[CLUE-Tech] qwest, msn & dsl am I doomed?

[jeremy]

Greetings,

 A funny thing happened when I moved. . My  wife signed us for phone service 
and they offered to send info on DSL. About a week later a DSL modem and 
startup  up package arrived. /* good thing  i didn't order it I'd still be 
waiting. */  I'm new to DSL and don't quite know what I have gotten in to.

	 Any  way it's a 256k /sec rate account using an arescom net dsl 800 modem. 
With MSN as the isp.  So am I doomed?

	My first problem is what protocol they are using PPPoe or a bridge or what is 
there a way to tell? I read the dsl how to and d/l the pppoe package with no 
luck. It didn't really say what network options should be built in to the 
kernel.

	second is chap or pap or something else.

	I got my network card running and the .o file loads as a module and the 
lights on the modem go when I try and connect. According to the web page from 
arescom the modem should be transparent.


	I have not called MSN to ask for help because when I called to ask about the 
slow transfer rate the guy told me it was because my system resources were 
low. Apparently 190M of ram and a duron 700 is not enough.

	I went to a site and benchmarked my connection. The up and down transfer 
rates were as advertised. But  the transfer rate was only 25k/sec. So it takes 
me several hours to download an ios image. But hey I was dialing up at 
3.8k/sec so I'm not really that sad. I just want to know it the transfer rate 
is from here to Qwest or from my computer to the modem?

	I don't have the $$ to switch isp's right now.   If any one has any ideas 
drop a line. It's ok to say "you are doomed"

tech info.

Duron 700, 190M ram. Slackware 8.0, kernel 2.2.something, netgear pci card,

Thanks
Jeremy