The Inet-Access Frequently Asked Questions List

By David H Dennis (david@amazing.com; backup e-mail dhd@smartdocs.com, dhd@netcom.com).

The FAQ was last updated on 6 December 1995

Important Note

The main URL for this FAQ and other documents is now http://www.amazing.com/. I guess you got here ok, but please spread the word that we've moved.

A number of new ISPs have e-mailed me with surprisingly similar questions. Check out http://www.amazing.com/internet/advice.htmlto see my advice for beginning ISPs.

Introduction

Welcome to the Internet Access Provider FAQ, 7,944 lines (and counting!) of information on how to become an Internet service provider. This is an amazingly broad subject, covering everything from politics to sexual mores to the care and maintenance of a large Unix site. We'll meet wanton women and straightlaced crusaders, lovers of Macs and of Suns, and even the occasional Windows NT user peering nervously in our direction.

Yes, this is where we meet the traffic cops and maintenance people of the Information Superhighway, as they begin to make their first struggling appearances. They all have their idea of what the net is to be; about all they have in common is that they know it will be different from the way it is today.

You can have many reasons for wanting to check out this FAQ. Perhaps you wanted to be an Internet provider from the day you were born, or maybe you're just curious to find out what it may be like. In any case, hello, and welcome to our world! This FAQ's for you, and I give a warm welcome to any comments and additions you may have. Write me at david@amazing.com

Please do drop me a line ... but do me a small favour

An increasing number of Windows [tm] users have been writing me using Unix-unfriendly mailers that do not break lines at 80 columns; each paragraph shows up at my site as one long line.

My Unix mailer cannot digest these messages without a great deal of additional trouble, so please make sure that you use a text editor that can break lines at 80 columns or less (75 is a good number to use as a general rule). The easiest way to do this is to send your messages using a Unix Shell account with any of the standard text editors available. I realize, however, that this advice may seem too old-fashioned for the more enlightened and progressive among you.

If you don't have Shell access, or if you cannot bear the thought of using Unix [tm], either:

- Press [enter] at the end of each 80-column line as you are typing in your message

or

- Verify that your program DOES create [return]s at the end of lines.

Spry's AIR Mail program seems to be particulary bad in this regard; I recommend that, if you must use Windows [tm] for some reason, you use Eudora instead.

The FAQ has been in HTML now for a long time

This FAQ is being converted to HTML using an automated process, so people who want to see it won't have to wait as 370,000 bytes take their rather leisurely path from my Web site. Comments on this process and suggestions on how to improve its appearance are welcome.

For information on my rather negative attitude towards Windows, check out http://www.amazing.com/microsoft/, my anti-Microsoft Home Page.

Even though the FAQ has been in HTML for a long time, I'd still appreciate any comments about the HTML conversion.

Some personal experiences

I could make the FAQ even longer than it is now by just including my personal experiences in it. But because I wanted to amuse as well as inform, these are really in the style of stories more than FAQs. Check them out, and let me know what you think!

David Buys a Router [ http://www.amazing.com/internet/router.html]. In this gripping episode, we see our intrepid hero David Dennis visit the repair depots of the Information Superhighway in search of a router. Does he ever find one? Stay tuned. [Updated 16 November 1995; someone asked me for the brand and model of the router, so I added it]

David gets an Internet Connection [ http://www.amazing.com/internet/connection.html] At long last, David gets a 56k Internet connection. Read all about it! [Updated 28 August 1995]

Highlights of the Current Edition

I've once again updated Section 7.5, Who are the main national providers, and how much? Karl Denninger's gone from Net-99, and their good reputation seems to have declined, although perhaps not as far as you might think from previous comments.

Sprint is said to have vastly improved service, and Net-99 doesn't like the fact that it carries certain newsgroups, but it still does. Net-99 has been taken over, and growing pains have emerged; however, things still seem to be under control. In the latest update, we find that AlterNet has better rates than one might think, and an anonymous source updates us on the Net-99/Aegis merger. [Last updated 6 November 1995]

For a couple of different views on setting up virtual domains, check out my Internet Resources page at a http://www.amazing.com/internet/.

Section 6.7, PCs Running FreeBSD, has been added to suggest another interesting operating system for ISPs. It has an excellent pedigree; how does it compare to Linux or other options? This section has been newly updated with Free BSD ISP mailing list information [Updated 1 October 1995].

Section 10.3, Accounting and Billing Practices, now contains some new billing software URLs, and an update on the IOU package. Note that I do not sponsor or endorse any of it; I am providing the information because of a very high level of interest. [Updated 14 September 1995]

I've added a very brief description of Firewalls in section 8.4, Firewalls. [Updated 18 July 1995].

