Cozahost Newsletter Archive

Newsletter Archive

Developments on the Internet front in South Africa are heating up, Microsoft tries to reduce piracy and we discuss how you can build your own network at home cheaply, quickly and with no hassles.

Please forward this newsletter to friends or colleagues who might like to read it.
 

 
I know.  The newsletter is late.  Very late.  I have been perfecting my avoidance behavior and procrastination techniques again...this time with great success. 

It must be said though: practicing procrastination this year has been very hard indeed.  The Internet in South Africa is growing from strength to strength.  The economy is pumping, Telkom is playing nice(er) with their prices and more and more people are (finally) realizing the awesome power of doing business on the internet.  It`s boom time and quite hard to slack off undetected.

ICASA slaps Telkom on the wrist

A lot has happened on the local internet scene: most notably the ICASA findings on Telkom`s ADSL service and (at last!) the formation of the SNO (Second National Operator ie competitor to Telkom). 

For those of you that have not been following the soap opera of broadband and telecommunications in South Africa, the short version is this:

ICASA (Independent Communications Authority of South Africa) is a government appointed (but "independent") organization responsible for regulating communications in South Africa.  Their function is to protect the consumer.  ICASA regulate the industry by issuing licenses to providers.

Following hundreds of complaints about the high cost of ADSL in South Africa and the bandwidth cap imposed by Telkom, the authority launched an investigation.  The result was a finding by ICASA that Telkom`s charges (and the bandwidth cap) must be revised and hinted that ICASA will force Telkom to make dramatic changes to it`s pricing structure. 

Of course Telkom was not happy with this finding and threatened to stop investing in ADSL infrastructure or to stop providing the service all together. 

Considering that ADSL services are about 1500% cheaper in India (also a developing nation) and that China will have 90% of it`s population (about 450 Million people) on broadband by 2010, one cannot help but feel that Telkom is shooting itself and the entire South African economy in the foot with their short-sighted and heavy handed policies.  (See this news story about the Telkom / ICASA saga)

If you doubt that Telkom plays a direct role in the efficiency of the South African economy, consider how your business will be impacted if you had no phone, fax, email or internet service for a month.   

Times are a changing

Telkom appointed a new CEO to take over from the end of this year.  The new CEO has no telecommunications experience and is sure to make some strategic changes to the company - you know: a new broom...

At about the same time (early next year), the SNO will start marketing it`s services - giving at least a glimmer of hope for real competition. 

Some good news

All of the above worked together to motivate Telkom to reduce their ADSL pricing.  At Cozahost we have been able to pass the cost reduction directly on to our clients so that our ADSL access accounts are now almost 20% cheaper at R 188.00 (Ex VAT) per month. 

Although one hopes for further price reductions and a change on the bandwidth cap policy, ADSL is still the most cost effective and reliable internet access technology in South Africa.

An ADSL connection allows you to stay connected to the internet 24/7 at a fixed monthly charge and it is many times faster than a modem connection.  (If you don`t understand the differences between modem, ADSL and ISDN connections, have a look at this non-technical article)

If you are spending in the region of R 400.00 per month on your internet costs (ISP charge plus Telkom line rental plus call charges), you should be considering ADSL as an alternative.
   

By 31 August 2005 you might be a criminal
The final extension to comply to the PAIA act will expire on the 31st of August.  The Promotion of Access to Information Act of 2000 REQUIRES all businesses to have section 51 compliant manuals (in 3 official languages mind you) filed with the SAHRC.  Failure to do so can result in criminal prosecution and a jail sentence - unless they postpone the deadline (again).  This is not a joke, so if you own a business or if you are the information officer for a business, do yourself a favor and check this out...
     

In essence this "initiative" works by checking if you have a legal copy of Windows when you try to update your operating system at the Microsoft update site (http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com)

If the software determines that you are not running a legal copy of windows, you are not allowed to access any updates - except the critical security fixes.  The idea is that, by buying a genuine windows package, you have the advantage of perpetual updates to your system.

It is an established fact that very few copy protection schemes survive for long, and Microsoft found this out the hard way.  Within 24 hours of them officially launching the "genuine advantage" scheme, hackers found a way around it and posted a crack at Boing Boing.  (See the crack here...)

Of course Microsoft will have to try again... ;-)
       

 
When people think of the "Internet" they often think of one thing or one organization.  In fact, the internet is a network of networks.  Inside these networks are computers offering services like web sites, email access and the like.

For example, Cozahost own networks in Dalas, Denver and Cape Town.  Connected to each of these networks are our web servers, email servers, security devices and so on.  Our networks are connected to one another and to the internet. 

On our networks, we are the boss.  If we don`t want Robert Mugabe to open an email account, we can tell him to take a hike.  No-one can force us to allow him in or to provide him with access.  In fact, if we think that email (or the web) is immoral / bad for the environment / a plot by aliens, we can remove the service from our network.

Millions of networks like ours connect together via "peering points" where every network is a peer (equal) of all other networks.  All the connecting networks agree to use a common set of standards (a protocol) to exchange information.  Collectively this is called the internet.  No single point of entry, authority, or sanity - just a very large collection of computer networks run by the good, the bad, the ugly, the semi-sane and the mostly harmless.

Anyone that has used the internet for a few hours will be astounded at the amount of information available and how easy it is to contact people.  In fact, considering what the internet is, it is a bit weird that an "organization" so chaotic can be so incredibly powerful and useful.  It is almost as if computers become more powerful and useful when they are connected together.

The same principle holds true in your home or office.  Once you connect your computers together so that they can exchange information, share resources and work together - every device on the network becomes more powerful.  Yet, even when connected in a network, every owner of a computer can still determine who may access his device - so you don`t necessarily loose control.

