Re: [aclug-L] internet usage

[John Goerzen <jgoerzen@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Truong Do <tcdo@xxxxxxxxxxx> writes:

> This is the first time I use Linux at home so I have a lot of problems to
> get on the network.  Could someone tell me how to get on the net through
> the modem? How to get a service provider? And how to ftp, telnet and mail?
> I use Red Hat version.

OK, several questions here.  I'll address the Linux-related ones
first.

In RedHat, there are several ways to configure your system for dialing 
up with PPP.  The first is to use the RedHat control panels.  This is
usually easiest but doesn't always work.  The other way is to use the
"generic" method which works on all distributions.  This method is
documented at http://happy.cs.twsu.edu/aclug/ispconn/.

At present, the only entry there is for SouthWind.  Some people have
sent me phone numbers, DNS numbers, etc. for other ISPs so when I have 
time I will write something up for them too -- probably a tarfile and
a message that says "use the SouthWind instructions from here on."
(Although if anyone is interested in writing a whole page for another
ISP, please contact me.)

For telnetting, the command is "telnet hostname".  Similarly, for
FTPing, you can type "ftp hostname".  If you have NcFTP installed, you 
can use that ("ncftp hostname").  You can also use Netscape for FTP
downloading (ftp://hostname/).  There is also a nice graphical FTP
client called FileRunner.  It is a Debian package but I think you'd
have to compile it for yourself in RedHat.

For mail, you can get as simple or as complex as you want.  A lot of
people just use Netscape Mail under Linux to read their mail as it has 
a similar feel to the various Windows mail readers.  You can also go
for some more powerful and complex solutions.

As for choosing a service provider, this is a bit of a can 'o' worms.
To start off, do NOT chosoe AOL, Prodigy, etc. as those places don't
use standard protocols and don't support Linux.

Personally, I have been a SouthWind customer for several years (and
have recently been hired there, so maybe I am biased, but I was a
customer long before working there).  I've always had good luck, and
there are now two people at SouthWind that support customers using
Linux.

The other large local company is Feist.  They are a combination of
Unix and NT.  Their support isn't done locally, so I don't know if
they support Linux or not, but I do know that people in the area have
been able to make Linux work with Feist as well.  And of course,
people are always welcome to share their configuration files for
various ISPs through this list.

John

-- 
John Goerzen   Linux, Unix consulting & programming   jgoerzen@xxxxxxxxxxxx |
Developer, Debian GNU/Linux (Free powerful OS upgrade)       www.debian.org |
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