From: Jayne Levin
Subject: Internet article
 
The Aug. 2, 1993 edition of Infoworld contains my
article "Internet Provides Array of Connection Options"
(page 64). Permission granted for redistribution.
 
This is an expanded version of the Infoworld article
It contains a sidebar on IBM's Internet connection,
specific instructions on how to obtain an IP address
in Europe, the Middle East and Northern Africa and how
to retrieve electronically a registration form for an
IP network address in the United States. Jayne Levin
(netweek@access.digex.net) is editor of The Internet
Letter, On Corporate Users, Internetworking &
Information Services.
 
Internet Provides Array of Connection Options
 
Commercial Service Providers Cater to Corporate Users'
Internetworking Needs
 
By Jayne Levin
 
(c) Copyright 1993
 
Thousands of companies large and small are using the
Internet to exchange E-mail and other data with
corporate partners around the world. Yet many
simply don't know how to connect. For some it is
a security concern; others aren't aware of the vast
array of services available on-line. But many
more simply don't know how to connect.
 
It's no surprise that consistent information about the
Internet is hard to come by; while there are many ways
to get access, the distributed nature of the Internet
and its combination of public and commercial systems
can make it hard to figure out just who's responsible
for what. But don't let that slow you down. Internet
providers, such as the California Education and
Research Federation (CERFnet) and Advanced Network &
Services CO+RE (Commercial + Research) Systems Inc.,
make it possible for corporations to gain access and
create the network infrastructure necessary for wide
area communications without the expense of setting up
your own private wide area network (WAN).
 
MANY MEANS OF ACCESS. The Internet supports both
direct connections, using the TCP/IP protocol, and
dial-up access using either standard asynchronous
communications programs or special programs that
support advanced dial-up protocols, giving you
complete network access.
 
Either way, you'll be connecting to an Internet
"host." With a dial-up connection, however, you don't
actually connect to the Internet itself. Instead you
run a terminal emulation that gives you access to
E-mail and a limited number of other services.
Accounts on a provider's host are usually
inexpensive--just $10 to $30 a month, typically.
 
The range of Internet services varies with dial-up
access. Sometimes it's only E-mail or an on-line
bulletin board. But it's not uncommon to get both, as
well as the ability to access remote computers using
the TCP/IP Telnet terminal emulation protocol or
download files with the File Transfer Protocol (FTP).
 
You also can use dial-up lines to establish a TCP/IP
session with a service provider's host, gaining full
access to the Internet. Serial Line Interface Protocol
(SLIP) or Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP), an Internet
standard, are usually required for this type of
access. With SLIP, a remote workstation or router can
occasionally or permanently dial into a service
provider's host attached to a provider's IP network.
The speed of the link is limited to the capability of
the modem. With today's modem speeds, SLIP or PPP
connections are quite viable for moderate usage.
 
The price of this kind of connectivity is higher than
regular dial-up. AlterNet, a subsidiary of UUNET
Technologies Inc., in Falls Church, Va., charges $250
a month for SLIP or PPP, with a one-time installation
fee of $1,500, for example. Even the large telephone
companies are getting into the act: Sprint Corp. is
rolling out an 800 number dial-up access service,
called SprintLink, providing both SLIP and PPP
connectivity using V.32bis/V.42bis modems.
 
If you are looking to the Internet as your company's
primary E-mail network or plan to use the Internet to
link computers in different locations, you will want a
dedicated line that uses an IP router to connect
directly to an Internet backbone.
 
LOW-COST WAN. When a company connects its private WAN
or LAN via a leased line, its network (or networks)
functions as internetworks that are part of the global
Internet mesh. Put two offices on the Internet, and
you've got yourself a WAN--without the hassle or
expense of private lines.
 
While this is a low-cost way to create a WAN, it also
means the formerly private WAN components of your
network may now be used to route data that belongs to
other Internet users. It also places your
communications at the mercy of overall network
activity, and throughput can fail from time to time.
 
There's also the issue of security. Since the Robert
Morris "worm" scandal in 1988, concerns about hackers
on the Internet have made many companies think twice
before connecting. Obviously, more users and more
points of entry mean a greater risk of intrusion, and
the Internet has millions of users.
 
The answer is to configure your routers to filter out
unwanted packets, preventing sensitive parts of your
network from carrying traffic for the rest of the
Internet. Use encryption when moving important data
over the public backbone.
 
PRICING. Dedicated lines can be very expensive,
depending on the data rate. In the United States,
monthly fees range from about $500 a month for 19.2Kb
per second to $5,000 a moth for 1.544MB (T-1). When
you factor in one-time equipment and installation
charges, the price can range in the thousands of
dollars. Keep in mind, however, that this is for
24-hour access and that the competitive markets make
many rates negotiable.
 
SIDEBAR: GETTING AN INTERNET ADDRESS
 
The Internet's Domain Name System provides a logical
method of naming computers on the network. Using a
"tree" structure similar to directory names on your
hard disk, each Internet host computer is uniquely
named by the set of "branches" that connect it to the
backbone network. The branches connect to domain
"limbs" with the familiar .COM, .EDU, .GOV, .NET, etc.
extensions.
 
