Subject: Leased Line Internet Access Too large for inclusion in a regular issue of the Digest and submitted here FYI. PAT From: booloo@framsparc.ocf.llnl.gov (Mark Boolootian) Subject: Leased-line Internet Access FAQ (provided by tlg.org) Date: Wed, 25 May 1994 16:32:02 PDT The folks at The Little Garden, an Internet service provider in the Bay Area, have put together the following FAQ on leased-line Internet service. Although some is specific to TLG, it is quite good at explaining a lot of what you need to know. They also have a modem FAQ. You can get more info on TLG via mosaic (http://tlg.org) or via anonymous ftp to tlg.org. I don't work for them, nor am I a customer. I am simply aware of their reputation as a first rate organization, and a technically excellent bunch. And now, courtesy of the good folks at The Little Garden: The Little Garden - Leased-line Based Internet Service Frequently Asked Questions List Most recent update: February 22, 1994 ftp://tlg.org/tlg-leased-line.faq Q0. "What's in this FAQ?" A: This document will explain how to decide whether to get leased-line-based, 56K, T1 or fractional-T1 Internet service from The Little Garden, and how to start the process if you decide to do it. If this FAQ doesn't answer some question that you think it should, send mail to admin@tlg.org with full details -- the entire question, the context, and a sample answer that you would find acceptable. Table of Contents Q0. "What's in this FAQ?" Q1. "What kind of service does TLG provide?" Q2. "What does this 56K, T1 stuff mean?" Q3. "What exactly is a leased line?" Q4. "What's so great about 56K, when it's only twice as fast as V.FAST?" Q5. "What will a 56K connection to TLG cost me?" Q6. "What will a T1 connection to TLG cost me?" Q7. "What does a leased-line cost?" Q8. "How do I have a leased line installed?" Q9. "What is a DSU/CSU?" Q10. "What is a router, and why do I need one?" Q11. "What kind of routers does TLG use?" Q12. "Are there alternatives to buying an expensive router?" Q13. "Where can I get DSUs, routers, synchronous interfaces, etc?" Q14. "What equipment is at the TLG end of my connection?" Q15. "Will I be guarenteed (56K, 1.536Mb, etc) bandwidth?" Q16. "Who is responsible for my site's security?" Q17. "How do I sign up?" Q18. "What happens if a member doesn't pay promptly?" Q19. "How do I reach The Little Garden?" Q20. "I live where you don't have service yet. What can I do?" Q21. "Who maintains this FAQ, anyway?" ---------------- Q1. "What kind of service does TLG provide?" A: TLG offers full-time, high-performance IP (Internet Protocol) connections using Digital Service lines leased from the local telephone company or alternative carrier, and IP equipment designed for leased-line use, at up to T1 speeds. For a fixed monthly charge, you will be able to send and receive information in milliseconds with any other computer on the worldwide Internet -- or with multiple computers simultaneously. Your computer will be "on the Internet" and can provide a full range of services to other Internet users, if you like. This class of service requires fairly expensive equipment compared to modem-based connections, but offers vastly superior performance, and lower cost per bit (KB/sec, latency, etc). A typical high-performance installation might have your computer(s) at your site, wired up on an Ethernet. Also on your Ethernet is a device called a router, which forwards packets in and out of your Ethernet as needed. The router connects to a device called a CSU/DSU; think of this as a leased-line modem. The CSU/DSU is plugged into the leased line from the phone company. At the TLG office we have the other end of the leased line, plugged into another CSU/DSU, which is plugged into a TLG router and thus into the rest of the Internet. A lower-cost installation might be simply your host computer with a special bit-synchronous interface card connected directly to the CSU/DSU, eliminating the router. While this saves you the cost of a router, it places a heavier I/O load on your host processor, and may be impractical at speeds over 56,000 b/s. Q2: "What does this 56K, T1 stuff mean?" A: Literally, "56K" means 56,000 bits per second, and when spoken around telephone and WAN (Wide Area Networking) circles, implies a class of bit-synchronous digital service provided by most telephone companies, which are a staple for providing IP service. It's sometimes called "DS0", which stands for "Data Service Zero". Its original