Forwarded message:
Date: Tue, 11 Feb 1997 08:30:54 -0800 From: Alan Olsen <alan@ctrl-alt-del.com>
offered nothing in the past but criticism, it's now time to get a bit more real. What will it be, your money, time, equipment?
What kind of memory requirements/machine load does the list eat up? I have a machine that may fit this purpose... (Need to know if I need to upgrade the box though.)
A minimum standard for a useable remailer (YMMV): 486DX(blah) 16M 1G IDE Mitsumi CD Rom (very widely supported) VGA 1M NE2000 x 2 (Internet & Intranet) High-speed serial ports x 3 (Mouse, Modems x 2) [optional] ISDN Bridge (incl. NT-1, no POTS) ISDN Line (contact business office) Internet Provider (commercial service, nameservice, news, etc.) 10BaseT Bridge [optional, depends on Bridge] Registration of domain name [optional, suggested] Linux (WinNT if clueless) For a full-time commercial feed in Austin, Tx. your talking about: Startup: $600 Machine $100 VGA Monitor $100 Computer accessories $400 28.8 Modems ($200 x2) $150 ISDN install $1k ISDN Bridge $500 ISP setup & init (this is commercial, not hobby) $100 Initial name registry $300 UPS $3,250 Monthlies: $50 Phones ($25 x2) $25 Utilities $75 ISDN $400 ISP connection $550 Note: * This machine can't be your personal workstation. It will be entirely too busy. * Learn shell, c, Pearl to start. * O'Reilly makes very useful books. * Such a machine will handle from between 100 to 500 accounts depending on how you set up your system. * If you have the money, put it in the bandwidth first. * I would very strongly suggest against using your employers resources for such activities. * You will want at least one dedicated dial-in, no matter what. This is a good place for distinctive ring and a line splitter. Consider this when buying the modem, it will raise the price of the modem. Also consider the personal 800 numbers that are available. * Consider strongly the use of an encrypted file system. While they make automated re-boots impossible their security can be quite appealing. (This is an issue that somebody who is already designing encrypted file systems should look into, how to allow automated reboots w/o manual entry of the key(s).) * Anonymous remailer extensions would not be a major resource hog. * If you are going to consider allowing general access by your users via dial-in use 10 - 15 users per line per day, assuming no enforced quota. Hope this helps anyone who might be interested in starting up such a beast. Jim Choate CyberTects ravage@ssz.com When I was a kid, I lived in Pasadena, Tx. just down the street from the Washburn Tunnel. There was a big sign going from Pasadena to the Houston side that said "The grass is greener in Pasadena". This sentiment is the true liberator of the human spirit. Keeping up with the Joneses is burned into our genes.