ComOS 4.1b26 Open Beta Release Note

1999/07/15

Introduction

The new Lucent Technologies ComOS® 4.1b26 software release is now available for open beta for the PortMaster® 4 Integrated Access Server. This release note applies only to the PortMaster 4.

This open beta release is provided at no charge to all Lucent customers.

This open beta release is recommended for any customer using a PortMaster 4, and especially for customers who wish to test the new functionality before the general availability (GA) release of ComOS 4.1.

This release note documents commands and features added between ComOS 4.1b15 and ComOS 4.1b26 on the PortMaster 4. This release contains the same modem code as ComOS 3.8.2c2 and ComOS 4.0.3c2.

Command syntax for new commands might change between this open beta release and the GA release of ComOS 4.1.

Before upgrading, thoroughly read "Limitations" and "Upgrade Instructions."

NOTE: If you downgrade from ComOS 4.1b26 to ComOS 4.0.3c2 or earlier, you must perform the downgrade process twice because of changes in the nonvolatile memory layout in ComOS 4.1b26.

Contents

Bugs Fixed

The following bugs have been fixed between ComOS 4.1b23 and ComOS 4.1b26:

* When an interface is released from use, the IP address assigned to it from the default address pool is now returned to the pool and no longer causes the PortMaster to run out of IP addresses.

* Administrative usernames with an exclamation mark (!) prefix now work properly.

* A Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) Get-Next request no longer skips any modems.

* Changing the IP address or TCP socket number of the Signaling System 7 gateway no longer causes the PortMaster to reset the ISDN Primary Rate Interface (PRI) associated with the gateway.

The following bugs have been fixed between ComOS 4.1b15 and ComOS 4.1b23:

* IP pool use in the user table no longer causes a Quad T1 board memory leak.

* Duplicate IP addresses are no longer assigned for the local user table. If the number of dial-in users exceeds the number of addresses available to be assigned, the PortMaster no longer assigns the same address more than once.

* Client Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) dial-in users no longer receive an IP Control Protocol (IPCP) address negotiation request from the PortMaster 4 instead of being assigned an IP address.

* A memory corruption problem that caused a crash on the system manager module (SMM) and Quad T1 board has been fixed.

* The 2183 controller code no longer causes a Quad T1 board to crash.

* During LCP negotiation, client PPP dial-in users to the PortMaster 4 no longer become stuck in a connecting state or have their connections fail. These problems were caused by an internal 2183 controller code race condition.

* A problem that caused the Quad T1 board to run out of network buffers (netbufs) has been fixed.

* Dial-in users who request a filter from a ChoiceNet(R) server when the RADIUS accounting queue is full no longer become stuck in a connecting state.

* The PortMaster 4 now sends an Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) Destination Unreachable message to the source host when the PortMaster cannot forward a packet with the Don't Fragment (DF) bit set onto a interface that has a smaller maximum transmission unit (MTU).

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Modem Bugs Fixed

This release includes the modem code from ComOS 3.8.2c2 and ComOS 4.0.3c2, which fixes the following modem bugs:

* A NO EC (no error control) connection problem with Cirrus Logic modems is fixed.

* Performance with Cirrus Logic modems is improved.

* The number of rate renegotiations with USR/3Com and Cirrus modems has been reduced because ComOS now allows the client to specify spectral shaping.

* Rate renegotiation and retrain problems with USR/3Com and Rockwell HCF clients are fixed.

* Connectability with USR/3Com and Rockwell HCF modems and LT Winmodems is improved.

* A downward spiraling upstream rate caused by an incorrect Link Access Procedure for Modems (LAPM) error check is fixed.

* The number of disconnections due to LAPM retrains within a retrain is reduced.

* Rate reduction due to LAPM errors has been made less sensitive.

* Motorola SM56 modems can now connect with V.90.

* A V.90-to-V.34 fallback problem, which can result in a disconnection, is fixed by earlier V.34 detection.

* A-law V.90 connectability is improved.

* K56flex connectability is improved by an increase in a K56flex timeout.

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New Features

This ComOS release contains the same features as ComOS 4.1b15. In addition, this ComOS release adds the following features:

* Extended modem debugging information has been added for troubleshooting with the existing modem debugging commands.

* The "show Ether0" command now shows the Ethernet negotiated speed. 

Command> show ether1
  Ethernet Status: IP - Enabled   IPX - Disabled

   Interface Addr: 0.0.0.0
          Netmask: 255.255.255.0
Broadcast Address: 0.0.0.0

      IPX Network: 00000000
   IPX Frame Type: ETHERNET_802.2
 Ethernet Address: 00:c0:05:11:05:b0
      Link Status: Up 100Mb Full-Duplex (Auto-Negotiated)

     Input Filter:
    Output Filter:
          Routing: RIP On (Broadcast, Listen)

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Limitations

ComOS 4.1b26 has the following limitations.