name is from the 1970's is "Digital Dataphone Service", or DDS. Pac Bell calls it ADN, "Advanced Digital Network", just to be different. "T1" is similar except for speed: 1.536 million bits per second, operates in a similar manner but with (not surprisingly) higher cost and much higher performance. T1 is sometims called a "DS1". (When used for voice purposes, a T1 is split up into 24 DS0's with a device called a "channel bank". None of this voice-based equipment is used for IP.) 56K is adequate for an amazing number of simultaneous users and functions; a well-known local system supported over 7000 users' email needs with one 56K line. T1 is adequate for most anything short of a supercomputer center. Most of the Internet backbone is no larger than T1, though a few heavily used or heavily politicized parts have deployed T3. (Nobody knows what happend to T2...) There is also "fractional T1" service, which sounds like what it is: fractions of T1 speeds, generally in 64K increments; 128K, 256K, 384K, etc. Fractional T1 uses essentially full T1 equipment, and therefore isn't as inexpensive as you might think. Q3: "What exactly is a leased line?" A: A "leased line" is the casual, informal name for a connection to the Digital Data Network, the digital switching system used by the telephone companies. It provides a permanent virtual circuit from one fixed location to another. It is not "dry copper", ie. plain copper wires running from your site to TLG; it an interface to the telephone company's internal bit-synchronous data system. (It's also possible to lease normal "voice grade" phone lines from the telco, but we won't talk about that here.) Both 56K and T1 are four-wire interfaces; one pair for receive data, one for transmit, with 48V between them, and a steady clock frequency on the transmit pair. A device known as a CSU/DSU is required to convert computer-generated data (via RS-232, V.35, etc) to the telco's four-wire scheme. Q4: "What's so great about 56K, when it's only twice as fast as V.FAST modems?" A: Bytes-per-second throughput is only half the answer. For relatively simple "download" situations, flat-out speed transferring bulk data is the answer. However on the Internet interactivity is the norm, and client/server software puts great demands on command/response type activity. The limiting factor is not just bytes/sec, but *latency* -- ie. how much delay is there? The best modems on the market now have latencies between 100 and 300 milliseconds, with most v.32bis models around 250-280, and v.FAST around 150. This is the lag you see on an otherwise idling system while typing in telnet. Latency determines the overall response of the network, not bulk throughput. For short packets, which are common in interactive applications like remote logins, email, WWW, Gopher, or Usenet news, your network's latency determines how responsive the network feels to you -- how much delay you see whenever you ask for something. Latency on a 56K link is about 10 milliseconds (1/100th of a second), virtually unnoticable, and doesn't vary much with load (though "ping" times will of course stretch out on a busy system). Modem latencies vary highly with load, and the amount of instantaneous bi-directional data, since modems are software-based. Latency on a T1 link is about 3 milliseconds, as measured informally. Q5. "What will a 56K connection to TLG cost me?" A: If only there was a simple answer ... the actual cost depends on a number of factors; the two largest variables are distance from your site to ours (monthly leased line costs) and your equipment and performance needs. We assume that you already have or will obtain yourself the necessary computer equipment for your needs. This is outside the scope of what TLG can provide, though we may be able to help you with specifics, such as which drivers or hardware you might need. None of this cost is reflected in any of the estimates below. TLG has one-time and recurring monthly costs, and there are certain items you will definitely need. THESE PRICES ARE ESTIMATES! 