DSL What is DSL? DSL (digital subscriber line) technology allows high-speed data to travel over the existing copper telephone lines between end users and telephone companies. How fast is DSL? The speed with which your location can receive data depends on your address, the line quality, and the distance to your local phone company’s central office (CO). MacForceGo DSL ranges from 256Kbps to 7Mbps. Do we need any new hardware for DSL? Yes. You’ll need a DSL router/modem, which you can buy from your phone company when you sign up for the service. How much does DSL cost? It varies depending on your phone company and your location. DSL is a joint package provided by two different services: One is the actual DSL line from your telephone company, and the other is a connection to the Internet provided by MacForceGo. View our current prices for ISP packages. We want DSL! Where do we sign up? The quickest way to sign up is to visit MacForce or call us at 503.231.7707. Or contact us via e-mail. We are planning to move. Will our DSL service move with us? Unfortunately not. Whether you are moving next door or across town, you will need to order your DSL service just as you would your phone line for your office. You must have your phone line up and running (i.e., receiving a dial tone) before you can order DSL. Then you must be sure your new line is set up for DSL, keeping in mind that DSL is separate from your phone service (even though they share your phone number). Contact us at 503.231.7707 as soon as you know where you’ll be moving so we can help you relocate your service. We’ll also work with your local telephone provider so you don’t have to. This means less downtime and more time online for you. If you’d like to contact your phone company directly for any reason, here are their DSL contact numbers: Business Service Verizon: 877.483.5793 Qwest: 800.603.6000 Home Service Verizon: 877.483.4375 Qwest: 800.244.1111 Do we need to have phone service through a specific phone company to order DSL? To get DSL Internet access, you must have phone service on the phone number provided by one of your local ILECs (incumbent local exchange carrier, i.e., the phone company). MacForceGo can provide service through the following ILECs: Qwest Verizon Centurytel How long will it take to get DSL installed? It depends. Our installation times range from 5–15 business days from order placement to installation, depending on location and line availability. T1 or T3 orders require more intensive installation and can take slightly longer (20–45 days). What are the steps for installing DSL? Once you contact MacForce at 503.231.7707 to place an order, we will walk you through the process of checking availability. IP/DHCP Addresses What is an IP address? This is simply the numeric address of your particular computer when you’re on the Internet or any network. Computers use IP addresses to locate and talk to each other, just like we use the phone. An example of an IP address is 255.202.144.8. What is a DHCP address? DHCP is short for dynamic host configuration protocol. A DHCP address is also called a “dynamic” address because it changes frequently. What are the advantages of a DHCP IP address? DHCP IP addresses are easier to set up, more secure and less expensive than static IP addresses. What is a static IP address? Static IP addresses remain constant, unlike DHCP addresses, which can change each time you connect to the Internet or a network. What are the advantages of static IP addresses? With a static IP address, your computer can be used as a type of server, e.g., Web, e-mail or FTP. These static IP addresses make it easy to remotely connect to your computer using programs like Timbuktu, VNC or Apple Remote Desktop. How do we decide between static and DHCP? If your business plans on running a server or hosting anything from its computers, consider a static IP address. If you’d like to browse the Web faster or download large files, a DHCP IP address might be a better choice. If you’re still not sure, contact MacForce at 503.231.7707. Web Hosting What is Web hosting? If you are housing, serving and maintaining files for one or more websites, then you are Web hosting. You not only need plenty of space on your hard drive, but also a fast Internet connection. Most hosting services, in fact, have high-speed Internet lines specifically dedicated to this purpose. If you’re a business interested in hosting your own site, you will need such a connection, and they aren’t cheap. Using a hosting service is an affordable way for companies to enjoy a fast connection for serving files. Can we host our website with MacForceGo? Yes. Along with Web hosting comes DNS and MX (e-mail) hosting, which can become burdensome. That’s where MacForceGo comes in: We can host your website, do e-mail and handle DNS for your domain. We can even do DNS alone; then you can host your own website and handle your e-mail, if that makes more sense for your situation. Where can we find out more about your Web-hosting plans? View all of our hosting plans and prices. How do we register a domain name? Through a domain-name registrar, which is the only entity that can access and modify the master database of domain names maintained by InterNIC. View InterNIC’s list of accredited domain-name registrars.  (An organization called ICANN is responsible for certifying and regulating registrars.) The easiest way, though, is to let us do it all for you. If you need a domain name, contact MacForce and we can take care of registration and set up your services. We’ve registered a domain name and need the MacForceGo "name servers." What are they? Primary: ns1.macforce.com (209.218.54.3) Secondary: ns2.macforce.com (209.218.54.5) We are transferring our domain name to MacForceGo. What are your name servers? See above. If we are currently a dial-up or e-mail customer, can we keep our existing MacForceGo.com e-mail address? You bet. If you are a current customer without DSL, or would like to add another DSL service to your account, just call MacForce at 503.231.7707. BILLING & MISCELLANEOUS What if we want to change local phone service carriers? For the duration of your MacForceGo DSL service, you must maintain phone service with the same ILEC (phone company) that you had upon placing your order. How will we be billed? All MacForceGo business customers will be invoiced via regular mail (pending credit approval) or via credit card. Credit cards will be billed in advance each month, and invoices will be sent one month prior to the start of the service window. These net-30 payment terms require payment by the first day of the service to avoid any interruption in service. Do we have to sign a contract to receive service? Nope. Our service is billed month to month, for flexibility and convenience.