There are many different ways to connect to the Internet, and
many different uses to which network resources can be put. It
is important to become familiar with the different uses of the
Internet and how people connect to it in your area. This
section will discuss the basic methods for connecting to the
Internet and the potential impact on your schools and
administrative offices. It will provide you with the framework
for discussing how you would like people to connect to and
make use of the network.
The following three sections introduce many different
concepts and Internet tools. If you are not already familiar
with the Internet and its services you should closely review
the appropriate sections in at least one of the suggested
documents or books listed in this section.
___ Before you begin the activities listed
below, you may want to arrange for an on-line
demonstration of Internet tools and resources to
educate the committee members who have no
previous network experience.
___ Review background materials and become
familiar with some of the concepts
___ Prepare handouts (matrix)
___ Arrange for VCR and overhead
projection
___ Bring markers to fill in Matrix
___ Invite local business representatives that
may have expertise
___ Invite local vendors that may have expertise
Proposed Action Items
(Technology Planning Committee)
___ Define matrix options and fill in matrix
___ Make recommendations to the
Connectivity Subcommittee
Proposed Action Items
(Connectivity Subcommittee)
___ Review matrix quadrants
___ Assign members to become experts in specific
connectivity options (e.g. dial-up, dedicated)
addressed in Slide 7
___ Assign members to contact various providers
and determine costs for each type of
connectivity
___ Contact telephone companies or other providers
that will be required to provide wide area
connections
___ Create a timeline for reporting
expertise back to group
___ Create a timeline for completion of Matrix
___ Recommend to rest of group preferred informative
document(s)
___ Determine wide-area network
equipment needs
___ Assist Ongoing Support Subcommittee in
identifying vendors that can meet needs
___ Report findings
SpaceLink is a NASA-
sponsored resource that will have a copy
of the document you're now reading, the accompanying slides
and information on how to order the Connecting to the Future
video. (Telephone: 205-895-0028)
The Global SchoolNet
Foundation has a
comprehensive set of background material you may
need to keep your project moving forward.
Quest is a NASA-sponsored
Web site designed to direct teachers
to curricular information. This site hosts an Internet
access list provided specifically for K-12 educators,
administrators, and in some cases, students.
In the past two meetings you discussed the importance of a
common vision and a Technology Plan that can guide you toward
a network design and help you gain community support. You have
agreed that your vision for network technology is (review with
group agreed upon vision).
You have formed subcommittees that will manage the more
technical or detailed subject areas.
At the last session, the Inventory Subcommittee gathered
information on how to effectively assess your technical and
personnel resources.
In this meeting you will discuss some connectivity
options, and you will review issues and goals that will help
the Connectivity Subcommittee evaluate your options. Later
this session you will provide guidelines for the subcommittee
to help ensure that their recommendations meet the goals of
your environment.
GETTING CONNECTED
(Slide 2)
1. Scalability: As you assess your connectivity needs, keep in
mind that whatever technology you implement should be
scalable, that is, just as capable of meeting the needs of
many users as it is of meeting the needs of a few users.
Scalability ensures that as your network needs increase, so
will your ability to handle them with a minimum of expense and
inconvenience. Scalable solutions allow you to upgrade the
function of a piece of equipment without losing your initial
investment.
2. Role of Standards-based technologies: The best way to
ensure that technology investments will not be lost, or that
they can be transferable to other solutions, is to use
equipment based on open or standard technologies. Open or
standard technologies are those which are not the product of
any single vendor; instead, they are common technologies
implemented by many different vendors. If your network relies
on open standards you can choose from among a number of
competitive hardware and service providers, rather than being
locked into one option. Further, the use of standard or open
systems ensures that you will be able to communicate with as
many other systems as possible.
INTERNETWORKING: CONNECTING LOCAL AND
WIDE AREA NETWORKS
(Slide 3)
Standards-based technology promotes the practice of connecting
networks, or internetworking. The networks that are joined
together may be local or wide area networks.
A local area network, or LAN, is typically defined as a
network that connects people within a building or a campus.
These networks can be of very high speed - between 1 and 150
million bits per second - fast enough to transfer the text of a
fifteen-volume encyclopedia in less than a second. LAN wiring
is typically owned by the company or organization which uses
it.
A wide area network, or WAN, is a network that connects
people or LANs that are geographically separated. These
networks are slower than LANs (from modem speeds of 2,400 bits
per second to dedicated line speeds of 1.5 million bits per
second). The wires that connect wide area network users are
usually owned by the local and long distance telephone
companies and potentially cable TV companies.
