|
|
"Tell me everything I'll need to give the whole
school Internet access"
If you've got a collection of Acorn (and perhaps other)
computers, and want them all to have Internet access, there are
five basic things you'll need:
 |
You need an Ethernet network |
|
All the computers from which you want to get Internet access,
must be networked together using Ethernet.
Ethernet is the
underlying network type for both Acorn Access and Acorn AUN,
as well as most PC networks,
so if you've got a network, it probably is Ethernet.
If you don't have a network at all, you need to consult a specialist in
networking hardware.
|
|
You need a modem and a phone line
(or equivalent) |
|
A modem, as you probably know, is a device for letting
computers communicate over a telephone line. You'll need a
modem to form your link to the outside world.
Modems are available in different speeds: 56,000 bits per second (56k) is the fastest standard speed. If even that is not
fast enough, you need an ISDN line: a special kind of
telephone line that is digital-only and runs at 64k. To use
an ISDN line you'll need a Terminal Adaptor (TA) or an ISDN router,
which is (for all intents and purposes) the ISDN equivalent
of a modem.
Leased lines are available at faster speeds still,
but are prohibitively expensive for most schools -- unless
sponsored by a local company or university.
As a rough guide, a 56k modem should suffice if you
will mainly use email, or if web use is largely in
closely-defined "projects"; for a larger number of users
making individual use of the web or newsgroups, you
should consider ISDN.
Alternatively, you may want to set up email, news, and web
services just around your local network, without going to the
outside world: for more information about this, see the
section Using the server suite to host
an Intranet.
|
|
You need an ISP account |
|
ISP stands for Internet Service Provider, the company
which your modem dials into when it makes your connection.
You will need a contract, or account, with an ISP, which will
cost you about £10 a month -- you should look for
special offers targeted at schools, as the ISP market is very
competitive.
There are hundreds of different ISPs in the UK alone; the
ANT Internet Server Suite will work with almost any of them (the
principal exception being the "pseudo-ISP" AOL). A complete listings of
those currently supported by ANT software is available at
http://www.vigay.com/cgi-bin/r?a=inetsupport
There's no single ISP which is recommended by RISCOS Ltd. The pros
and cons of different ISPs are reviewed in the many Internet
magazines available from newsagents.
|
|
You need client software |
|
Client software is a term for the programs your users
run to access the Internet: a web browser, for instance, or
an email program.
The premier suite of Internet client software for RISC OS
is the ANT Internet Suite. Other Internet client software
can also be used -- for example, if you want to give
Internet access to any PCs you might have, you could run
Netscape Navigator on them.
You can buy a site licence of the ANT Internet [client]
Suite at a special price when buying the ANT Internet Server
Suite, thus providing all the software you need in one
bundled deal.
|
|
You need server software |
|
The link that ties together all the requirements above into a
working Internet access system, is the collection of software
that runs on the server computer -- the one with the
modem attached, the one where web pages and users' email
messages are all stored. This is where the ANT Internet
Server Suite comes in. For more information on how it uses
the network, modem, ISP account, and client software, see the
following section, "I've got the Internet on one computer,
and I want all the other computers on my network to have
access".
|
|
