Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!ucsd!pacbell.com!decwrl!world!bzs From: bzs@world.std.com (Barry Shein) Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip Subject: Re: Cost of Internet access Message-ID: Date: 10 Nov 90 23:06:36 GMT References: <9011101731.AA20352@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU> Sender: bzs@world.std.com (Barry Shein) Organization: The World Lines: 25 In-Reply-To: jcurran@SH.CS.NET's message of 10 Nov 90 16:17:49 GMT >As long your implementation automatically brings up the circuit when there >is a packet queued (at either end), the application layer can not distinguish >dialup IP services from dedicated. SMTP simply gets a long delay on the >initial connection. That doesn't quite answer Peter's message. What about some random host out there with mail for you? He tries to connect, gets a timeout since you're not dialed in at the moment, and re-queues. Chances are slim that you'll be dialed in when he happens to retry unless you're dialed in a lot. Of course, if the other host will also dial you then that's a solution. But I'm pretty sure (due to voice network charges and the service relationship usually implied) this is not the model most people are thinking of, they are effectively a leaf node and dial a centralized host providing the SLIP service to them. One has to either use MX records so the centralized host accepts and forwards the mail (the easiest solution), or use something like POP. -- -Barry Shein Software Tool & Die | {xylogics,uunet}!world!bzs | bzs@world.std.com Purveyors to the Trade | Voice: 617-739-0202 | Login: 617-739-WRLD