FAQ's
How many lines can this system handle?
With one PC there can be 64 dial-in lines serviced without slowing down. An addtional bank of 64 lines can be added with another PC, giving a total of 128 lines. Unlimited parallel systems of two PC's each may be installed, giving unlimited banks of 128 lines each.How many subscribers can a 64 line server handle?
Many large commercial ISP's provide 1 line per 10 subscribers, and this has become the standard. We have observed that unlimited users require more like 1 line per 5 subscribers in order to totally avoid busy signals. Perhaps the big ISP's have safety in numbers, but it is more likely that there are periods when busy signals occur. Ten subscribers per line with 64 lines would serve 640 subscribers. Five subscribers per line with 64 lines would serve 320 subscribers.Is one PC powerful enough to be an ISP Server?
The Server Environment is Windows NT Server. In corporate settings Windows NT Server is used for 1,000 or more workstations. The processor speed is matched for the job. Popularly priced Pentium class computers are more than enough for this job.How does this all work?
DirecPC is used for this application in much the same way that a single user would use DirecPC, but we distribute received information to multiple users. Internet communications are transferred in data "packets", not a constant stream of data. When multiple users are requesting information from the web, the packets arrive randomly. Data packets are distributed to the respective users as they arrive. This allows multiple users to receive their requested data simultaneously.How reliable is the Server?
We have an operating server in Western Arizona where we offer unlimited Internet access to a community that has been thought far too small & remote for commercial Internet consideration. This server operates 24 hours a day, much of the time totally unattended. The reliability and performance are excellent.What are the data rates?
DirecPC operates at 400K Baud and the land line operates at 33.6K Baud.Isn't a transmission rate of 33.6K kind of slow?
Not really. We have observed that user Internet sessions generally have a Receive/Send data ratio of between 10/1 and 15/1. Our rate of 400/33.6 is 12/1, which is ideal for Internet communications. Additionally, our outgoing data compression is 60%, which more than doubles the transmission rate. This provides extra outgoing capacity for large email attachments and web page uploads.What about serving web pages?
This system does not provide enough outgoing data capacity to host web pages directly at the server. We have a "Virtual Host" do that for us. In other words, we rent web space from an ISP and have them serve our web pages for us. Virtual Hosting is very inexpensive.What about e-mail serving?
You could serve your own e-mail, but a virtual host can do that for you and save the initial cost and complication of e-mail serving software.I live in a remote area with no local ISP, can I still use this economically?
Yes. This is where our server really works well. You can order an FX (Foreign Exchange) line from your telephone company. That will give you dial tone from another town. In other words, you can lease a long distance connection to a particular town for a flat monthly fee. The monthly cost can be estimated by multiplying the number of miles times $2.50 and adding $75. Compare that to T1 costs!What happens if the remote link modem drops carrier?
It redials automatically.| Main | Overview | Design | Pricing |