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Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.carno.net.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!munnari.OZ.AU!news.ecn.uoknor.edu!news.wildstar.net!news.ececs.uc.edu!newsxfer.itd.umich.edu!newsxfer3.itd.umich.edu!newsfeed.internetmci.com!portal.gmu.edu!osf1.gmu.edu!rraffer1 From: rraffer1@osf1.gmu.edu (Ryan M Rafferty) Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.misc,comp.os.linux.advocacy,comp.os.linux.development.system,comp.os.linux.x,comp.os.linux.networking,comp.os.linux.setup,comp.os.linux.hardware,comp.unix.questions,comp.unix.admin,alt.unix.wizards,comp.unix.misc,comp.unix.bsd,linux.dev.ppp,linux.dev.newbie,linux.dev.linuxbsd,linux.dev.admin,alt.internet.services,alt.business.misc,misc.entrepreneurs,misc.business Subject: Re: Linux and dedicated ISDN Internet Service Followup-To: comp.os.linux.misc,comp.os.linux.advocacy,comp.os.linux.development.system,comp.os.linux.x,comp.os.linux.networking,comp.os.linux.setup,comp.os.linux.hardware,comp.unix.questions,comp.unix.admin,alt.unix.wizards,comp.unix.misc,comp.unix.bsd,linux.dev.ppp,linux.dev.newbie,linux.dev.linuxbsd,linux.dev.admin,alt.internet.services,alt.business.misc,misc.entrepreneurs,misc.business Date: 28 Jan 1997 21:03:13 GMT Organization: George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, USA Lines: 76 Message-ID: <5clpih$uaq@portal.gmu.edu> References: <5ck32f$lf9@newslink.runet.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: osf1.gmu.edu Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL2] Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.os.linux.misc:155182 comp.os.linux.advocacy:81721 comp.os.linux.development.system:39456 comp.os.linux.x:52579 comp.os.linux.networking:66685 comp.os.linux.setup:94647 comp.os.linux.hardware:63776 comp.unix.questions:94784 comp.unix.admin:53828 alt.unix.wizards:6227 comp.unix.misc:27721 comp.unix.bsd:16867 linux.dev.ppp:3611 alt.internet.services:69640 alt.business.misc:217959 misc.entrepreneurs:199209 Whoa. Did you forget to log out of your terminal or something? I'm assuming this request for info is for real, in which case-- I wouldn't suggest setting up an ISP with the general lack of knowledge I sense from you. You claim to have never set up a Linux box before, and you claim to have little knowledge of networking, but you plan to set up a commercial enterprise based on those two things. This is what I would call a bad business plan. Another factor is the speed of your line--an ISDN line shared between 15 or so ISP subscribers is simply not going to be enough bandwidth. Most ISP subscribers nowadays will expect to have a reasonably zippy connection for activities such as web browsing and network news, both of which will eat up a lot of bps. I doubt a 128k line will cut it, though I'm no ISP pro. Finally, most of the questions you ask here are answered in several FAQs, all of which are easily accessible over the net. If you can't find what you need, how can you expect to administer a system to customers who will be asking tough questions and needing in depth support? Just some cautionary thoughts to mull over. Is mise, Ryan Rafferty Ilya (ibelooze@runet.edu) wrote: : Hello. I am thinking about setting up a Linux server and running a : commercial ISP with a friend. I have never ran or configured a Linux : computer so I have a few questions. What is the best hardware for Linux? : What is the best motherboard? Does it matter what backup drive, CD-ROM : drive, or video card I get? What distribution to get? How do I allocate : virtual memory, i.e. the size of the HD part used for swapping? How much : RAM do I need? Can Linux function as well as other, commercial Unixes? : (Digital Unix, Solaris, etc) Are there any problems with sendmail, : Xwindows, et cetera? We will get a dedicated digital ISDN line, probably : a less expensive 128Kbps one and lease some phone lines. I now have an : opportunity to invest money in a commercial ISP and some of the questions : I have are: How much will it cost to set up a good Linux server and run a : commercial ISP? How many users does one need to break even? I am : thinking $15 per month would be a reasonable charge. How many phone : lines? What is the best ratio of users to phone lines? I heard that it : should be 10 to 1. I want to get the least expensive setup possible. I : know that DEC hardware is very expensive that is why I want to set up : Linux. I would really appreciate input from those who have experience : with Linux servers or ISP in general. How much money should we be prepared : to spend to survive? : I understand that I will have to get a server, modems, lease an ISDN line : and phone lines, a fax machine, an extra phone line, rent an office : because I don't think I could run a business from my apartment in the : commonwealth of Virginia. I will have to get a business license. Do we : need insurance? How much should we spend on advertising and how should we : advertise? If this works out I will consider leasing a high speed T1 : line, which is expensive - $1500+/month in our area. What services should : we provide? Email, WWW, dynamic and static PPP/SLIP, Unix shell, usenet, : IRC, anonymous FTP are the basic ones, anything else? How do we support : users dialing in on different platforms? What software do we need to let : users on all basic platforms (Mac, Windows NT, 95, 3.1, OS2, Unix, etc) : dial in? I assume that once I test this with just a few users the system : should not be much harder to set up for many users. How exactly do I get : a domain name for our machine and how much will it cost? I expect to lose : money initially, and maybe break even after a year. Our primary goal is : not to make money, but just to survive. My knowledge of networking is not : advanced but I hope to learn in the process. I understand that Linux is : more popular than FreeBSD, but should I consider getting FreeBSD instead? : Are there any good books, magazines or www sites on ISP, Linux? Please : email your ideas/suggestions/comments. Thank you for your time. : ------------------ : Ilya Beloozerov : ibelooze@runet.edu : ------------------ --