Quad T1 Board Reboot Due to PCI Memory Problem

An unexpected halt in Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) memory can cause a Quad T1 board to reboot without creating a crash log. A segmentation and reassembly (SAR) problem in the PCI can cause a hardware reset of the Quad T1 board when its PCI bus is being written to. Because the board's hardware is reset, the boot log shows only "Power On" and no stack trace is recorded.

Faulty Session ID from SNMP Query

An SNMP query on a session ID displays the first five characters as "0".

Modem Problems

Lucent Remote Access is still fixing some problems with Rockwell HCF and Cirrus Logic modems. If you experience any difficulties with modems, verify that the client modem is running the latest firmware, and then refer to http://www.livingston.com/tech/bulletin/comos-modem.html. (The information on this web page applies to a PortMaster 4 running ComOS 4.0.3c2-or-later modem code.)

If these instructions do not help, contact Lucent Remote Access Technical Support.

Authentication Method Required for L2TP

Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP) on the PortMaster 4 supports only Password Authentication Protocol (PAP) and Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP) for PPP authentication. It does not support login scripts.

Users normally dial in and authenticate with either PAP or CHAP. However, if a user's Microsoft Windows dial-up networking preferences are configured to display a terminal window, then a chat login script sends the username and password and no PAP or CHAP authentication is done. As a result, an L2TP tunnel cannot be generated for this type of connection and the connection fails.

To prevent this problem, use PAP or CHAP for authentication when using LT2P.

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Troubleshooting

As part of modem troubleshooting, confirm that the client modem is running the latest firmware before submitting a modem trouble report.

When reporting a new modem problem, send the following information to technical support:


* ComOS version
* Client modem manufacturer
* Client modem model
* Results on the client modem of commands ATI0 through ATI11
* Whether the problem is reproducible

Lucent Remote Access might want to monitor your PortMaster while the client modem reproduces the problem.

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Upgrade Instructions

You can upgrade your PortMaster 4 using PMVision 1.6, or pmupgrade 4.3 from PMTools. Alternatively, you can upgrade using the older programs pminstall 3.5.3, PMconsole 3.5.3, or PMconsole for Windows 3.5.1.4, or later releases. You can also upgrade using TFTP with the "tftp get comos" command from the PortMaster command line interface.

See ftp://ftp.livingston.com/pub/le/software/java/pmvision16.txt for installation instructions for PMVision 1.6.

*** CAUTION! If the upgrade fails, do NOT reboot! Contact
*** Lucent Remote Access Technical Support without rebooting.

The upgrade process on the PortMaster 4 erases the configuration area from nonvolatile memory and saves the current configuration into nonvolatile memory. Never interrupt the upgrade process, or loss of configuration information can result. This upgrade does not otherwise affect your stored configuration in the PortMaster 4.

If you are downgrading from ComOS 4.1b26 to ComOS 4.0.3c2 or earlier, you must perform the downgrade to ComOS 4.0.3c2 twice because of changes in the nonvolatile memory layout in ComOS 4.1b26.

The installation software can be retrieved by FTP from ftp://ftp.livingston.com/pub/le/software/, and the upgrade image can be found at ftp://ftp.livingston.com/pub/le/upgrades: 

ComOS           Upgrade Image   Product
_________       _____________   _____________________________________
4.1b26          pm4_4.1b26      PortMaster 4

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Copyright and Trademarks

Copyright 1999 Lucent Technologies. All rights reserved.

PortMaster, ComOS, and ChoiceNet are registered trademarks of Lucent Technologies Inc. PMVision, IRX, and PortAuthority are trademarks of Lucent Technologies Inc. PolicyFlow is a service mark of Lucent Technologies Inc. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

Notices

Lucent Technologies Inc. makes no representations or warranties with respect to the contents or use of this publication, and specifically disclaims any express or implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose. Further, Lucent Technologies Inc. reserves the right to revise this publication and to make changes to its content, any time, without obligation to notify any person or entity of such revisions or changes.

Contacting Lucent Remote Access Technical Support

Lucent Technologies Remote Access Business Unit (previously Livingston Enterprises) provides technical support via voice or electronic mail, or through the World Wide Web at http://www.livingston.com/. Specify that you are running ComOS 4.1b26 when reporting problems with this release.

Internet service providers (ISPs) and other end users in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, India, and Pakistan should contact their authorized Lucent Remote Access sales channel partner for technical support; see http://www.livingston.com/International/EMEA/distributors.html.

For North America, the Caribbean and Latin America (CALA), and Asia Pacific customers, technical support is available Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. U.S. Pacific Time (GMT -8). Dial 1-800-458-9966 within the United States (including Alaska and Hawaii), Canada, and CALA, or 1-925-737-2100 from elsewhere, for voice support. Otherwise, send email to support@livingston.com (asia-support@livingston.com for Asia Pacific customers).