DSL connection loss: is this loss of sync?

[Allen Weiner]

I run Fedora 7 Linux and use Verizon DSL. My modem is a Westell 6100-E90
modem/router. My DSL connection usually runs well. However, about once a
week or so I lose my Internet connection. I originally thought this was
due to DSL loss-of-sync. (My telephone line isn't that great. When I
used to use dial-up, I got lots of disconnections and retrains.)
However, I'm now not sure. When I lose my connection, the DSL LED on my
modem remains a solid green. I tried accessing the modem to view the
diagnostic log and the modem could not be accessed. I would think that
even if I lost sync, I should still be able to access the modem.
Following is the result of ifconfig and ping following a connection
loss. (When my connection is up, ping 192.168.1.1 works fine.)
/var/log/messages does not shed any light on this problem.

Is this a loss of sync, or some other failure? If it is a loss of sync,
why can't I access the modem?

I can restore my Internet connection by first power-cycling the modem
and after waiting for several minutes, then rebooting. I've not been
able restore my connection without a reboot (e.g. service network restart ).


[root@localhost ~]# ifconfig
eth0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:07:E9:01:B2:09
inet addr:192.168.1.47 Bcast:255.255.255.255 Mask:255.255.255.0
inet6 addr: fe80::207:e9ff:fe01:b209/64 Scope:Link
UP BROADCAST MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:184694 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:135087 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:268419465 (255.9 MiB) TX bytes:7410331 (7.0 MiB)

[root@localhost ~]# ping 192.168.1.1
PING 192.168.1.1 (192.168.1.1) 56(84) bytes of data.
From 192.168.1.47 icmp_seq=2 Destination Host Unreachable
From 192.168.1.47 icmp_seq=3 Destination Host Unreachable
From 192.168.1.47 icmp_seq=4 Destination Host Unreachable
From 192.168.1.47 icmp_seq=6 Destination Host Unreachable
From 192.168.1.47 icmp_seq=7 Destination Host Unreachable
From 192.168.1.47 icmp_seq=8 Destination Host Unreachable

[Ken Abrams]

"Allen Weiner" <alweiner7@hotmail.com> wrote

> Is this a loss of sync, or some other failure? If it is a loss of sync,
> why can't I access the modem?

Why indeed.

>. I've not been
> able restore my connection without a reboot (e.g. service network
restart ).
>
Seems like you have pretty much answered your own question. I suspect a
reboot alone would fix it too. Might be triggered by a rash of line errors
but the line is not what locks up.

[Fake Name]

>Is this a loss of sync, or some other failure? If it is a loss of sync,
>why can't I access the modem?

What other telco equipment do you have? For example, do you have
DirecTv, Tivo, a Home alarm, etc... anything at all that makes a
scheduled call ?

[Allen Weiner]

Fake Name wrote:
>> Is this a loss of sync, or some other failure? If it is a loss of sync,
>> why can't I access the modem?
>
> What other telco equipment do you have? For example, do you have
> DirecTv, Tivo, a Home alarm, etc... anything at all that makes a
> scheduled call ?

I don't have any other telco equipment.

[Allen Weiner]

Ken Abrams wrote:
> "Allen Weiner" <alweiner7@hotmail.com> wrote
>
>> Is this a loss of sync, or some other failure? If it is a loss of sync,
>> why can't I access the modem?
>
> Why indeed.
>
>> . I've not been
>> able restore my connection without a reboot (e.g. service network
> restart ).
> Seems like you have pretty much answered your own question. I suspect a
> reboot alone would fix it too. Might be triggered by a rash of line errors
> but the line is not what locks up.
>
>

My hunch (with zero evidence to back it up) is that a reboot should not
be necessary. It should be possible to restart networking without
needing to reboot. The fact that a reboot is necessary is indicative of
a problem in my NIC or modem/router (hardware, driver, or firmware problem).