From: "Bridge College" 
Subject: Using the server to connect to the internet.  Where do I start?
Date: 1999/06/17
Message-ID: 
Organization: Virgin News Service
Newsgroups: comp.os.netware.connectivity,comp.os.netware.misc,fido.novell

Please note:  The question is summarised in the first couple of lines of
this posting.  After my name and e-mail address is a more detailed account
of what we require, which is not necessary for you to read :)  Thanks for a
response to replies to either the summary or the detailed account.  I've
been to Novell's web site but didn't glean enough useful information off it.

SUMMARY:
We have a small NetWare 4.2 network (30 clients).  We would like to be able
to download e-mail via the server, and give only a couple of PC's Web
Browsing facilities.  Cost is very much a key issue.

Connecting servers to the internet via a server is an entirely new area for
me.  Can anybody point me in the right direction to start.  All I require is
a rough idea of what is required, software, hardware, keywords to search the
WEB with or any books worth reading.

Thanks in advance for any response.

Tim Banner
bridgec.bgwsDELETEUPPERCASETEXT@virgin.net
To reply by e-mail please delete the uppercase text from the e-mail address
above.


DETAILED - NOT REQUIRED TO READ:
I feel it would be useful for members of staff to have their own e-mail
addresses, and a few choice PC's to be able to access the internet.  Perhaps
even to go as far as to allow staff to use the databases, documents etc from
home.  We are currently running a NetWare 4.2 server with 30 client license.
Cost is a problem as we are a education charity.  On this basis it would
appear that the e-mail is the only realistic option.

In a vain attempt not to make this posting too long winded here is a rough
idea of what I think would be required for e-mail only:

Connection Hardware:
If we are talking about e-mail only then a 56Kb modem should do.  The way I
perceive the situation is that every couple of hours the server connects to
the ISP, downloads all the e-mails.  After collecting the e-mails it
distributes them to the user accounts.  When a user logs onto their e-mail,
they get their mail from their account on the server.  But like I said above
I know very little if not nothing about this field, so I don't know if this
is the correct method.  If this is the case then I assume it would be much
cheaper to run a standard modem on a standard phone line.

Server Software:
Novell Internet Access Server 4.1?  I'm not quite sure what this allows the
server to do, i.e. just connect, download e-mail, will workstations require
extra software to use it?  .  I'm still currently reading the online manual.
GroupWise.  Again I'm not quite sure what it does.  Is this Novell's
equivalent to Microsoft Exchange Server?

Client Software:
Internet Explorer 4/5.  Outlook Express.  Why?  Because they are free to
commercial organisations.  Or alternately GroupWise.

ISP:
Do you require a different account type when connecting to an ISP for
multiple users via a server, instead of one PC, one phone line, one account?
More importantly do you require a different e-mail type.  Or could we
continue using our current ISP's e-mail?  A standard POP3/SMTP e-mail
downloaded no different to the standard PC at home.  Can a server download
e-mail from different accounts, with their own unique passwords and
usernames?  Or do they download a domain name e.g. xxxxxxxx@acme.org.uk in
one go, and then the server sends the messages to the users depending on
what the xxxxxxxx was.

If you've got this far, thanks for your patients.  I'm not necessarily after
huge amounts of information as I can imagine this is a very large subject.
I'm more so after pointers in the right direction, although obviously I
would be very grateful for as much information as possible (a contradiction
in terms there? :)    ).  If this was NT4 I could say OK I'll start with:
Networking essential, then NT4, TCP/IP, Exchange Server and try and get a
MCSE on the way :)  Unfortunately it doesn't appear that easy for NetWare.
The reading material that I've covered upto date is only:  Introduction to
NetWare Directory Services, Installation and Upgrade, Supervising the
Network books 1 and most of 2, Print Services and some of the Utilities
Reference, all books are the Novell standard manuals.  (Not bad for somebody
who just happens to have the server in their office :)    ).

Again thanks in advance for any response given, and getting this far.

Tim Banner
bridgec.bgwsDELETEUPPERCASETEXT@virgin.net
To reply by e-mail please delete the uppercase text from the e-mail address
above.