ADSL vs Diginet

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Juenka

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I need some advise. Our company consists of two mayor branches. One in Potch and one in Pretoria.

Our Exchange and company database is located in the Potch branch. We have 40 user in pretoria who connects to the Potch branch (via vpn) to access mail and the database. (Pretoria branch do have there own adsl line for internet seperate.)

We currently have 2 adsl lines installed (4mb) but the vpn speed is hectic. The big issue is with the database that is being accessed via remote desktop from Pta to Potch.

There is a suggestion on the table to go over to diginet but because of the cost people (management) are worried that it will not make a difference. The ping rate to the database server is currently between 1700 and 3800 ms.

What is the fastest and most relaible option if it comes to a link between two offices? Diginet or ADSL?

Please help. Thank you
 
Reliability = Diginet not on price (SLA)

ADSL = Cheap on price, not reliability (best effort service)

For VPN purchase unshaped ADSL bandwidth from a number of ISP
ie Web Africa , Mweb

Is your current ADSL account shaped ?
 
Part of the issue is likely the Uplink speed from Potch side,regardless of having a 4meg line you are syncing at 512k up and have 40 users using RDP?
 
PsyWulf said:
Part of the issue is likely the Uplink speed from Potch side,regardless of having a 4meg line you are syncing at 512k up and have 40 users using RDP?
Click to expand...
This. 40 people corporate VPN over an asynchronous product? Seriously?

Diginet is technically suitable since its point to point and very reliable. However its very very expensive.

I'd have a look at Neotel's point to point products.

Also, extra training for the IT department is recommended.
 
Thank you for replying. Cost is not a factor at the moment. To much money is being lost due to production being slowed down.
 
Considerations:

Replicated SQL DB over Diginet
Bonded ADSL lines
Round-robin balancing remote connections
Site to site VPN with 1 SQL DB at headoffice
 
What database server?

Can't it be synchronized to the Pta branch? So that only database data traverse the VPN and not user RDP sessions?

Have you tried changing the RDP session to use low-color instead of the default high-color?
 
Stop messing around with ADSL, bonding and other other solutions that aren't going to do the job and get a couple of 2Mb Diginet circuits. At 30k per VoIP circuit, if just 10 people are on the phone, you have got 300Kb of traffic. If your ADSL is only uplinking at 256Kb, well then...
 
You need a synchronous line, too little uplink(has been said already though) diginet will probably solve that, though at a much higher cost. Bonded adsl may be a better option. adding a whole bunch of 512kb/s could be the cheaper solution.

But PsyWulf's suggestion of a replicated DB, which only updates the sections with changes, to reduce bandwidth, would be the optimal solution to solve the latency issue. Higher set up cost, but it could be done using current infrastructure as well, though the updates may take time(but the work would be done)
 
Juenka said:
I need some advise. Our company consists of two mayor branches. One in Potch and one in Pretoria.
{snip}
What is the fastest and most relaible option if it comes to a link between two offices? Diginet or ADSL?
Click to expand...

HavocXphere said:
Diginet is technically suitable since its point to point and very reliable. However its very very expensive.
{snip}
Also, extra training for the IT department is recommended.
Click to expand...

Truth +1.
Just to stress it as a major point.

DigiNet is EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE!
 
OK, tell you what.

Since everybody keeps harping about the price of Diginet, here's a nother solution.

Go to Safricom in Potch and have them run you a virtual leased line.

1 x UBNT rocket at the Potch office.
1 x UBNT rocket at the Potch high site pointing to your office.
1 x UBNT rocket at the Fochville / Westonaria high site pointing to the Potch high site.
1 x UBNT rocket at the Fochville / Westonaria high site pointing to Krugersdorp.
1 x UBNT rocket at the Krugersdorp high site pointing to Fochville / Westonaria.
1 x UBNT rocket at the Krugersdorp high site pointing to the Webb tower in Centurion
1 x UBNT rocket at the Webb tower in Centurion pointing to the Webb tower in Pretoria
1 x UBNT rocket at the Webb tower in Pretoria pointing to your Pretoria office
1 x UBNT rocket at the Pretoria office pointing to the Webb Tower (that's the one up near the Voortrekker Monument).

Webb have a number of towers in Gauteng and Northwest that have line of site of each other.

Before everybody jumps up and says it can't be done, I did it in 2007 for a company with a factory between Carletonville and Potch and offices in Pretoria. We used MT RB532s, XR5s and 30dBi dishes from Miro.

Knowing what I know now, I'd still go for the Diginet option. Our point to point Diginet between Somerset West and Kathu hasn't had one minute downtime in 13 months.
 
Juenka said:
I need some advise. Our company consists of two mayor branches. One in Potch and one in Pretoria.

Our Exchange and company database is located in the Potch branch. We have 40 user in pretoria who connects to the Potch branch (via vpn) to access mail and the database. (Pretoria branch do have there own adsl line for internet seperate.)

We currently have 2 adsl lines installed (4mb) but the vpn speed is hectic. The big issue is with the database that is being accessed via remote desktop from Pta to Potch.

There is a suggestion on the table to go over to diginet but because of the cost people (management) are worried that it will not make a difference. The ping rate to the database server is currently between 1700 and 3800 ms.

What is the fastest and most relaible option if it comes to a link between two offices? Diginet or ADSL?

Please help. Thank you
Click to expand...

Even for ADSL that ping is ridonculous! I'd look at replicating the database, hiring someone in Management for IT, and getting a form of internet with a SLA where it be bonded ADSL, fibre p2p through neotel/telkom, or at the very least maybe a 1mbs fibre internet at either side from neotel @ R1600pm and then ADSL for general internet usage
 
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Replicate the database and keep the traffic as local as possible. 40 people doing RDP over an ADSL is ludicrous. Might even want to think about giving Pretoria their own Exchange server (distributed setup with the Frontend being in Potch) if budget allows. My previous company had branches all over the show, they were connected through ADSL and had local DB servers which replicated from the central master server. Worked fine even on 512 lines.
 
ponder said:
Ta. Does this mean you cannot directly apply for a SDSL service from Telkom and have to apply via an ISP? Surely it should work on the same principal as ADSL where you then pick an ISP afterwards.
Click to expand...
You would probably have to approach Telkom Business for this type of service, which is effectively a Leased Line.
 
Phone MTN Business.
They're cheaper than you'd think and MUCH more reliable than Telkom. (diginet or ADSL)
They offer ADSL as backup - with automatic switch-over - which you only pay for when you use it.
Support is also better than Telkom.
 
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