Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!utgpu!usrgroup From: usrgroup@utgpu.UUCP Newsgroups: can.general Subject: A Canadian Unix Network? Message-ID: <1987Aug4.235121.22896@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu> Date: Tue, 4-Aug-87 23:51:21 EDT Article-I.D.: gpu.1987Aug4.235121.22896 Posted: Tue Aug 4 23:51:21 1987 Date-Received: Thu, 6-Aug-87 05:09:32 EDT Distribution: can Organization: /usr/group/cdn -- The Canadian Network of Unix Users Lines: 99 Checksum: 52147 [ /usr/group/cdn has been assisting its members with UUCP connections. ] [ UUCP-related matters are the most common technical concern among our ] [ members. As a medium-term project, we have been moving toward something ] [ similar to UUNET, first with the BBS at ontmoh, then usrgroup at utgpu ] [ and eventually our own system to be used for our administration, as well ] [ as Canada-wide communications for the UNIX user community. ] [ /usr/group/cdn would like to help lobby for better rates, set up a cen- ] [ tral site, or establish a Canada-wide network, as appropriate. Is this ] [ (technically) a reasonable thing to do and is there support from the ] [ UNIX user community for such a project? We probably have the resources, ] [ especially with our corporate sponsors (AT&T, NCR, SUN, UNISYS, IBM, CT, ] [ etc), so long as there is sufficient user involvement. ] [ In the following article Taras Pryjma offers his views on the subject of ] [ a Canadian Unix Network and seeks to start a cross-Canada discussion. ] [ Peter ] ___________________________________________________________________________ /usr/group/cdn The Canadian Network of UNIX Users Peter Renzland 416/964-9141 VP, (User Services) utgpu!usrgroup (send mail to receive /usr/group/cdn Information Kit) Administrative Office 416/259-8122 241 Gamma St ETOBICOKE Ont M8W 4G7 ___________________________________________________________________________ At the last meeting of Unix Unanimous, the technical sig of /usr/group/cdn, the subject of uunet and various communications prob- lems that we as Canadian unix users face was brought up. The starting point for this discussion were postings that were made to the net in this news.group. In the states, USENIX has sponsored a machine called uunet that serves as a central backbone, that users for the first time pay money to con- nect to. The trick of course is that users pay much less to connect to uunet than they would for connections to other machines by traditional means. Uunet takes advantage of a special rate that Telenet has for late night users of its network. In order to make uunet work in the Canadian environment the same late night discounts would have to be made available from either Telecom Canada, Telenet, or CNCP telecommunications. In order to achieve this an intervention to the CRTC would need to be made, if the carriers do not see it in their own best self interest to provide the same late night discount that Telenet provides. Other consumer groups may object to our request on the assumption that this may increase the cost of basic telephone service by cross subsidization. If it is possible to reduce the telecommunications component of usenet, there would be no real reason to institute a special Canadian edition of uunet. Users would still be able to use the current uunet, or connect to other sites much in the same fashion that they do now except that they would take advantage of a highly discounted datapac tariff for their links. Other topics were also suggested, such as variants of Stargate and packet radio. The premise that Stargate was developed upon was that there was this bandwidth available at relatively no cost that could be piggybacked onto a national cable channel. The reality of the situa- tion is that other institutions want that same bandwidth and are wil- ling to pay much more money for it than us poor plebes. Even the CBC uses the vertical blanking for their teletex service. Packet radio at this point in time is so unreliable and slow so as to not warrent serious con- sideration. Nevermind the political wrangling that would have to be attained with the D.O.C. and CRTC in order for us to use it for our purposes... However looking more towards the future, something beyond uunet should be implemented that would answer these problems and future requirements. Something like an ARPANET or NSFNET would be ideal and by now Canada should have something like it. If such a network is to be established various things would have to be settled. What type of medium should carry the actual signal, Telesat Canada and their Anik Satellites with their quarter second delays, lower channel tariff and marketing representative who have no concept of either ethernet or multidrop lines, or Telecom Canada with their Megastream offering that is a lot more expensive but also a lot faster than Anik. For shorter portions of this network should terrestrial microwave be used? Which protocols would be supported and how? Politically should the entire network be built all at once, or in por- tions? Who should be allowed access to the network, for that matter who will pay for it and who should manage it? And also one of the bigger questions is what kind traffic should be allowed on this net? If time goes on, I could probably elucidate you on more areas of data communications in this great HUGE country of Canada. However the point of this article is to start a serious discussion on solutions to our net problems. In other words, WE WANT FEEDBACK!!!! Then with that we can start building something that we can be proud of using. What is YOUR opinion? Taras Pryjma uucp: taras@gpu.utcs bitnet: tpryjma@utoronto Bell: +1 (416) 536-2821