56K: One-time Recurring monthly TLG installation: $1500 TLG 56K rate: $325 DSU, pair: $500 Router, or interface: $500 - $2500 Pacific Bell ADN line: $1300 $110 - ? ESTIMATE: $3800 - $6300 $435 - ? Most sites need a router to handle traffic and IP routing to various hosts at the members site; if your needs are modest and you are a datacomm wizard/driver hacker, or know one, you may be able to use a special interface card instead. Leased line costs vary widely, and prices should be obtained from Pacific Bell or other telephone company. The above numbers are merely wild estimates. Q6. "What will a T1 connection to TLG cost me?" A: Like 56K, T1 connection costs depend on the distance from your site to ours (monthly leased line costs) and your equipment and performance needs. Because of the speeds involved and relatively low volume of production on T1-speed IP equipment, things tend to be a bit pricey. We assume that you already have or will obtain yourself the necessary computer equipment for your needs. This is outside the scope of what TLG can provide, though we may be able to help you with specifics, such as which drivers or hardware you might need. None of this cost is reflected in any of the estimates below. TLG has one-time and recurring monthly costs, and there are certain items you will definitely need. THESE PRICES ARE ESTIMATES! T1: One-time Recurring monthly TLG installation: $1600 TLG T1 rate: $800 DSU, pair: $2400 Router, or interface: $500 - $5000 Pacific Bell ADN line: $1300 $220 - ? ESTIMATE: $5800 - $8300 $1020 - ? Especially at T1 speeds, and probable loads, most sites need a router to handle traffic and IP routing to various hosts at the members site; if your needs are very modest you may be able to use a special interface card instead. Leased line costs vary widely, and prices should be obtained from Pacific Bell or other telephone company. The above numbers are merely wild estimates. Q7. "What does a leased-line cost?" A: You should get prices directly from the telephone company or other carrier. TLG does not install lines for you. In the SF Bay Area, your choices are somewhat limited. Pacific Bell serves the entire Bay Area. Metropolitan Fiber Systems (415-362-3300) can provide service within SF and some areas around the Bay. Leased lines follow one reasonbly simple model for pricing. Each end is broken out separately (but you obviously have to get two ends :-). THESE PRICES ARE APPROXIMATE FOR COMPARISON PURPOSES ONLY! Please obtain current pricing from Pacific Bell or other telephone company! Example 10 mile 56K One-time Recurring monthly Installation per end: $622 Termination per end: $51 Mileage: $6 per mile TOTAL: $1244 $162 Example 10 mile T1 One-time Recurring monthly Installation per end: $634 Termination per end: $123 Mileage: $40 per mile TOTAL: $1268 $646 NOTE: In California, Federal Communications Commission tariff number FCC-128 states a lower monthly rate (in the example above) and waives the one-time installation fee for one end, and the monthly recurring Termination fee, for one end. Q8. "How do I have a leased line installed?" A: Though there may be an alternative telphone company available in your area, potentially with lower prices than Pacific Bell's, it's a good idea to contact Pacific Bell anyway, if for no other reason that to be able to say 'Pacific Bell will charge me $X per month, can you beat that?'. PacBell by law must provide one standardized price to all customers; it's part of their Common Carrier status. All the other phone companies are quite aware of what PacBell's prices are. When pricing or ordering lines, you need to know the location code for each end. This is simple: the area code and exchange (first three digits of phone number) for any phone at the physical site. For example, at our main POP at 444 Market in San Francisco, 415-788. Our Mtn. View POP, 415-903. * Give the location code for both ends of the circuit. * Tell them you want an "ADN 56K" or "ADN T1" line. * For T1, specify "B8ZS". Originally, T1 circuits were designed without enough zero-to-one or one-to-zero transitions to keep the "clocks" (bit-by-bit timing) throughout the circuit synchronized. The phone company solved this by stealing the bottom bit of 8-bit DS0 channels 6 and 12 (out of 24) contained within the T1 channel. (This is why you get 56,000 rather than 64,000 bits/sec on a DS0 channel.) Later, they overloaded this stolen bit for even more use, when they realized that more things had been forgotten in the original design. For data use, "B8ZS" means that you want all 8 bits of all the channels, and your CSU/DSU will handle "zero stuffing" which will keep the clocks in sync. Modern telco equipment can cope with this, but they only set it up this way if you ask. Q9. "What is a DSU/CSU?" A: DSU stands for "Digital Service Unit", CSU for "Customer Service Unit". Originally they were two boxes -- one owned