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 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, 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.

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.

Several IP service providers offer dialup access to a connection service. Such a service provides only remote login capabilities or other limited functions by calling a local phone number and setting up a single function environment. A terminal emulator is used from a MAC or a PC. The service can support speeds from 2.4Kb - 19.2 Kb. Providers usually charge a flat-rate connection fee as opposed to a connection fee and traffic charge.

As each type of connection alternative is examined, the organization must consider the technical evolution and cost projections. The appropriate campus agency (usually an information or telecommunications area) should inventory the existing campus networking. For those organizations that do currently have a campus network, the inventory will provide valuable input to the development of a short and long term technology evolution strategy.

If a campus network does not yet exist, the development of a campus networking strategy may have the effect of an upgrade of technology throughout the campus. In either case, the question of how to get network connectivity to the workstations on the faculty and staff desks, large user rooms, residence halls, libraries and campus stores must eventually be addressed.

A connection to the Internet does not always imply the development of a campus-wide network. In some cases, it may be appropriate for only a small segment of the organization's community to have access to the Internet. Often, organizations will use such a strategy as a way to introduce the technology to a small group of enthusiastic customers who become champions in their own right.

3.4. Connection Service Providers

There are several organizations, not-for-profit and commercial, that now offer connectivity services to the Internet. Refer to Appendix A for a partial list.

There is no hard and fast rule specifying to whom an organization should approach for a connection. Historically, there has been a tendency for an academic institution to become a member of the closest mid-level network. The best approach, given the growing number of IP service providers, is to consider all the providers that offer services in the region, consider the variety and quality of services offered within in the framework of the organization's requirements and make an informed decision based on that information.

3.5. Sample Questions for Connection Services Providers

It is often hard to know what questions should be asked while evaluating different service providers. The following set of questions have been included at a starting point for any discussion with an IP service provider.

3.5.1. Sample Questions

      a) What connection services do they offer?  Please describe in
         detail (i.e., until you understand what they are talking
         about).

      b) What is the cost?

      c) What is included in the cost?
              -the circuit cost (installation and monthly charge)
              -the router (cost of onsite router, cost of offsite
               router)
              -hardware/software
              -maintenance, of what??
              -membership fee

      d) Is there any other kind of charge not included in the upfront
         cost?

      e) What are their support services?
              -NOC?
              -NIC?
              -What do they mean by either organization?

      f) Do they fix the router when it's broken?

      g) Do they require 24 hour access to the physical location?

      h) Do they require an onsite person be available to them to
         assist in problem diagnosis?

      i) What training is available?  Is it included in above cost??

      j) Do they have an acceptable use policy?

      k) Is there an annual meeting?

      l) Do they have dedicated (i.e., full time), professional staff?

      m) Are there limitations to connecting to other parts of the
         Internet (i.e., can you everywhere you need to get?)?

      n) To whom else do they provide service?
              -references?

If any of this information is confidential, consider finding another service provider.

3.6. Cost Assessment

An organization contemplating a connection to the Internet should be careful to consider not only the physical connection and startup costs but also the costs of supporting the resulting service infrastructure. This infrastructure includes the development and continued support of a campus-wide network. At some universities, this network may only support data, but at many universities and other organizations, the development of a campus-wide network must evolve to consider data, voice, and video as the applications and requirements of information technologies supported by internetworking technologies expand.

The Internet provides access to a wide variety of resources and a broad set of functions and services which may or may not have been available locally. Support staff will require education and training to support and in turn train the faculty, other staff, and students in the use of the new technology and new resources made available. This training may mean strategic re-orientation and deployment of campus networking information services. The costs of such added- value services should be planned for in advance.

Increased use of the campus network will make additional demands on existing network technical staff. Areas of the institution not currently participating in data network services will want to participate. While not all of these services can be exactly quantified in terms of costs, they must be anticipated and incorporated into campus planning for an Internet connection. These areas may include libraries, dormitories, student services, and data depositories.

The implementation of an Internet connection provides the impetus for the development of a campus-wide strategy for the use of information technologies which may otherwise have never been accessible. It may be difficult to quantify such benefits but they must be included in the justification process. The benefits can include access to expensive, scientific instruments such as computational services (i.e., massively parallel supercomputers) or particle accelerators. Clearly, this access means that the organization will have the use of these facilities without the cost of buying one, thus provide an effective recruiting tool for bright, young PHD's who require this kind of resource.