🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <3te9e0$s8a@news1.mcs.net>,
Phil N. Schuman <pschuman@interserv.com> wrote:
>>   karl@MCS.COM (Karl Denninger) writes:
>
>>  Generally, you would not want UUCP, as that is batch mode only.  What you
>>  would be looking for from MCSNet, as an example, is a LINK account, which is
>>  full IP access.  

>does the LINK account then support the entire LAN - with let's say 45 IP addresses,
>or is an account required for EACH user on the LAN?
>I thought the LINK account was about $200/month for EACH heavy duty nailed up user?
>In other words - what would be the TOTAL cost to support 45 users in this manner?

The LINK account connects your LAN to the Internet.  We supply any number of
addresses you can document need for (ie: if you have a LAN with 200
identifyable nodes, you get a class "C" address).  The only limitation right
now is on ISDN link accounts - they are limited to a single Class "C" due to
router limitations on our end, but that should go away in about a month and
a half when a software update is received from Ascend.

Since mail is handled on your end with this kind of circuit, there is no
charge (or cost) assessed for additional users -- regardless of how many
there are.  You can have 20,000 people behind a single LINK account -- no
problem.  Your mail system is responsible for routing the mail once it gets
to your gateway in this environment.

>>  No; if you get a LINK account in this environment you can run your CCMail or
>>  other gateway on the LAN and use two IP addresses.
>>  
>>  >	2)  Purchase additional E-mail accounts (45 of them) for each person?
>>  
>>  I wouldn't recommend this, but you *could* do that kind of thing.
>
>but - you mention the ELINK account below for this exact purpose?

Yes.  If you wish to avoid installing a mail server on your LAN, this is an
option.  I don't recommend it for a large number of users, but if you have
other business considerations that mandate this, or don't have a qualified
LAN administrator who can maintain the server, this may be a good choice.

>>  This is relatively simple if you use, for example, ELINK accounts here for
>>  email storage.  You can connect to the mail server via POP3 over a dedicated
>>  line in this environment yet keep the mail here.  For some this is an idea
>>  situation -- for others, it stinks.  It just depends on what you're looking
>>  for.
>
>so - Karl - what are other folks doing in this pretty typical LAN-based situation - 
>and which types of accounts are used, and what would be the monthly investment
>to support these 45 OCCASIONAL users for E-mail, and the other Web, FTP, News services?
>
>Phil - 

We have two basic camps here in the customer arena:

1)	This type of customer purchases a LINK account at some set speed
	(say, 56kbps) and hosts their own email server.  All nodes on their
	LAN have Internet access.  You run dual stack on the workstations
	(in the case of PCs) and each gets an IP address, along with the
	other typical LAN applications.  The customer runs a mail server on
	their LAN (typically CCMail or MSMail) and configures that to handle
	the email requirement.

	This is a highly flexible environment which leaves most of the
	control in your hands.  Only the Internet link itself is purchased
	from MCSNet; we handle the administration necessary to get you the
	required address space and domain registration, as well as 
	intermediate mail routing if you don't wish to run a full DNS-based
	mail resolver.

2)	The second type of customer has little or no in-house LAN
	administration.  For these folks we recommend not setting up their
	own mail server -- but rather, using ours.  The costs are identical
	to the below numbers, but add in $5/month/user for the ELINK
	accounts to host the mailboxes.  Thus, for 40 mailboxes, you'd add
	$200 a month to the below numbers.

56kbps runs $450 a month plus the circuit -- typical monthly costs are $600 
or so, including the line.  Set up has an NRC of $1500, and right now 
Ameritech is waiving the circuit order cost (normally $875).

T1LV (128kbps average use) has a $4500 setup cost, and is $1250 a month plus 
the circuit (again).  Typical circuit costs are about $500-700 monthly, and 
again, Ameritech is currently waiving $875 of installation (you need to 
pay the $350 one-time hit for clear channel use, so install costs are roughly 
$350 on Ameritech's side).

ISDN runs $250 a month for single B channel, plus usage from Ameritech 
(varies depending on the number of hours online).  We *highly recommend* that 
you run at least one hour per day online to insure that all queued mail gets 
to your site.  Set up on these is $250 for single "B", and the circuit 
install is about $200 or so from Ameritech.

ISDN 2B is $400/400 (install/monthly).  This is 128kbps service.

All ISDN options allow compression if you're running Ascend hardware on 
your side.

Our web page has ISDN ordering and partner information on it -- there are
two firms listed there which are experts at handling the provisioning of
ISDN from Ameritech, and can cut both the time and hassle factor
significantly.

All of the leased circuit options include news access -- either fed to you
directly, or your users can read from our server if you wish.  The only
restriction is that due to contractual restrictions we cannot permit LINK 
account customers access to the Clarinet wire feeds unless you negotiate 
a separate delivery agreement with Clarinet Communications.

--
--
Karl Denninger (karl@MCS.Net)| MCSNet - The Finest Internet Connectivity
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