Standards promote scalable LAN and WAN networks because
regardless of the size of the network, the same technologies
can be used to connect people and networks to one another.
THE INTERNET
(Slide 4)
1. Example of a scalable network: Probably one of the best
examples of how the same technologies can be used to serve the
smallest and the largest set of networked people is the
Internet. It is possible to connect to the Internet as a
single user over a telephone line, or through a LAN which is
in turn attached to a WAN. The size of the LANs that connect
to the Internet range from fewer than ten people to those that
serve hundreds of people.
2. A network of networks: The Internet is often referred to as
a "network of networks." This means that it is a conglomerate
of local area networks that use wide area technologies to
connect people all over the world. The local and wide area
networks talk to each other by using a common set of network
protocols called Transmission Control Protocol/Internet
Protocol, or TCP/IP standards. The use of TCP/IP is a key
element that enables people to exchange electronic mail and to
use the many other resources and applications located across
the network.
3. Sharing connectivity: One very efficient means to connect
people to the Internet in a school is to connect classroom and
lab computers to a LAN, and then connect the entire LAN to the
Internet. This ensures that all of the people connected to the
LAN have complete and seamless access to all available
resources. Over time, as more district sites have LANs and
want Internet connectivity, the district LANs can be
internetworked and share the same connection to the Internet.
THE INTERNET
(Slide 5)
1. Opens the whole world: The Internet is a ubiquitous
collection of networks whose openness and flexibility are
wonderful characteristics. However, these traits can also
breed frustration and confusion as you evaluate how a school
or community can get connected.
2. Many ways to connect: There are many ways to connect to the
Internet. Which option you use will be determined by your
geographic location, the number of people you want to connect,
the applications you want to be able to perform, the level of
connectivity you desire, the degree of support you need, and
of course, the amount of money you can spend.
3. Understanding connectivity: Therefore, one of the most
critical tasks of this committee - and especially the
Connectivity Subcommittee - is to identify connectivity options.
First, what are your needs, and then who are the vendors in
your area and what services and connectivity solutions do they
offer? What consulting and support services do they provide,
are they reliable, and what are their fees?
IDENTIFYING OPTIONS
(Slide 6)
1. Service providers based on location: There are different
types of vendors, and each may or may not provide services in
your area. First, there are Regional Providers which are
NSF-funded organizations located throughout the United States
that provide access over a pre-defined geographic location.
Often they offer both dial-up and dedicated access, and they
vary widely in terms of their size, the level of service they
offer, and the fees they charge. Over time these organizations
may be replaced by commercial providers. ("Dial-up" and
"dedicated" are addressed in Slide 7.)
Commercial and national providers. These are groups that
may or may not provide dedicated access or LAN to WAN
connectivity; however, they typically offer individual dial-up
services. These companies are growing rapidly in size and in
the range of services they offer.
Universities, regional research laboratories, and some
state and federal institutions may also help. While they are
usually not in the business of providing access to the
Internet, they may be interested in providing you access given
their general interest in promoting the quality of K-12
education in their local area. Some universities provide
connectivity to K-12 schools ranging from individual dial-up
services to full-blown dedicated access.
Finally, there are efforts being launched by state
governments, and specifically State Departments of Education,
to provide Internet access for their K-12 community.
State-funded solutions, like university solutions, range from
dial-up to dedicated connectivity.
2. Capacity determined by usage needs: The capacity you need
will be determined by how you are going to use the network.
Here is a brief overview of the various options available, and
of how these options relate to network usage.
CONNECTIVITY OPTIONS OVERVIEW
(Slide 7)
The basic connectivity options include dial-up and leased
line.
1. Dial-up connectivity: Dial-up connectivity to the Internet
is established through a modem and telephone line. Connecting
via dial-up is similar to making a telephone call except that
the number is entered in the computer connected to a modem.
Modems vary in speed and cost.
The simplest method of dial-up is terminal emulation
which provides a command-driven or menu-driven interface to
the network. It requires a modem with basic communications
software, a telephone line, and a user account on a remote
system.
It is also possible to dial up to the Internet through
protocols that allow for Graphical User Interface (GUI)
access. Most network functions and services can be accessed
through a point-and-click application.