I have significantly improved my section on Web browsers and servers, starting with section 9.9, What about Running a World Wide Web Server? This includes information on running a multi-homed web server (aka http://www.bigco.com/[Note: That's a generic example, not a real link]) and comments on the Netscape extensions. [Updated 15 July 1995]

Should you bother starting a provider with a 56k line? Maybe there's more hope than I would have thought, at least if the price is right. Check out Section 4.4, New Information on the Viability of a 56k line. [Updated 10 June 1995]

The Internet and Windows NT: A summary of opinions. Should you consider this operating system as your next network server, or should you stick with the tried and true SunOS or BSDI? A satisfied NT user saw my earlier remarks, and replies. Oh-oh! Some additional material has also been added on SCO Unix, which appears to be gaining some interested parties. More on this debate in Section 6.11, What about Microsoft Windows NT? [Updated 29 May 1995]

Section 6.21, Care and Feeding of Disk Drives, has been started with a summary of the discussion on inet-access of overheating disk drives and what to do about them. Read this section so you don't need to feed your Barracuda to the fish! [Updated 29 May 1995]

Ever been curious about Silicon Graphics, the super-upscale maker of fine workstations for graphic artists and their friends? Our spies snuck a peek at their Top Secret price list, and found that they're not as expensive as you might think. Check out Section 6.4, Silicon Graphics (SGI) Workstations.

Any discussion of what's new with the Internet has to begin with Microsoft's announcement of the Microsoft Network, the new kid in the online service block. With their announcement of $ 4.95 a month access, they have thrown down the competitive gauntlet in a spectacular way. Check out our news analysis in Section 5.4, Microsoft and IBM, the Terrible Two.

To Netra or not to Netra: That is the question! Section 6.17, All About the Sun Netra, tells you more than you ever wanted to know about this vital issue. Don't be deceived!

Our new Section 15.0, Wanton Women and Straightlaced Crusaders, deals with some upcoming legal issues and other not-so-fun stuff surrounding the vital issue of sex on the Net.

Our FAQ maintainer decides to take the plunge and buy a Sun clone system. Unfortunately, thanks to a stubborn connectivity provider who just won't let loose an extra IP number, he hasn't managed to connect it to the net. He loves his Sun, especially with the 21" NEC "Professional Series" monitor he bought for it. But it has yet to be thrown into battle. Stay tuned.

Our FAQ maintainer becomes horribly snobbish and spends more money than he should. Section 6.20, What sort of monitor should I get with my Sun? tells you what he did and why.

For Further Information, check out my WWW Site

For further information on issues ranging from setting up Web Sites to using Linux as your Internet provider, check out my Web site, http://www.amazing.com/. The latest edition of the FAQ can always be found here.

The FAQ is updated on a somewhat occasional basis, about once every month or two. Visit the site and read in this page to find the last time it was updated.

If you've been given a copy of the text version of this FAQ, you can see the latest edition in HTML by pointing your WWW browser to http://www.amazing.com/internet/faq.html. If you want to make a printout of the FAQ, a text version is available at http://www.amazing.com/internet/faq.txt. I would like to suggest that you visit the main site at least once, because the FAQ is only one of many interesting offerings we have.

The Obligatory Commercial

The author of this FAQ runs David's Amazing Internet Services, a tiny Internet provider based in Van Nuys, CA. It's meant to be an intriguing combination of bulletin board and Internet provider, and I'm very interested in hearing comments and suggestions. Try it by calling (818) 734-4800 or telnetting to amazing.amazing.com .

Table of Contents

1.0 Major Contributers to the FAQ

2.0 Introduction

3.0 What about business organization and raising money?

4.0 What sorts of returns can I expect making as an ISP?

5.0 The Big-Time Competition: Should you worry?

6.0 Equipment

7.0 Hooking up to the Internet

8.0 What are interchange agreements, and why should I care?

9.0 Internet Software tips, tricks and answers

10.0 What about Fees, Terms and Conditions?

11.0 What sorts of technical problems should I expect?

12.0 Who needs and wants Internet Services? How can we reach them?

13.0 Internet Marketing

14.0 Now that I have users, how should I deal with them?

15.0 Wanton Women and Straightlaced Crusaders: Pornography on the Net

16.0 Legal Issues

17.0 Books and other Resources

18.0 Glossary of Common Terms and Acronyms

19.0 Resources

20.0 Conclusion