From: klaus@cscns.com (Klaus Dimmler)
Newsgroups: alt.internet.services
Subject: Re: Joining the Internet
Date: 20 Dec 92 19:03:16 GMT
Organization: Community_News_Service
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL8]

CNS just recently wrote an article about this topic for a local paper. I
will include it here.
 
Subject: Connections to the Internet
From:    Klaus Dimmler
Date:    Dec 10, 1992

Even many avid Internet users are often confused by the various types of
connections that can be established to the Internet. This confusion
sometimes leads to discussion about what kind of equipment is needed and
what pricing to expect. This article is intended to shed light on this
matter! Let's begin by itemizing the various types of connections to the
Internet:  dial-in, uucp, slip, and dedicated line. 

In the case of a dial-in, your computer is acting as a dumb terminal. You
may log in with any communication software using any computer. Your access
to the Internet depends on how the host machine that you are calling is
connected to the Internet. Dialing up an Internet host is really no
different than calling any ordinary bulletin board in this respect. 

The cheapest way of automatically transferring internet email to your
local computer is uucp. In this configuration, your machine will be
assigned a domain name, and mail will be addressed to an individual user
on your local system. For instance, "john@company.com", where "john" is a
userid on your local system, could be a valid uucp address. Uucp is
actually a file transfer protocol. If you had a uucp account with CNS, for
instance, your local machine would call CNS periodically to check to see
if mail is waiting for you. If it is, mail is transferred to your system
via uucp. If you have mail waiting on your local system, it will be
transferred to CNS. The host system then delivers your mail from there. 

Uucp can be used also to transfer files and newsgroups, and has the
advantage over dial-in that all users on your system can be serviced with
an individual mailboxes through a single call. However, the capabilities
of uucp are limited beyond that. If you would like your system to be able
to telnet (the ability to interactively log on a remote site) or to ftp
(the ability to interactively transfer a file from a remote site), you
will need the next step in Internet connectivity: slip.
 
A slip connection uses an ordinary modem and an ordinary telephone line.
Slip is actually a networking protocol, and turns the telephone line into
a form of ethernet connection. Through this one connection, multiple
people will be able to telnet, ftp, and perform all other networking
functions. When you connect with a system that offers slip connections,
mail is routed from your host system to your computer in an instant. 

There are a couple of important points to remember about slip. Firstly,
you should realize that slip connections are somewhat slow. In fact,
transferring a file using ftp through a slip is slower than using a
download protocol like z-modem since slip has overhead in controlling the
network traffic. You should consider the highest speed modem available
when connecting with a slip.. nothing slower than 14.4K baud. Secondly,
you should be aware that with a slip connection, your local computer must
support all networking software that you wish to run. If you intend to
telnet through a slip, for example, you must have telnet software on your
computer. If you intend to ftp, you will need ftp software running on your
computer. Most all the software for PCs, macs, amiga, and unix are
available at no cost through the internet, though it is a hobby to put it
all together. 

The hourly charges for slip are typically the same as for dial-in or uucp.
However, since a slip is designed to be constantly connected the monthly
cost is generally higher. Many hosts that provide slip access, such as
CNS, will cap the monthly fee around $250. That way, a continuous
connection can be established for a reasonable flat rate fee.
 
Because of the low speed, slip has several limitations. For example, there
is a limit to the number of users you can allow to connect through the
slip at once. Along similar lines, a slip must limit features. To support
all newsgroups (35 Meg per day), a slip is probably too slow.  Further, it
is not practical to offer a slip connection to someone else if you are
running on only slip yourself. For high access speed to the Internet, you
must consider a dedicated line. This term "dedicated line" should not be
confused with an ordinary phone line that you have dedicated to your
computer. "Dedicated" is a telco term indicating the line is a nonswitched
channel. The special configuration of the lines make it possible to carry
higher speed digital transmission. The digital rate depends on what type
of dedicated line is ordered. For instance, a DS0 operates at 64K/sec,
while a DS1 (also called a T1) is a 1.544 Meg/sec. The cost of these lines
depend on distance from the US West central office and your long distance
carrier (if long distance is involved.)

Special equipment is needed to work with dedicated lines. The DSU/CSU is a
form of digital modem. You also need a router which converts to signal
obtained from the DSU to ethernet or some other type of protocol that your
local network can understand. 
 
There is a new type of telephone service called ISDN that you may have
heard about. With the proper equipment, an ISDN connection can be made at
speeds as high as 128K/sec. The equipment is still very expensive, and US
WEST makes it difficult to obtain a ISDN lines for the individual.
Barriers such as a 20 line minimum have made ISDN unobtainable for
personal use. Another problem is that the 128K rate is achieved only if
the entire connection path is ISDN. Since long distance does not feature
ISDN yet, data communication through ISDN is largely a local phenomenon.
However, these issues will be resolved over time. ISDN and telephone
services such as these will surely become part of our future. 
 
CNS is connected to the Internet via a high speed T1 dedicated truck.
Because of this high speed access, CNS can carries all newsgroups, and
offers uucp and slip connections in addition to standard dial-in lines.
Call the CNS offices at 520-1240 if you would like more information.
Newsgroups: alt.internet.services