Multilink Connections
The fact that an ISDN connection has two channels (B-channels) makes it possible to connect to the Internet twice as fast. All it takes is establishing a so-called "multilink" connection to your Internet provider, which may let you reach transfer rates of up to 128kb. The downside is that charges will accordingly be twice as high. Plus, not every provider offers multilink connections! Therefore, you can either consult your provider or just give it a try.
In principle, all recent Windows versions with the exception of Win 95 are capable of creating multilink connections via dialup. If you are running Windows 95, make sure to install the Microsoft Accelerator Pack 1.1 , which updates the Dial-Up Network and enables multilinking. Please note that this update is already included in Windows95 versions V 950.b and higher!
cFos
The full
cFos
installation guide can be found
here
.
Make sure to select
two COM ports
during installation (e.g., COM4 and COM5)!
After installing, select [Start] [Settings] [Control Panel] and go to the [Modem manager] entry. Add a new modem (cf.
Installing a Modem
).
Install the "
cFos
ISDN, Internet, Sync PPP over HDLC" modem to COM4 (
cFos
Port 4), then add the "
cFos
ISDN, 2nd Sync PPP over HDLC" modem and assign it to COM5 (
cFos
Port 5).
Dial-Up Network Configuration
Select an existing DUN connection or create a
new one
. Right-click on that connection and select its [Properties].
Win95:
Click on [Settings]. Check the "Additional devices" option and [Add] the "
cFos
ISDN, 2nd PPP-Modem."
Win 98:
Take note of the "Multilink" option and check "Use additional devices." Click [Add] and select the "
cFos
ISDN, 2nd Sync PPP over HDLC" modem from the list.
Win ME:
Take note of the "Multilink" option and check "Use additional devices." Click [Add] and select the "
cFos
ISDN, 2nd Sync PPP over HDLC" modem from the list.
Win2000/XP:
Check the devices you wish to use for connecting under the properties of each respective DUN connection. (The "Options"
tab under "Additional devices" will let you adjust a number of additional dial-in settings.)
Opening a Connection
After successful dialup, the second channel is added automatically to an active DUN connection.
Once both channels are open, right-clicking on the connection icon will display the connection status.
This is also where you can find the "Activate/Deactivate additional devices" option under [Details]. If only one channel
is needed, the second channel can be closed down by clicking on [Deactivate]. If necessary, it can be brought back up at
any time by clicking on [Activate].
Remember that you can find out whether one or both channels are currently in use simply by looking at the
cFos
skins or status window.
Note:
By default, the "
cFos
ISDN, 2nd Sync PPP over HDLC" modem will block any connection during the first 7 seconds. If necessary, that connection
can still be activated manually in the DUN. You can deactivate this setting with register
S75.9=0
.
If a call is coming in while a multilink connection on both ISDN channels is still active, one channel will be shut down
automatically. You can deactivate this by setting
S74.12=0
.