by the phone company, the other by the customer. Once the government forced the phone company to let you connect your own equipment directly to their lines, the boxes were merged into one for convenience. Sometimes a CSU/DSU is called simply a "DSU". No matter, it's basically a modem for leased lines. It converts reasonably standard computer electrical protocols such as RS-232 or V.35 to the four-wire funny business the telco's use. It also provides, and generates, status about the line itself and the state of the DSU and other equipmnet on the "far" end of the leased line. Most are able to perform tests of the line and remote DSU when commanded to do so. Like modems, you need one at each end of a leased line, and again like modems, it's best to have a matched pair; some functions like remote-tests are incompatible between brands. Used DSU's have been seen in surplus stores for as low $25. You have to hunt for them. No advice is possible. Q10. "What is a router, and why do I need one?" A: A router is a box that generally does two useful things for you: it handles the I/O load of reading and writing bits to the leased line, converting them to Ethernet packets for your computer(s) to deal with. It also takes care of deciding which packets need to go over your leased line and which ones should just be sent locally on your Ethernet. Most routers do other useful things, like handle errors, keep statistics via SNMP, provide dial-in maintenance ports, handle multiple lines (leased, dialin or copper). Most interface to your host computer via Ethernet, and will handle IP traffic to and from any number of host computers. Routers are able to handle nearly any network configuration, using static routing (set up in advance by humans). It's usually more convenient to have them run a routing "protocol" such as RIP, to automatically "discover" the proper routing by communicating with other routers on the leased lines and Ethernets. There are synchronous interface cards available for some computers that handle the I/O portion of the router function. Most Unix machines can handle the routing themselves (though it takes CPU time away from other things you might want to do). By going this "route", you may be able to defer, or avoid entirely, the need for an expensive router. We know of only one unix flavor that directly supports one of these cards; basically you're on your own. Q11: "What kind of routers does TLG use?" A: At the moment at least, exclusively Livingston Portmasters; IRX-114's for 56K and T1, and Portmaster 2's for asynchronous. I guess this amounts to an endorsement. They certainly are worth it. They are reasonably inexpensive, are solidly reliable, and have all the correct features. TLG also has a few 3COM XXX routers left over from before Livingston built good high-speed routers. 3COM's support for these is minimal and expensive (they were acquired when 3COM merged with Bridge Communications), and we are retiring them as they break down. Q12. "Are there alternatives to buying an expensive router?" A: In some limited cases, yes. If you just want low latency for a small number of hosts and users, you may be able to use a synchronous interface to connect directly to the DSU or CSU/DSU and save the cost of the router. This savings isn't without penalty however. The synchronous cards aren't cheap, you need softare support in your operating system, and routing the packets and pushing the bits in and out will take CPU time away from whatever else your system is supposed to be doing. For small sites and relatively modest needs they work just fine. A combination we know to work is BSDI's 386/BSD 1.0 unix for 386/486 computers, and an SDL Communications Inc N1 card. 386/BSD directly supports the N1 card, support from both manufacturers is excellent, and it seems quite reliable. Found on the net: "I'm using a router assembled from an old 286 pc, a WD 8003e ethernet (equiv) and a Sync board from Niwot Networks (303-444-7765). The software is PCRoute 2.24 and Niwot's packet driver. I have 3 pair of these routers up and they run flawlessly. Two pair are running point-to-point over a few miles of copper and one is a Amertech DS0 circuit. All are running 56kb. Can't beat the price. BTW: the Niwot board is spec'd for T1." Reliability, load and number of hosts unknown. No warrenty, expressed or implied ... Q13. "Where can I get DSUs, routers, synchronous interfaces, etc?" This is by NO MEANS a complete list. It only includes people