Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!decvax!decwrl!pyramid!nsc!amdahl!dmsd!bass From: bass@dmsd.UUCP Newsgroups: net.news.group,net.news.stargate Subject: Starhub -- one alternative to Stargate Message-ID: <260@dmsd.UUCP> Date: Wed, 16-Jul-86 03:56:48 EDT Article-I.D.: dmsd.260 Posted: Wed Jul 16 03:56:48 1986 Date-Received: Wed, 16-Jul-86 17:31:23 EDT Distribution: na Organization: DMS Design, San Luis Obispo Office, CA Lines: 49 Keywords: Existing technology, cheaper than current 2400 baud compressed Xref: decwrl net.news.group:5537 net.news.stargate:250 My proposal is simply that we create several hubs with 9600 baud modem service and ample disk storage to provide store and forward mail service. The modems will be connected to a buffer box with 1 to 2mb of ram storage to match communications throughput limits at each client machine. The buffer box will normally be transparent between the modem and system allowing normal modem service. During preset times when the modem is idle, the buffer box will call one of the Starhubs and stream in a news batch at full line speed, AND login to the client system and dump the stream to the unbatcher matching client speeds. Current DDS AT&T nite service for such a news feed would be about $75/month and hub service fees of less than $50/month. The buffer box will cost between $300 and $500, the modem between $1,000 and $1,500 depending on what can be done for a group buy. The DDS rate can be reduced maybe 50% with a group or volume discount. The Hub could provide inwatts service and bill-back all the charges in one bill. A single $9,000 hub could support about 80 systems each night and another 100 systems during the day/evening. Hub based service could be both faster than the current backbone, more reliable, and cheaper over all -- and remove a major bias in the cost of usenet caused by the backbone. The total cost of usenet would be reduced as much as 70% from the current implementation. Hubs operated as a fee based service would pay back in about 12 months. Between 6 and 10 hubs could service most of the major cities and surrounding area. OR -- the hubs need not exist at all .... using the same technology with the current backbone. Due to the higher connectivity of the current backbone over a multiple hub arrangment, the costs will be higher than hubs, be still significantly cheaper than current 1200/2400 DDS service. Current DDS AT&T nite service for news costs about $360/month assuming a 2400 baud compressed news feed (plus/minus about $60). The capital investment is a 2400 baud modem costing less than $1,000. Many sites are using 1200 baud compressed service at twice the cost (why I don't know, since the capital payback is about 2 months). Normal uucp is limited to below 4800 baud average throughput due to system timings on many machines, which limits the direct application of 9600/19.2kb modems for uucp based service. But even still, at 4800 baud they will still pay back over less than 6 months. The software to implement this is about 6 man months, plus 3 man months for the buffer box firmware and hardware. -- John Bass (DBA:DMS Design) DMS Design (System Design, Performance and Arch Consultants) {dual,fortune,polyslo,hpda}!dmsd!bass (805) 541-1575