Creating a network in the home or office is easier (and cheaper) than one may think:  All you need is at least two computers and a means to connect them together.  Once connected, they can share peripherals (like printers, dvd drives and so on), data (like documents and pictures), disk space, etc, etc.   Your old computer can be given a new lease on life by acting as a backup server, music or photo storage device on your very own LAN.

How to build your own network at home

A home network is a LAN.  The term "LAN" means Local Area Network - ie a network of computers inside a relatively small space. 

To build a network you need computers, software and links.  If you are using a Windows operating system, then you already have two of the three components: ie a computer and software - all you need now is a means to connect two of your computers together so that signals can pass from one to the other.

There are two ways to connect the machines:  either via a physical cable or by using radio ("cordless") links.

In the good old days LANs were built using a special kind of cable, called CAT 5, or unshielded twisted pair.  The drawback of cables are that the cable is expensive at about R 5.00 per meter and you have to install the cable, ie try to hide it so that your house does not look like a mad scientist`s laboratory.  A cable based network is also a bit of a drag to maintain because you have to move the cable if you move the computer.  Although this kind of network is easy to set up, we are not going to discuss it because a radio frequency network is easier to set up, there are no cables to maintain and it costs just about the same as a cable based network...with the added advantage that you can move your computers around without having to worry about cabling or technical configurations.

Radio (WiFi)

Radio networks are also known as WiFi (Wireless Fidelity) networks.  The radio receivers and transmitters use an unlicensed radio frequency at very low power output.

Wireless networks offer two challenges:  Firstly you have to take specific steps to secure your network against eavesdroppers and secondly your network has a limited range. 

The first problem can be overcome very easily:  All wireless network equipment are designed to encrypt their signals.  When you switch the encryption on (its not on by default) only a very determined CIA spy will be able to penetrate your security. 

The second problem is more fundamental because the range of a WiFi station is about 50 meters line of sight or about 10 meters if the signal has to travel through walls.  If your computer is in a concrete bunker with 1m thick reinforced walls, then WiFi will not work for you and you will have to go cable or carrier pigeon.  (As a rough indication: a cordless phone has about double the range of a WiFi LAN)

Installing the equipment

To build your WiFi LAN you need a wireless network interface card for each of your computers, plus one wireless hub.

The hub is the centre point of your network - it acts like a shunting yard for the communication on the network and it enables one computer to talk to another.  You need only one hub for a number of computers. 

The "hub" is a little box about the size of a double CD case with an small antenna (about 10cm long).  To install the hub, place it in a location where it will have line of sight to your computers, plug it into a power outlet and switch it on.  (A good place to locate the hub is in the ceiling or high up a wall because like all radios, the higher the antenna, the better the signal.)

After you completed this task, take a few minutes to read the hub`s manual: an essential piece of information you will need from it is how to connect to it`s configuration program.

The second step is to install a WiFi access card in your computer.  Typically this will require you to open your computer box, find an open slot and insert the card into it.  The card will come with a CD (and instructions) and when you switch your computer back on, you will use the CD to install the necessary drivers when prompted to do so by Windows.

After Windows is happy and the card is installed, refer to your hub`s manual on how to configure the device - specifically on how to switch on encryption on your network.  Do  not leave out this step.  It takes only a few minutes but it can save you lots of time and/or embarrassment later.

Now move on to the second computer and install its WiFi access card.

And that`s it: you just built a WiFi LAN!  All in all the process should take about 5 minutes for each PC and about 2 minutes for the HUB.  The WiFi cards cost about R 250.00 each and the hub will set you back about R 350.00.

Configuring your software

Windows has networking components built-in, so you should have little trouble configuring the software side of things.  In most cases the hub includes a DHCP and WINS server  - which means that almost everything is done automatically.

The next step would be to share some of the folders on your computer (eg music / photos / documents / email / internet connections) so that the other computer on the network can use them.  You can also share printers, modems, scanners, etc, etc.

For more in-depth information on configuring your own network (and tips on how to use it) see the excellent Microsoft guide here...

Short and sweet and simple

That, in essence, is it.  There are a few minor details I left out for the sake of clarity and brevity, but you have the jist of it.  I think the most important point is that setting up your own LAN at home is a lot simpler and cheaper than most people realize. 

The investment in terms of time and money is insignificant compared to the rewards...and it sure beats copying files between computers with stiffies or carrier pigeons! :-)
    

At Cozahost we help small companies and professionals tame the internet so that they can concentrate on making money.  We take care of the technical stuff so that they can take care of business.  Here are some of our products and services:
 

 
How many times do I have to flush before you go away?

Well this day was a total waste of make-up.

Do I look like a freaking people`s person!?

This isn`t an office. It`s HELL with fluorescent lighting.

I started out with nothing & still have most of it left.

I pretend to work, they pretend to pay me.

YOU!!... off my planet!!!

Therapy is expensive. Popping bubble plastic is cheap. You choose.

Errors have been made. Others will be blamed.

Sarcasm is just one more service I offer.

Whatever kind of look you were going for, you missed.

Do they ever shut up on your planet?

I`m not your type. I`m not inflatable.

I just want revenge. Is that so wrong?

I work 45 hours a week to be this poor.

Nice perfume. Must you marinate in it?

Not all men are annoying. Some are dead.

Wait...I`m trying to imagine you with a personality.

Earth is full. Go home.

I`m not tense, just terribly, terribly alert..
   

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Thanks for reading this newsletter and we hope you enjoyed it!  Please contact us if you have comments, suggestions or questions - we would love to hear from you!