we have personally done business with. Prices if listed are APPROXIMATE, please obtain the correct prices from the sources indicated. ROUTERS, 56K or T1: One to four port plus Ethernet, up to two T1 ports and two 56K, or four 56K, etc. Livingston Enterprises +1 800 458 9966, Douglas Meltzer Fax 510 426 8951 email doug@livingston.com ROUTERS, 56K or T1: They have many models, of which an affiliate (RAINnet) uses the one-port 56K model. Morning Star Technologies Inc. +1 614 451 1883 (voice) +1 800 558 7827 (voice) +1 614 459 5054 (FAX) Marketing@MorningStar.Com (sales e-mail) Support@MorningStar.Com (technical e-mail) ftp.MorningStar.Com (anonymous FTP) http://www.MorningStar.Com (WWW) ROUTERS, 56K: Low cost one-port router. NAT 408-370-4228 56K DSUs: BAT Electronic's DSUs are ugly little black boxes that seem to be half the price of better-known brands and work just great. Big modern VLSI cookie inside, nearly no analog glue. No money wasted on fancy packaging! $249 each. North Bay Network, Inc, John Harkin +1 415 472 1600 email: jh@nbn.com (John Harkin) T1 DSU: A reasonably inexpensive ($1200 each) T1 DSU is Tylink brand, model ONS-150. See CAPELLA NETWORKING for a distributor. SYNCHRONOUS INTERFACE CARD for ISA bus computers: Works great, but be warned it needs 128K of upper memory, the fault of the pclone computer design not SDL. Requires driver. Supported by BSDI's 386/BSD unix operating system. $495. SDL Communications Inc +1 508 238 4490 386/BSD unix: Available in binary only ($500) or source and binary ($1000) on CD-ROM. Supports most recent plcone computer hardware packages. Berkeley Software Design, Inc. +1 800 800 4BSD (voice) +1 703 204 8086 (voice) +1 703 204 8087 (fax) info@bsdi.com ALL DATACOMM EQUIPMENT: Capella Networking: A distributor of data comm. equipment, including Livingston, Tylink, etc. Lots of expertise, can help you pick components, and reasonable prices. Capella Networking Mike Lee, Doug Stolz +1 415 591 3400 +1 408 225 2655 dstolz@capella.com Q14. "What equipment is at the TLG end of my connection?" A: TLG uses predominantly Livingston Portmaster IRX-114 routers. We prefer V.35 interfaces, luckily the most commonly used interfaces on DSU/CSUs. Generally we'll take care of inside wiring. The TLG install fee covers all equipment and labor at the TLG end of things, except DSUs -- because you want a matched pair, we make each member get their own. Q15. "Will I be guarenteed (56K, 1.536Mb, etc) bandwidth?" ANSWER NUMBER ONE: A: No. Our resident Chief Of All Curmudgeons, Randy Bush sez: "Hell, we don't guarantee *anything*, but we give you as near to 56K/T1 as anybody else. Yes, we oversell bandwidth, everybody does. But we do it less than most. No, we do not think it will affect you adversely. If it does, we will fix it. The real tale of the physics [follows]." Line speed is the major determining factor of network latency, and line speed is not download-type bandwidth or speed. What higher speed connections get you is shorter latencies -- and low latency is what makes for good network performance. Latency on a 56K link will be about 10 milliseconds, virtually unnoticable to humans, and doesn't vary with load (though "ping" times will of course stretch out on a busy system). Latency on a T1 link is about 3 milliseconds, measured informally. There are thousands of networks between TLG and the site you might want to connect to, and we have no control or influence of them. ANSWER NUMBER TWO: A: Nope. Your leased line's speed will guarantee that there is no "bottleneck" between you and your local TLG site. But the Internet is a large shared resource, and it can't carry everyone's traffic at top speed simultaneously. Instead, each person's traffic fits into the gaps in everyone else's traffic. At "rush hour", when every "on ramp" is full of traffic coming in, there'll be more competition for the total bandwidth available, and things will get slower. We and all the network providers try to stay ahead of the demand, so that the slowdown is never excessive. You'll particularly notice slower operation when parts of the Internet are temporarily broken, and traffic is flowing through "backup" facilities. You could lease a T1 line directly between your location and each other possible location you wanted to talk to. It would be very expensive, but it would guarantee that you could move 1.544 megabits to those locations every second. But your computer and the computer at the other end might not be