🚀 go-pugleaf

I'm thinking about getting into the ISP business and I need
some recommendations on what brand of multiport serial
board or remote server to get.  The system I'll be using
is a Pentium-based machine w/ 16 megs of RAM running Linux.
I'll be getting my Internet connection via an ISDN line
and I plan on supporting 3-4 users initially.

Would a remote server be superior to a multiport serial
card (an intelligent one that is) for what I'm trying
to do?  I want to be able to have shell account or PPP
sessions on my system all going at 115.1K on each port
at the *SAME* time.  I have read several reviews of
different remote servers and I've discovered that
units that are capable of doing this cost over $1500
for 8 ports.  Is there a multiport serial card out
there that *WORKS* with Linux that would offer me
this kind of performance?

I plan on using 28.8K, or possibly 14.4K, modems.
Does a 28.8K modem typically exceed 57.6K on
the DTE side with compression enabled?  Would a
server that can only do 57.6K on each port be
sufficient for what I'm trying to do?  Obviously,
cost is a consideration for me...I'm trying to
stay within a certain budget here, but, at the
same time I'd like to get decent equipment.

Reliability is also an issue...I know that I
can get multiport cards that work with
Linux that are cheap...the question is how
well would these cards work?  I don't want
a system that's crashing all the time.
Digiboard, Specialix, Computone, Cyclades,
and Comtrol all make boards that are said
to work with Linux.  Of these which is
best and how would they compare to a
good terminal or remote server?

---Scott

email:  scott@hoek.lib.uoknor.edu