Modems, email, commercial online services, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), SLIP and PPP
The Internet, or portions of its services, can be accessed from home or office via a direct, hard-wire connection or a dial-up connection with a modem and phone line. Hard-wire connections include dedicated lines such as ISDN, T1, and T3 and offer speeds up to 45 M. They are faster and easier to use than dial-up, general access lines but significantly more expensive. They are most often cost-effective for companies with high telecommunication needs. There are examples of such services from the Denver area on a site in the resources section.
Dial-up connections (via modem, phone line, and service provider), sometimes called Dynamic Access because a number of subscribers can access them as needed, are the most common form of Internet access. Access is slower and the initial set-up can be more difficult than a direct connection, but this system is much less expensive. Dial-up connections are offered by Bulletin Board Systems, commercial on-line services, and Internet service providers.
So, here are some modem guidelines . . .
The most popular service on the Internet is e-mail. You may be able to send and receive e-mail via the Internet at your office, especially if you already have internal company e-mail. Ask your system administrator (the person in charge of your computer system) to set you up with an Internet e-mail address. If the conversation begins to include phrases such as TCP/IP or IP addresses, you are on the right track .
If you cannot connect at work, check out the local bulletin board systems (BBSs). Local BBSs have no long distance charges and can provide very inexpensive access to e-mail. For example, the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists (RMAG) offered a free Internet e-mail address to its members via its BBS.
To find a local BBS, ask your friends who are into computers, call the computer department at local community colleges, or pick up the local (free) computer magazine (usually at grocery & bookstores) which often prints lists of BBSs by area code. In Denver, there are at least two such magazines - Peak Computing and Computer User. After you find local BBSs, call and ask what kind of Internet access they provide. BBSs may offer the first few weeks service free, ask about that, too.
Another alternative for e-mail alone is MCI Mail (800/456-MAIL) which provides an 800 number for national e-mail access. There is a yearly fee (~$30) and charge per message sent (~$0.50). If you only need to send occasional messages, this may be a good option.
If you have a 'snail-mail' address, chances are you have a stack of CD-ROMs from America OnLine and other commercial on-line service providers, just begging you to sign up - for free! This can be a very good way to get started on the Internet.
The commercial on-line services have numerous discussion areas, file libraries, and allow you to send and receive e-mail via the Internet (sometimes they charge extra to send or receive e-mail, check before you sign up). Most offer limited access to the Web and are moving toward using the Netscape browser (AOL) and full Internet integration (CompuServe). Newsgroup access and file transfer is often limited.
If you do not use the Internet very much, these services can be cost-effective. The monthly fees are low ($5 to $10) and usually include several hours of on-line time. But be careful, these services can get very expensive if you spend a lot of time on-line. If you like or need it that much, find an ISP. And be sure to cancel your commercial service or you could be paying without playing.
You will soon discover that the Internet is much more than e-mail. There is the World Wide Web (WWW) with its graphically enhanced and hypertext linked 'pages.' There are more than 5,000 Usenet newsgroups to follow and many FTP sites which offer free data and software programs to download. If you want full access to these resources, you will need to choose a public-access, dial-up Internet Service Provider, preferably in your area.
There are a number of ways to shop for ISPs. They often advertise in the free computer magazines mentioned above. Ask your friends and co-workers who are on-line if they have any recommendations or horror stories.
You can call the Internet Network Information Center (InterNIC) at 800/444-4345 from a touch-tone phone (be ready for a menu system). There are a number of national Internet service providers which have a local phone number for access.
If you have access to the Web, try the local Internet Users Group Home Page, they often have a list of ISPs on-line. For example, the Rocky Mountain Internet Users Group has a link to a well-organized list of thirty-three ISPs with Denver and Boulder numbers, as well as fifteen national ISPs, at either of the following URLs:
This list offers extensive information including individual provider costs and services.
Searching Yahoo is another good way to find ISPs in your area. The search matches are hot linked, so you can click on the provider name and go to their Home Page. At that location, there is information on the services they offer and their rates. A recent search turned up 27 matches in Montana, 6 in Wyoming, 45 in Utah, 37 in Nevada, 21 in Idaho, 12 in North Dakota, 6 in South Dakota, and 27 in Nebraska.
Public access ISPs vary widely in their services and expense. Here are a few questions to ask a potential provider.
The Web is the most extensive and easily accessible resource on the Internet, with FTP you can download files from remote computers (free stuff!!), and you'll need some disk space to store those files before you download them to your PC.
If you are using the net enough to want your own ISP, it would probably be best to find a provider with a flat monthly rate, but it shouldn't be more than $20 per month for full access. Timed access shouldn't be more than $3 or $4 per hour.
If the ratio of users to modems is more than about ten to one, you may get lots of busy signals.
At least 9600 BPS access or keep looking. 28,800 BPS is the current standard (modems sell for under $200).
Should be graphical or at least menu driven (unless you are a UNIX hand, then what are you doing here?). Many offer Netscape Web browser, that's good.
Should get most of the 5,000 Usenet newsgroups, especially
the alt.hierarchy.
Better to have both on-line and voice support, some services have dedicated staff to help you (that's the best, be nice to them). You are bound to encounter problems, some of them while trying to get connected!
If you are still reading, then you are getting used to acronyms and might be able to handle a SLIP (Serial Link Internetworking Protocol) or PPP (Point to Point Protocol) connection to the Internet. Especially if you enjoy reading obscure instructions as well.
This type of connection makes your computer actually part of the Internet via modem and phone line, as opposed to just a window to the Internet. Your ISP still maintains a newserver, receives and passes along your mail, and some other functions. However, you use special network software to become part of the Internet (such as MacTCP, Trumpet WinSOCK, Internet Valet, and Eudora).
Some advantages of this type of connection are that you can choose the best software for your needs and your computer's configuration, you can do more than one task at a time (for example, read mail and download files), and you download files directly to your computer (saving a copy step and the need for disk space at your ISP).
However, the disadvantage of this connection type is the difficulty of setup. For a SLIP or PPP connection, you must provide information such as IP addresses, domain servers, and news servers. It can easily become a configuration nightmare and often conflicts with other communication software such as Fax controllers (so now you can't get on-line support or fax the HELP line either).
Your ISP should provide you with the proper information for setup. Be prepared to spend an afternoon setting up a SLIP or PPP connection and several days in asking and getting answers to your questions. Take good notes and file them nearby, you may have to set the connection up again in the event of software conflict or hard disk problems.
There are other ways to connect to the Internet. If you are a student at a College or University, you may be able to get an account, at least while you are enrolled. If you are a medium sized company, you may be able to lease a dedicated high speed T-1 or T-3 line for a full speed connection. Check with the resources in your area, ask those questions, and decide which path is best for you! No matter how you connect, you will have access to at least some part of the conversations, information, and resources of the worldwide computer network. See you on the Net . . . vsare@mines.edu
Copyright 1996 by the Rocky Mountain Region of the Petroleum Technology Transfer Council
PTTC is partly funded by the U. S. Department of Energy, visit their Energy Technology Center on the Web.
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