ready or able to handle all that data continuously, and there are many times when your computer won't be transmitting or receiving at all. By sharing facilities, we bring the cost down tremendously, and most of the time the total traffic is still well within the bandwidth (capacity) of the network. At each router in the Internet, there is the potential for there to be more traffic coming into the router than can go out of it. For example, your Ethernet can move 10,000,000 bits/second (a megabyte/second, if your hardware and software is properly tuned), but your router can only push that data out over the leased line at 56,000 or 1,500,000 bits/second. When the data reaches the router at the TLG end of your leased line, there will be other leased lines also sending in data. For example, if you have a T1 connection and so does another company, a total of 3,000,000 bits/second could come in simultaneously -- but probably only 1,500,000 can go out (on another T1 line in the TLG network). Routers are designed designed to "fairly" share the available bandwidth among all comers when there are conflicts, and your computer's TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) will automatically slow down the rate at which it sends data if it detects this kind of congestion. When the network is relatively idle, your leased line's speed is the major determining factor of network latency and capacity. What higher speed connections get you is shorter latencies -- and low latency is what makes for good network performance. When doing large file transfers, the data will get to TLG's router quickly, we'll pump it down the leased line to you quickly. When the network is more loaded, having a higher speed leased line lets you "offer" more traffic to the network; your "fair share" of the bandwidth is larger. Also, a high speed line's low latency lets your computer respond more quickly to acknowledge each packet that comes in. This quick response causes the next packet of data to be sent sooner, speeding up the overall transfer. Also, because each packet takes a shorter amount of time on your leased line, small packets for interactive traffic find more places per second where they can slide in between large packets full of file transfers. (At 56,000 bits/sec, or 7,000 bytes/sec, you can only send seven 1-kilobyte packets per second, so if a 1K packet is being transmitted when you hit RETURN, your RETURN packet will have to wait for up to a seventh of a second before it even gets a chance to be sent.) Nearly all of the current Internet is connected with "only" T1, and in some cases those lines are *very* busy. No Internet service provider promises that you will be able to send some particular number of bytes in a particular number of seconds. Ask a few, if you don't believe us. Q16: "Who is responsible for my site's security? A private Internet link is a nice idea, but I don't have all the lore about all the historical security holes in (FavoriteOS) at hand, and many of them are deliberately kept quiet. I've gone 3.5 years without a catastrophe so far; and want to continue that way." A: No. TLG isn't an OS consulting firm. You're entirely responsible for your own security. While we just deliver the bits to your door, we can probably point you to people who can provide you with security help, sometimes even for free. Ultimately though, it is you that remains responsible for your systems security. Q17. "How do I sign up?" A: First, let's make sure. You read all this about The Little Garden, found out what we do, and it's what you want. The price is right. You have the hardware and software necessary to maintain your end of the connection. You understand what your responsibilities are, and what TLG's are. You understand the payment schedule. * Get the TLG Order Form via email (send email to info@tlg.org) or anonymous FTP. Fill it out and email it to admin@tlg.com. Or print it out and postal-mail it to us at our contact address below. * When we think the order is ready to go, we'll send you another, much smaller document, which provides you with some basic info (which POP you'll be connecting to, etc), and when you return it, tells us what we need to complete your order. * You start Pacific Bell (or another provider) installing your lines. * We invoice you for the install fee, payable immediately. * You deliver the install fee and one of your DSUs to us, including power supply and manual. * After the line is in, we wire it to our