rfc1359.txt

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Network Working Group                                       ACM SIGUCCS
Request for Comments: 1359                         Networking Taskforce
FYI: 16                                                     August 1992


                       Connecting to the Internet
             What Connecting Institutions Should Anticipate

Status of this Memo

   This memo provides information for the Internet community.  It does
   not specify an Internet standard.  Distribution of this memo is
   unlimited.

Abstract

   This FYI RFC outlines the major issues an institution should consider
   in the decision and implementation of a campus connection to the
   Internet.

   In order to provide clarity to the reader, some specific information
   has been detailed.  In doing so, the document has been directed
   toward U.S.  academic institutions that have not yet connected to the
   Internet.

   However, the issues for which specific information has been provided
   can be generalized for any organization that wishes to participate in
   the world-wide Internet community.  It will be necessary for those
   organizations to obtain the correct and detailed information from
   their local or national IP service providers.  In addition, this
   document may be used as an evaluation checklist for organizations
   that are currently connected.  Readers are expected to have general
   familiarity with networking concepts and terminology.

Table of Contents

   1.  Acknowledgements..............................................  2
   2.  Introduction..................................................  2
   3. Initial Planning/Pre-Internet Installation Phase...............  4
   3.1  Ask the Vital  Question......................................  4
   3.2  Reasons Why to Participate...................................  5
   3.3  Connection Options...........................................  6
   3.4  Connection Service Providers.................................  7
   3.5  Sample Questions for Connection Services Providers...........  8
   3.5.1  Sample Questions...........................................  8
   3.6  Cost Assessment..............................................  9
   4. Initial Implementation and Startup Phase....................... 10
   4.1  Policy Issues................................................ 10



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   4.2  Connection to the Mid-level Network.......................... 11
   4.3  IP Addresses and Domain Names................................ 11
   4.4  Technical Issues............................................. 12
   4.5  Support...................................................... 12
   4.6  Training..................................................... 13
   4.7  Promotion.................................................... 13
   5.  Full Production/Maintenance................................... 13
   5.1  Technical Issues............................................. 14
   5.2  Human Factors................................................ 14
   6.  Evaluation Strategies......................................... 15
   7.  Appendix A. Partial List of IP Service Providers.............. 16
   8.  Appendix B. NSFNet Backbone Services Acceptable Use Policy.... 22
   9.  References.................................................... 23
   10. Security Considerations....................................... 24
   11. Authors' Addresses............................................ 24

1.  Acknowledgements

   This document was created through the efforts of the ACM SIGUCCS
   Networking Taskforce.  NETTF was created in 1989 under the direction
   of Martyne Hallgren and with the approval and support of the SIGUCCS
   Executive Board.

   The Networking Taskforce was created to increase awareness and
   understanding of the Internet, to disseminate information and
   research on development and use of the Internet, to promote
   innovative and appropriate use of Internet resources, and to initiate
   and encourage cooperation between the SIGUCCS membership and other
   organizations, such as the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF),
   with similar goals towards networking.

2.  Introduction

   The Internet is a world-wide network of networks with gateways
   linking organizations in North and South America, Europe, The Pacific
   Basin and other countries not previously included.  The organizations
   are administratively independent from one another.  There is no
   central, worldwide, technical control point.  Yet, working together
   these organizations have created what to a user seems to be a single
   virtual network that spans the globe.

   The networks all use a common suite of networking protocols, TCP/IP.
   It is because of this commonality of protocols, this commonality of
   network functionality and interoperability that the networks provide
   what may appear to be a seamless, integrated virtual network,
   irregardless of the underlying heterogeneity of the underlying
   computer hardware or communications transport.




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   The most basic functions provided are electronic mail, access to
   remote computational and informational facilities and file transfer.
   The networking protocols were first deployed in the late 1960's in
   the United States.  For several years, they were only used for very
   specific research activities and in some computer science
   departments.

