From: hrlaser@netcom.com (H.R. Laser)
Subject: Re: PC Pursuit
Organization: Netcom Online Communications Services (408-241-9760 login: guest)
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 02:16:17 GMT

In article <1993Jan5.212830.13562@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu> mrosen@nyx.cs.du.edu (Michael Rosen) writes:
>hrlaser@netcom.com (H.R. Laser) writes:
>
>>2400bps if using outdial/indial method to connect to another city
>> to dial a BBS in that city
>>9600bps if using outdial only to connect to a DAF host or to PCP's
>> own 24-hour free BBS for registered users.
>
>You're kidding?  Geez, no 9600 access (hell, I'd like 14400) for PcP
>general usage?  What is a DAF host?
>
>I'm wondering if I can't find any free telnet dialouts at high speed
>if maybe it'd be cheaper for me to call direct (from Baltimore to
>Colorado) to utilize high speed rather than spend upwards of
>$25/month for local internet access.
>
>Mike
>
>--
>Michael Rosen						"Time and space

No, I'm not kidding. 
A DAF host (in PCPursuit parlance) is a "Dedicated Access Facility."
This is a host system or service to which you can connect using your
PCPursuit account and hours. 

For instance, the Portal System is a DAF host for PCPursuit.
If one connects to Portal via a SprintNet X.25 node in one's
city, one pays $2.50 per connect hour (during evenings and weekends
which is known as "off peak"). 

Such a connection is made at the local SprintNet node by typing
c portal <return>

If one has a PCPursuit account, one may connect directly to Portal
using one's PCP account, at V.32 speed (if one's local SprintNet
node supports it) thusly:

c portal,pcpursuit-ID,pcpursuit-password <return>

Portal sees this as a "prepaid" connection and does not bill any
hourly charges to your account. PCPursuit sees it as a DAF usage
of your account and applies the hours used while connected to
Portal this way against your regular monthly PCPursuit alottment
(of 30 or 60 hours for $30 or $50). 

So this is one way to use your PCPursuit hours, a DAF connection.

However, you can't do this to "outdial/indial" to faraway BBS
systems that are not DAF hosts. To connect to BBSes one has
to use your local SprintNet node to connect to another city. Let's
say I wanted to connect to Sacramento Calif. I'd dial up my
local SprintNet node and after connection, I'd enter this:

c d/casac/24,pcp-id,pcp-password <return>

which is shorthand for telling PCPursuit "I want to connect 
to California, Sacramento at 2400 baud and here's my account info."

The connection is established in 1 second or less. I'm now connected
to PCPursuit's modem in Sacramento. Now I can dial any BBS in
the "approved" telephone exchanges in that city. I'm actually
making a "local" call from Sacramento to some other place in
Sacramento even though I don't live there. I could be anywhere
in the USA for the sake of this explanation.

So using regular modem dialing commands I would then:

ATDT5551212 <return>

to attempt to connect to that faraway BBS. The BBS doesn't know
nor care how I'm connecting to it. If it's not busy, I'll get
a CONNECT message and can log in as usual and do my business.
If the BBS is busy, I can tell Sprint's remote modem to dial it
again, or I can disconnect from Sacramento, stay connected to
my local Sprint node, and try BBSing around in other cities
(assuming I have some BBS phone numbers in other cities).

The max speed at which one can currently do this outdial/indial
dance is 2400. PCPursuit plans to upgrade their whole network
to 9600 eventually but they haven't yet. I dunno why. I don't
work for them, but I"ve been using PCPursuit for many years.

It's a fairly goofball way to reach BBSes and not efficient at
all if you want to download files since you cna't go faster than
2400, but it's only a buck an hour no matter what city you
call FROM and what city you call TO anywhere it's supported in
the lower 48 states. 

Harv