equipment room, and install the DSU at the TLG POP. We will test the installation. * At this point, you are responsible for making good your end of the link, and your host software. TLG people will gladly help out with all phases, though ultimately it's your responsibility. * You're up and running when we can repeatably pass IP packets between your system and our routers. You may not have yet completed higher-level services like: DNS, domain-name registration, external network publishing (NACRs and the like); all of your everyday services (Telnet, FTP, etc). It does include PING. AT THIS TIME, your billing for monthly TLG services will begin. TLG billing starts at the first of the month, and is payable upon receipt. Unless otherwise arranged, we bill you ahead for one months service. If you want other arrangements, please let us know AHEAD OF TIME. Your first month is treated specially. First, the turn-on/billing date is moved forward to the nearest 1/4th month; ie. if you were connected on the 3rd of the month, we'd round that up to the 7th, and bill you for 3/4ths of a month. From them on, billing is done on the first of the month. * You get the higher level services running, as desired. We can help if you run into trouble. Please refer to file "how-to-DNS" on how to get your name service going, and register your domain with the NIC. Also, the book "DNS and Bind" from O'Reilly & Asso. (800-338-6887) can help you out. Q18. "What happens if a member doesn't pay promptly?" A: This is the Bad Stuff no one wants to think about, most of all TLG. We haven't had to do this yet, lucky us. We will gladly make specific arrangements IN ADVANCE that override these things, such as payment schedule changes, etc. INSTALL FEES ARE DUE IMMEDIATELY UPON RECEIPT OF THE BILL -- we reserve the right to stall or stop installation if the install bill is not paid promptly. INSTALL FEES ARE NOT REFUNDABLE. Installation fees cover our labor and expenses, and the actual cost of providing your connection. WE WILL KEEP YOUR EQUIPMENT IN CASE OF NON-PAYMENT. SERVICE MAY BE CUT OFF after a bill becomes 30 days past due. It is the member's responsibility to keep track of this! Q19. "How do I reach The Little Garden?" The Little Garden PO Box 410923 San Francisco CA 94141-0923 +1 415 487 1902 Email to... Gets you... info@tlg.org A brochure and basic info. TLG-FAQ@tlg.org Frequently Asked Questions. order-form@tlg.org New service Order Form/Questionnaire. admin@tlg.org Actual humans. The same information is also available by: Anonymous FTP tlg.org World Wide Web http://tlg.org/ Q20. I live where you don't have service yet. What can I do?" A: Try talking to one of our affiliated networks. We all work together to provide low-cost Internet service over a broader geographical range. If you don't live in any of these areas, then find a local low-cost provider, or consider starting your own! Santa Cruz -- Santa Cruz Community Internet (scruz-net) 903 Pacific Ave. #203-A Santa Cruz, CA 95060 (408) 457-5050 info@scruz.net Santa Cruz Community Internet serves the entirety of Santa Cruz County, CA. scruz-net offers the following TCP/IP services: o medium speed 56kb and 64kb o leased line and frame relay o ISDN and centrex IS service at 64kb or 128kb o 14.4kb leased line or 14.4kb centrex o 14.4kb dial-up SLIP and PPP scruz-net offers the following application services: o news and mail forwarding o DNS registration and nameservice o FTP archive and gopher server Marin, Sonoma, and Mendocino Counties -- North Bay Network 20 Minor Court San Rafael, CA 94903 (415) 472-1600 Email: info@nbn.com Oregon, southern Washington state -- RAINet 9501 SW Westhaven Portland, OR 97225 (503) 297-8820 admin@rain.com RAINet offers the following TCP/IP services: o medium speed 56kb and 64kb o leased line and frame relay o 14.4kb leased line o 14.4kb dial-up SLIP and PPP RAINet offers the following application services: o news and mail forwarding o DNS registration and nameservice o UNIX shell accounts o POP mail accounts and POP serial dialup o dialup and PPP/SLIP gopher clients When you are in RAINet's geographic area (Oregon and Southern Washington), RAINet offers free access to customers of other RGnet consortium networks, e.g. The Little Garden. Q21. "Who maintains this FAQ, anyway? A: To get the latest version, ftp to tlg.org and get the file /pub/tlg-leased-line.faq. Or use WWW with URL http://tlg.org/tlg-leased-line.faq. Send corrections and questions to admin@tlg.org.