   In 1985, at a meeting of National Science Foundation networking
   specialists and higher educations representatives, a new national
   data networking backbone, using these protocols, was outlined and
   acted as a catalyst resulting in dramatic changes in data networking
   technologies and usage.

   Originally conceived to connect the six national supercomputing
   centers that had been established, in the ensuing years, the NSFNet
   backbone network and its associated mid-level networks have grown
   dramatically.  The networks built for mission and discipline specific
   uses have also grown dramatically.  More importantly, because of the
   common technology, they have been able to be connected together,
   increasing their reach and as a result, their usefulness to the user
   community with very little additional expense.  The end result is a
   robust technology supporting the higher education and research
   community.  Its continued development and growth are essential to
   maintaining excellence in education and research.

   The use of the Internet has steadily and dramatically grown over the
   past years.  More and more sites have connected.  Each site may have
   more and more uses of the network, as existing users expand and new
   users are added resulting in exponential growth of network traffic.
   But even more dramatic are the explosions in growth due to the
   innovative applications.  Networks are having a dramatic effect on
   everything from libraries to elementary schools, from sharing
   expensive scientific instruments to using databases to access
   atmospheric data to electronic publishing and interpersonal
   collaborations building "workplaces without walls".

   The number of organizations connected at present is constantly
   growing.  At present, the organizations that connect through the
   Internet include universities and colleges, research laboratories,
   government and private, libraries, specialized scientific centers,
   state agencies, K-12 (Kindergarten-12th Grade) organizations,
   individuals, and individual research labs.  But no matter what kind
   of organization it is, they all have the same need to understand what
   it means to connect to the Internet.

   An institution must anticipate and prepare for four critical phases
   in the deployment of an Internet connection.  The list of issues
   discussed within this document is not exhaustive but rather the



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   information provided should alert decision makers to major concerns
   they should address during the different phases of network
   deployment.

   As each issue is discussed, both soft and hard cost items will be
   identified.  Both must be considered when determining the real cost
   of deploying an Internet connection.  The hard cost items include
   costs for which invoices are created.  They include the costs for new
   circuits or phone lines, the purchase of modems or csu's and routers,
   network membership dues and upgrades to existing hardware to make it
   network compatible.  Soft costs are harder to quantify but no less
   important.  These costs include training and education of staff,
   faculty, and students, modifications to support staffing and
   structure, deployment of new network applications or network services
   such as FTP servers, centralized electronic mail services, or
   campus-wide information systems.  It should also be recognized that
   the soft costs involved also result in benefits that can easily be
   seen as people investment and organizational investment.

   The four phases of an Internet Connection deployment are:

      A.  Initial planning/Pre-Internet installation phase
      B.  Initial Implementation and Startup phase
      C.  Full Production/Maintenance phase
      D.  Evaluation/Upgrade phase

3.  Initial Planning/Pre-Internet Installation Phase

3.1  Ask the Vital Question

   An institution must first address the question, "What does my
   community/institution gain from participating in the Internet
   community?".

   Both commercial and non-profit education and research institutions
   rightfully spend a great deal of high level effort to define their
   mission and goals.  Any introduction of new technology --
   particularly one which involves new modes and methodologies of
   communication -- should be assessed in light of the institution's own
   mission and goals as well as the wants and needs of the user
   community it serves.

   Following, and as part of this evaluation, key institution decision
   makers (at the highest levels of the organization) will require
   information not only on the cost of connection, but more importantly
   on the purpose and scope of participation in the Internet.  The
   decision to participate requires not only the strong commitment of
   senior administration but also the support and endorsement of the



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   general institutional community.  In the case of an educational
   institution, it is critical to have the support and active interest
   of the faculty.  This decision will also involve a campus wide needs
   assessment to determine the interest and support of the campus
   community.