Although an Internet address isn't necessary to use
the network through dial-up access, you will need one
to get a high-bandwidth direct connection.
 
There are three kinds of addresses, which differ in
the number of host computers that can be connected:
Class A supports millions of computers. There are only
a few left. Class B supports 65,534 computers and
Class C is for connecting networks with fewer than 254
computers. Often companies get several Class C
licenses. Network addresses are free, issued by
InterNIC Registration Services at 505 Huntmar Park
Drive; Herndon, VA 22070. Its telephone number is
(703) 742-4777 or (800) 444-4345. Registration for ms
and instructions also are available via anonymous FTP
at rs.internic.net. The templates directory contains
registration forms. You can E-mail, fax (703) 742 4811
or use snail mail to return the completed registratio
form.
 
For IP addresses in Europe, the Middle East and
Northern Africa, contact RIPE (Reseaux IP Europeens),
a network coordination center in The Netherlands.
E-mail RIPE at hostmaster@ripe.net or call 31 20 592
5065. The facsimile number is 31 20 592 5090. Ask for
ripe-83.txt, "European IP Network Number Application
Form & Supporting Notes."
 
SIDEBAR II: ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS WILL HELP YOU
GET STARTED ON THE INTERNET
 
The following questions are from RFC (Request For
Comment) 1359, "Connecting to the Internet, What
Institutions Should Anticipate." The complete RFC also
is available via anonymous FTP at ds.internic.nic in
the rfc directory. The file is rfc1359.txt.
 
1. What connection services do you offer?
2. What is included in the cost?
3. Is there any other kind of
charge not included in the up-front costs?
4. What are your support services?
5. Do you fix the router when it's broken?
6. Is an on-site person available to help
diagnose problems?
7. What training is available? Is
it included in the cost?
8. Do you have an acceptable
use policy?
9. Is there an annual meeting?
10. Do you have a full-time professional staff?
11. Who else buys service from you?
 
SIDEBAR III:
 
IBM IMPROVES PRODUCTIVITY, BOOSTS MORAL
 
Eight years ago, when IBM was looking for a way to
reinvigorate its technical professionals and cut
expenses, it put Howard Funk in charge.
 
As a scientist, he naturally searched for a technical
solution. Funk found it in the Internet -- a worldwide
network of networks based on TCP/IP.
 
Today, Funk said IBM is reaping the rewards of opening
an electronic-mail gateway between its worldwide
corporate network and the Internet. IBM, which opened
the gateway in May 1990, now has more than 32.500
users, with 1,500 new ones being added each month. It
costs $2.22 a month per IBM employee for unlimited
access, he said.
 
"This gateway has really wrought a major positive
cultural change in the company," said Funk, who
recently retired from IBM and is now interim executive
director of the Internet Society.
 
IBM, a customer of Advanced Network & Services CO+RE),
is one of hundreds of companies that is using the
Internet to improve customer support and relations
with vendors, enter joint development projects and
communicate with peers, university researchers and
government agencies.
 
An IBM survey of employees last spring showed that 35
percent use the Internet to communicate with peers; 26
percent use it to communicate with customers; 10
percent subscribe to newsgroups and discussion lists;
9 percent further their education through
degree-oriented programs offered via the Internet; 5
percent communicate with government agencies; 4
percent participate in Internet standards activities
and 11 percent cited "other" uses.
 
"The sharing of information is very important," Funk
said. "We don't share secrets, we share ideas,
concepts and needs," he said.
 
Because of security concerns, IBM only allowed
employees to use E-mail when it opened the gateway
three years ago. Last spring, IBM began offering a
limited number of employees the ability to use telnet
and FTP (File Transfer Protocol).
 
"The security concerns are indeed well founded," Funk
said. He said IBM has a process of reviewing any
external network connections, and IMB had the federal
security experts from NIST (National Institute of
Standards and Technology) examine the system for
security gaps. "We got their seal of approval," Funk
said.
 
Funk said IBM has an "arms length arrangement" with
ANS CO+RE, the for-profit subsidiary of Merit, a
consortium of Michigan universities, the nonprofit
Advanced Network & Services and IBM. "They (ANS CO+RE)
gave us a good price," he said. Performance Systems
International was IBM's former service provider
before it switched to ANS CO+RE last spring.
 
About one-third of IBM's Internet users work in
offices outside the United States. There are more than
4,000 IBM nodes on its internal network, spanning
every continent in such countries as Switzerland,
Norway, France, Japan and Argentina.
 
Says Funk: "It's awesome what's happening out there.
My only concern is that as we move toward
commercialization we do not penalize all those other
folks out there at the universities and nonprofits
where they really have grown to depend on the Internet."
 
For more information:
 
The Internet Letter
Net Week Inc.
PO Box 33024
Washington, DC 20033-0024
800 Net Week (638 9335), or +1 301 229 8096
netweek@access.digex.net