Cheap e-mail & web access via Dial-Up Telephone

 

By Admin

November 01, 2007
 

This article tries to give you short guide to our colleague especially in education world to access internet with simplest and cheapest way.

 

In broad outline access that mentioned will separate in 3 big parties that are:

  • E-mail access;

  • Web access and

  • Web / Home Page Publication

This article wills more focus at e-mail access that apparently critical enough now a day. Web access as well as home page publication is easy to do. Some alternative that probably do briefly will try to discuss.


This article tries using assumption that:

  • You are from institution (not personal user). Solution that will discuss will be overload if use by personal.

  • You have several computers that can connected be a Local Area Network (LAN).

  • One of that computers running window95 with modem + telephone as a gap to all user in your institution to internet. My assumption you are using dial-up telephone (not leased line).


General opinion

Most people say that internet identical with web access. This is right mainly to beginner who access internet. The beginner tends to try doing surfing to see many website in internet.

To most old user / internet veteran, web access is second thing to do. Most of internet user time use to discuss & communicate with colleague by mailing list or by direct as well.

E-mail user beside favorable to user because will give any information needed, time needed to access e-mail far cheaper also comparing with web access. Mean telephone cost or internet access cost for e-mail will far cheaper comparing web. Example author whose relative busy - with receive/sent e-mail more than 200-300 mail every day , cost he has to pay only around 40-50.000/month.

For more information, we suggest to read any reference in internet like at http://xxx.itb.ac.id/~yc1dav/ or monitoring any mailing list in Internet like at
Pau-mikro@nusantara.net, sysop-l@itb.ac.id, packet-l@itb.ac.id, ybnet-l@itb.ac.id, indonesia-panel@itb.ac.id, library-network@itb.ac.id, pustakawan@itb.ac.id.
 

 

Internet access

Main condition to can access e-mail or web is ability to internet access. Many alternative can use to access internet, partly can found from our other article about internet technology for education which can get at

http://xxx.itb.ac.id/~yc1dav/.generally internet access technology alternative that can use is among:

1. Via dial-up telephone
2. Via radio (packet radio 1200bps / 9600bps).
3. Via wavelan / microwave (speed 2Mbps-11Mbps)
4. Via satelit (64Kbps-2Mbps)
5. Via leased line Telkom JAMUS (64-265Kbps).

It appears to us in Indo nesia, most technology access developed actually still too expensive. Generally education institution limited at dial-up telephone access and packet radio (mainly in Bandung & Malang City).

See the fact; I will try to focusing at dial-up telephone alternative only. To colleague who has internet access - particularly who have e-mail address which have to use together in one institution this article probably can give many benefit.

For colleague from education that absolutely has not internet access, there are several alternatives that can do:
Subscribe to nearest ISP (generally get one e-mail account only).

Use telkom net instant service, particularly city like city like jakarta, surabaya, malang, denpasar, bogor , etc. List of the city that can get telkomnet instant access attach in this article appendix.

To colleague in bandung , happened to be no telkomnet instant subscribe to one of ISP is necessary.AI3 ITB (FAX 022 251-2982) provide also dial-up service that maybe later will related to e-mail service to an institution explain below.

Telkom net instant idea generally is internet user no need to register it self at telkom net to access internet. User can dial provided telephone number using user name & password give directly. Telkom net instan user cost will charged to your telephone cost around Rp 150/minute (internet + telephone cost). Of course with assumption you have computer window95 with modem which connected to telephone line.

 


Web access alternative for institution

Web access maybe the simplest way from all process/ necessity present. This technique mostly use by internet cafe that present anywhere now. The step generally use is:
 

  1. Connecting all computers is a Local Area Network (LAN).

  2. Run TCP/IP in every computer, there is setup TCP/IP in network setting. Use private IP 192.168.x.x or 10.x.x.x for that interface Ethernet computers.

  3. Run proxy program in one of the computer which has a modem to access internet. One of Proxy program that popular is Wingate which can download from internet like http://www.shareware.com & http://www.download.com.

Trough proxy computer all computer can access internet together. Some main problem we will deal with is:
The network will be slow- particularly if many computer accessing together.

Internet cost will more expensive; admittedly web access is expensive commodity. Think about exact business plan is necessary so that keep gainful for institution.

 


Some web hosting alternative

Other think generally want to do by most user is show any information that possessed to internet. For it looking for web hosting service is necessary.

 

There are many internet site giving web hosting service. Simple way to looking for it is search by engine in internet like http://www.yahoo.com, http://www.infoseek.com, http://www.altavista.com

Use web hosting keyword to looking for that service. One of free web hosting service giver that mostly use is http://www.geocities.com/.of course there are specification , like http://digital.lib.itb.ac.id for librarian colleague at ITB centre library (library@itb.ac.id / digilib@itb.ac.id).

The next problem need to solve is how to write HTML file that will show later in web. There are some simple way can use to write that HTML file , that is :

1. Microsoft FrontPage.
2. Microsoft msword (using opsi save as HTML).
3. Using ASCII editor text like, qed, notepad � but have to know more about HTML it self. It is not suggesting for the beginner.
 


E-mail access alternative for institution

Generally alternative that used this day is expensive way. That using web then accessing it to many web sites those gives free e-mail like http://mail.yahoo.com, http://www.mailcity.com, http://usa.net, http://hotmail.com etc. Author not suggesting this way to sending/receiving e-mail because not effective and wasting money to access it internet; except to our colleague who have leased line 24 hours to Internet.

Using web access to read e-mail is expensive way. There are some other alternative that can developed, like:

  • Ask (and pay) for several e-mail accounts to ISP.

  • Using one of the e-mail accounts and using it together.

  • Seek a way one of the e-mail account with change it full name that using so that can using together. This often using in internet instant software.

All method above still less approach to access e-mail ideal condition which wanted. In ideal condition, we want every one in our institution will get e-mail address like user@nama-institusi.ac-id.net or user@perusahaan.co.id.

Use software Mdaemon (can take from http://www.altn.com/ http://www.mdaemon.com). As gate way. Mdaemon run in window95.

File /window/hosts at window directory need editing to know any host in our institution. Use ETRN service to take mail in a domain. ETRN command can do by Mdaemon gate way a moment after connecting to internet.

There are several machine that can give ETRN service, like etrn.com ( this pay us$500/year ) or to ITB developing etrn-host.itb.ac.id machine as temporary e-mail supporter before it took by institution.

Of course this short article is difficult to explain more detail about ETRN work; the author will suggest taking that mdeamon software & reading manual - particularly ETRN/QSND command in ESMTP protocol used.

For institution who have LAN with server novell, that novell server can use to put e-mail by installing pegasus mail and mercury (mail server) software. Novell server still need help by gateway window95 that run mdaemon to sending/recieving mail from/to internet.in novell server, file /etc/hosts need editing to introduce all host in LAN to novell server.

Author experience, for institution that just using internet - need 5-10 minutes/day for an institution to sending /receiving their e-mail, need very short time & low cost. Of course if mail tariff increase, need more long time to sending/receiving that e-mail every day.

Accidentally for colleague whose amateur radio & close enough with gateway packet radio - this lan novell can connecting with gateway packet radio to interacting by packet radio. Gateway packet radio in bandung can using :

PC 286 run DOS with software NOS using TNC or modem Baycom wih speed 1200bps / 9600bps.
PC 486 run Windows95 with software Flexnet using sound card as modem speed 1200bps / 9600bps.

 

Onno W. Purbo, IT Consultant in Indonesia.