PPPoE Session Timeout

[drhowarddrfine]

This might be right up your alley Paul.  I'm having an issue, again, with a credit card terminal over dsl.  When I press transmit on the unit, there is an 8-second delay until the data is transferred to the transaction server.  This "processing" time is the terminal waiting to communicate with the server.  While I think this issue is with the unit, I discovered "PPPoE session timeout" or "idle timeout" and was told, if these were set to some time unit, the session would, of course, time out and, when I swipe another credit card, it has to logon to the network again and this could be causing the 8-second delay.  Does this make any sense to anyone?  I'm surprised it would take 8-seconds to logon to SBC.

[P1]

Yes, it makes sense.  They are closing idle channels, reducing equipment usage to active connections.  Forcing you to re-connect/re-establish a active connection.   DSL is simply a higher speed modem line.  They did the same thing for modem racks over POTS lines. 

This would keep IP leases to a minimum as well.

Regards,  P1  :8)

[drhowarddrfine]

Maybe this shoots this idea down.  I have the unit at home using cable.  I'm told cable, or at least my cable company, does not use PPPoE which makes sense.  So now that points the finger at the unit. 

[PBrennick]

I will have to look into this one.  I suspect your problem could be on the other end.  Not your ISP, it is in the middle.  Also, remember that this is a secure transmission which involves the making of some handshakes and authentication.  Also, if the credit card is being verified before you get a reply from the other end, I consider 8 seconds to be fast.

If things are taking too long on the other end, your ISP will kill the connection thinking there is a hangup.

Paul

[P1]

Maybe this shoots this idea down.  I have the unit at home using cable.  I'm told cable, or at least my cable company, does not use PPPoE which makes sense.  So now that points the finger at the unit. 

Just to be clear, So is the problem, in both places, or just in the remote site with PPPoE?

Regards,  P1  :8)

[drhowarddrfine]

The problem is at both locations.

[P1]

Is the unit setup for use with different media?  i.e. dsl, ethernet and POTS

It does sound like a unit problem/feature ( done by design ), where it disconnects after each transaction.

Regards,  P1  :8)

[drhowarddrfine]

Looking more like the terminal or, perhaps the VITAL Network.  Used to be called VisaNET.  I just went off on a lackey from Bank of America who is handling this whole snafu.  Not really a lackey but a manager of some sort.  BoA has the worst technical support on the face of the earth.  Upper level management is worse.  I am not just saying this because I'm furious with them.  It took me two weeks to convince them that I really, really do have the terminal connected to the modem which is connected to the dsl line.  I kid you not.

The account manager that handles with at Bank of America told me yesterday we would have a conference call between three people.  No one called and no one was aware the call was to take place.  This is the FOURTH time in a week someone has lead me down a path like that.  This same manager told me another manager was flying to our HQ office just to handle this situation.  Turns out, her trip had been planned for three weeks, totally unrelated.

Now, it's not big ol' BoA fighting little ol' me.  I am representing one of the largest restaurant chains in the world.  I CANNOT, and neither can you, call BoA and get a live person on the phone!!  Right now.  Call your local branch and try and get a live person to talk to.  About anything!  Unless you are reporting a lost credit card and are willing to lie after a few options, it's been impossible for me.

Unbelievable.

[Mark Jones]

...As God is my witness I will never program .NET

They probably use .NET... :toothy

[drhowarddrfine]

Bank of America has admitted to me it is an error in their programming.  Hundreds of their terminals have been shipped with this error and it must be corrected.  While I will be compensated for my weeks of effort, it amounts to about two hours of salary for two weeks of work.  Don't know what leverage I have about that.  Probably none.

The problem is not 100% known but appears to be either using the wrong URL to contact the servers or, more likely, logging into the server (the session) times out too soon causing every credit card transaction to have to re-login.  Maybe both.

Thanks everyone for their help and suggestions.

[P1]

Well, you were not entirely without service.  But you would have thought that one their tech types would have been more perceptive.

This is wierd, because we have our company cable modem swapped out for a firmware issue as well, after a network change by Comcast.

Regards,  P1  :8)