definitive adsl connection test

From: faeychild (phobos_at_deimos.com)
Date: 01/28/05 

Date: Fri, 28 Jan 2005 17:55:15 +1100

Mandrake 10 d-link dsl-302g modem

After booting up on two occasions today I discovered that I had no
connection, which raises the inevitable question; me or them.
The help desk said no outage, try a factory reset.
Several factory resets and a reboot seemed to correct the fault.

I suppose it should have been just a network restart but I was getting
rattled and losing confidence.

I fired up again later in the day and once again no connection.

So the reset switch was pressed several times then held down for the
obligatory 30 seconds and the modem hung, with only the power light on.

Everything was powered off and then on again and what follows is what
feeds my doubts.
The modem started up the way it always does; the ethernet light comes on;
the adsl light blinks for a couple of seconds and then settles on; the
status light blinks steadily.  Perfectly normal except that there is no
connection (according to the modem when interrogated through the browser)

I can ping the modem but  the ISP name server is "not reachable".

I've assumed that the proper light show on the modem indicates the
connection to the exchange has been established and the fault is not at
my end. But if a factory reset seems to ( if a bit inconclusively )
re-establish a connection should I suspect the modem?

Should I suspect the matrix?
Should I suspect me?
Should I suspect you?
Is there an iron clad method of approach to fault find this type of error? 

-- 
faeychild

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