ISDN BRI Config 1

[Switcheroo]

Hey all! I hope this is a stupid newbie question, 'cause it's eating me up. I have been config'ing a Cisco 804 ISDN router and it doesn't want to utilize both B channels for communications. BUT, it does dial and bring up both B channels, it just uses one to send and receive data (while the other connected B channel sits idle)?!?! I have looked at all the Dialer and Interface config commands and can't seem to figure this one out. Is it someting with the Queues or what am I missing here. I have never had this problem before. Usually once both B channels are active, the router uses both to send and receive. I checked the ISDN stats and you can see where BRI0:1 has sent and received 0 data (yet is and has been active)and BRI0:2 is doing all the work?!!? *help* I'm ripping out hair here on this basic little router! Thanks!

 

[mbhandari]

Check you might have configerd the PPP multilink.

 

[Switcheroo]

Hmmm, yeah I already had PPP Multilink enabled - any other guesses? I've had the same provider for several years, so it shouldn't be that.....Just the router is new! Thanks!

 

[jeter]

show a config minus your passwords ! It sounds like there is some sort of load balancing, however with out seeing a config all we can do is guess. Thanks #-) Jeter@LasVegas.com Remember to pass Cisco's CCNA you need at least an 849 to pass!!!

 

[Guest_imported]

Hey, you may need to configure the "dialer-load threshold command" set for both directions with no load to bring up the other channel immediately.

 

[Switcheroo]

Here ya' go! Sorry I forgot to include before:

interface Dialer1
description ISP
ip address negotiated
no ip directed-broadcast
no ip proxy-arp
ip nat outside
encapsulation ppp
no ip split-horizon
bandwidth 128
dialer remote-name Cisco1
dialer idle-timeout 2147483
dialer string xxxxxxx
dialer string xxxxxxx class DialClass
dialer hold-queue 10
dialer load-threshold 1 either
dialer pool 1
dialer-group 1
pulse-time 0
ppp authentication chap pap callin
ppp chap hostname xxxxx
ppp chap password xxxxx
ppp pap sent-username xxxxx password xxxxx
ppp multilink

 

[UNIX72]

It's obvious that you channels are not bonding so remove the second spid and multilink. Let it dial out with 1 channel. Reinstate ppp multilink and 2nd spid. Also remove bandwidth 128, change dialer load to 3 or 10. This example work for me.

 

[Switcheroo]

Hey Thanks UNIX72 - I was skeptical, but it worked!! It's odd that I checked the interfaces before and it would show that both BRI0:1 and BRI0:2 were bound. Why did simply removing it and re-adding it work? Is it just a quirky thing? Any input is appreciated....now that it's fixed I want to know WHY?! LOL!!

 

[jeter]

Good job guys !!! X-) Jeter@LasVegas.com Remember to pass Cisco's CCNA you need at least an 849 to pass!!!

 

[theripper]

Switcheroo -

As an FYI (and this wasn't the situation in your case) but once, I had worked and worked and worked on an ISDN-BRI. Every config had been tried. It boiled down to when the customer ordered the BRI from Ameritech, they didn't have a clue which IOC to order with the circuit. . . so they just picked one. The wrong one.

This may not help right now, that your problem was resolved - but in the future (especially new circuits) ensure it was ordered correctly from the get go. Saves at least 5 hours of trouble-shooting. In additional, it's always good to know the IOC that your circuit is tagged with.