Of the two types of Internet dial-up options, terminal
emulation accounts are least expensive. However, the command
or menu-driven interface is much more difficult to manage than
a GUI interface.
2. Leased-line Connectivity: A leased-line connection is
permanent and dedicated between the school site - typically
connected via a LAN - and an Internet provider. The entire
capacity for the line, its bandwidth, is available regardless
of whether or not the connection is actually in use at any
given moment. There is a charge for line installation and a
monthly fee. A local server, or host computer, is required to
manage user accounts and access to Internet services.
The speed of the connection that will be required for
your site will be determined by the number of people you have
on your LAN and what you would like them to be able to do. So,
as the following Internet and other network tools and services
are defined, you need to think about when and how you would
like the different people in your schools to access these
resources.
INTERNET TOOLS
(Slide 8)
1. Electronic mail, or email: A means of transmitting messages
across networks to other users. Typically the messages are
private and can be read only by the person to whom they are
addressed. However, at present the laws that guarantee the
privacy of electronic mail are not as strict or as
well-defined as those protecting mail handled by the U.S.
Postal Service. Furthermore, your schools may adopt policies
of their own. Keep in mind that, regardless of law or policy,
many people - including the system administrator or an
unauthorized intruder - may find ways to read your mail. It's
safest not to regard electronic mail as completely private,
especially on school networks.
Email is faster than other forms of mail and allows for
messages to be read and handled at the convenience of the
user. Email can be performed in command mode or with a few
different GUI applications such as Eudora or POPMail. (POPMail
is available for free on the Internet. Older versions of
Eudora are also available free on the network, while more
recent versions are only available commercially.)
2. USEnet News: Allows people to participate in online
discussions on specific topics. There are between four and
five thousand different areas for discussion, and they are
always increasing. News group subject matter can range from
recreational to highly professional or technical in nature, as
for example, from those discussing yachting to those
discussing the nuances of the Silicon Graphics Unix operating
system. People can select the groups they are interested in
and read and participate in as many as they desire.
3. File Transfer Protocol, or FTP: is a means of moving files
from one Internet computer to another. Systems that offer
public access through anonymous FTP allow people on other
computers to access the system's files, images, and
applications. Systems on the network supporting anonymous FTP
offer a vast array of resources on a wide range of topics.
FTP-accessible resources can be located on the Internet
through a tool referred to as Archie (which gets its name from
the word "archive"). FTP can be performed using Unix commands
or through various GUI applications which are freely available
on the network.
4. Telnet: A utility that allows people to log in to a remote
host computer and use the resources on the host as if it were
their own computer. Usually it is necessary to have a login ID
in order to access a remote machine, although these are often
available through a simple application process. Telnet
sessions can be conducted through a series of commands or,
like FTP, through various freely-available GUI applications.
5. Gopher: An Internet search tool that presents information
at a site using a menu interface. Selecting a topic from one
of these menus instructs gopher to retrieve the information
regardless of its location on the network. You can also
conduct word or topic searches by using a gopher service
called Veronica, which locates documents or menu headings
containing the specific word or combination of words that
interest you. Like FTP and Telnet, gopher can be used in
command mode or through GUIs available on the network.
6. World Wide Web, or WWW: An Internet search tool and
hypertext directory system which seamlessly incorporates other
search tools like gopher and FTP without the user having to
specifically invoke them. Web applications have become the
most popular on the net because they are generally the easiest
to use. WWW information can be accessed in command mode
through an application called Lynx or through various GUIs
including Mosaic and MacWeb.
7. Other applications: These include current email packages
already on your LANs, administrative applications which track
attendance or other student data, and specialized databases
used by librarians.
8. Other networks: These include those provided by commercial
enterprises such as America OnLine, Compuserve or Prodigy.
These networks may conduct projects or provide materials of
interest to your school community.
MATRIX (pictorial)
(Slide 9)
For the remainder of the session you will work to fill in the
blanks of this matrix. This information will help the
subcommittee assess what connectivity solutions will meet your
needs.
You are working to determine the number of users for
each application and how they'll access it. First, decide
whether your users will have dial-up or dedicated access. If
dial-up, will they use a command line or a Graphical User
Interface? If you are providing dedicated access, will the
access extend to the entire school or to only a portion of it?
Fill in the chart with the number of users in each category.
At this point you may need to demonstrate these
applications (email, news, FTP, telnet, Gopher, and WWW) to
the Technology Planning Committee.
