's not the router. How can 3 routers from 3 manufacturers have the exact same problem at the exact same time? You guys are loathe to admit it, but it is a problem on your end.
They can see authentication isn't passing through--even 2nd level. This means it has to be a network or authentication system issue. I'm guessing it's a bad circuit between the remote terminal/dslam and back end, or my port has gone bad.
They're dispatching a tech to check my lines tomorrow, but CRCs and SNR is good. Maybe they can swap my port.
Any thoughts? Anyone have this issue before? Anyone from Centurylink reading this and want to help solve an interesting problem?
Thanks.
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