3.2  Reasons Why to Participate

   The deployment of an Internet connection provides the impetus for the
   development of a campus wide strategy for the use of information
   technology which may otherwise never be accessible.  It may be
   difficult to quantify such benefits but they must be included in the
   justification process.  Many institutions have already done this and
   are very likely already connected.  An interested institution might
   will consult with a nearby, connected organization to see what
   benefit they have derived from the connection.  An institution
   looking at a connection for the first time must decide if a major
   reason is simply to participate in a technology that has already
   proven itself as being important to education; more importantly, it
   may be a requirement now to compete with peer organizations.

   This is especially important to consider when recruiting both new
   faculty and students.  New faculty will want to continue with their
   research and academic collaborations which may require resources not
   affordable to the institution.  These resources can be made available
   via the network.  As a result, a university or college may be able to
   recruit students and offer a new curriculum that demands access to
   resources that would only be available via the network.  The
   potential gain in prestige, research participation and dollars is
   well work the investment.

   Many universities have also discovered economic efficiencies.  Many
   subscription services have traditionally required a dedicated and
   expensive access method.  More and more of these services are now
   accessible via the Internet.  This trend will undoubtedly continue as
   more and more commercial companies make their services available.
   While the subscription fee may not alter, the cost of the dedicated
   connection may by used to finance an Internet connection; not only
   will the availability of the particular service be greater but the
   underlying access medium can be used for multiple functions.

   Libraries, many already with automated catalogs, are looking at
   various new applications to deal with the glut of information,
   shrinking dollars and limited shelf space.  Electronic journals,
   image-based text, publishing on demand are all issues that are being
   evaluated for the digital library.  Universities are automating and
   integrating a variety of activities and providing access to the
   students and staff via a campus network.  At some universities,



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   students are able to register for classes, look at their grades, and
   check their bill from their dorm room instead of having to suffer
   through long lines.  Some universities are able to keep in contact
   with their alumni, through a variety of on-line information
   resources.

   NSFNet was first created to facilitate access to five national
   supercomputer centers, centers which still provide to researchers
   leading edge computational technologies to support research in a
   variety of areas, from black holes to pollution in the L.A. basin.
   Today, researchers and students alike have access to a broad range of
   computational, informational, and scientific instrumentation that can
   be used remotely, with no loss of productivity.  For some
   organizations, this means that they now can recruit faculty with
   research requirements that they themselves could never afford.  It
   means access to research funding.  At the same time, it opens up the
   opportunity to faculty and students to select their next institution
   for reasons other than the hardware currently owned.

3.3  Connection Options

   There are a variety of connection options.  Factors besides costs may
   be used to select the appropriate option or a series of options.
   These factors include size and projected use (traffic) of the
   connection, nature of the use and purpose of the enterprise driving
   the effort.

   There are three basic categories of IP service connection available
   at this time.  All three categories support essentially the same set
   of functions.  They support a variety of line speeds (which affects
   total capacity of the connection) and will run on a variety of
   hardware platforms.  Performance depends on the line speed, the
   hardware and software used, and the use.

   The three basic connection categories are:

        a)  dedicated connection
        b)  dialup connection
        c)  dialup access to a connection service

   A dedicated connection requires a dedicated, point-to-point
   telecommunications circuit and an IP router (a dedicated networking
   device), linking the organization to the Internet.  Line speeds range
   from 9.6 Kb to 45 Mb, with the most common connection speeds being
   56Kb and 1.54 Mb.  A dedicated connection to the Internet most
   commonly connects to a campus-wide network with several hosts and
   workstations.




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   A dialup connection requires a workstation, which may or may not be
   dedicated to networking, with appropriate networking software and an
   attached modem.  It uses a regular phone line.  When a network
   connection is needed, the workstation is used to establish a
   connection over the modem and phone line. At the end of use, the
   connection is broken.  Line speeds range from 9.6Kb to 56Kb, with
   lower speeds being most common.  It can be used to connect a single
   workstation or a LAN.  However, if it is used to connect a LAN, the
   workstation must provide some routing functionality.