TELECOM Digest     Tue, 8 Mar 94 15:22:00 CST    Volume 14 : Issue 119

Inside This Issue:                          Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Measuring Network Availability (Stacy L. Millions)
    Information Market Guide (IM-GUIDE) (Jesus Bustamante)
    ATM Newsgroup Wanted (Mohanram)     
    Telecom FAQ Location (Michael Petsalis)
    Re: Brian McCann of WLUP Encourages Telephone Harrassment (Barry Mishkind)
    Re: Brian McCann of WLUP Encourages Telephone Harrassment (Doug Oke)
    Re: Why Are Rates to India Increasing? (Linc Madison)
    Re: Information Needed on Satellite Phone (Paul Robinson)
    Re: InterLATA CID (Paul Robinson)
    Re: Traffic Overloads in Manual Service Era (Linc Madison)
    Wanted: Alphanumeric Pager Software (Jim Ray)
    Re: Need TAP/IXO For Alpha Pagers (Monty Solomon)
    Re: Phones in the Movies Again (Alain Fontaine)
    Crosstalk (was Re: LD Headaches From Within an IBX System) (C. Garrigues)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere
there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of
public service systems and networks including Compuserve and GEnie.
Subscriptions are available at no charge to qualified organizations
and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify:

                 * telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu *

The Digest is compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson Associates of
Skokie, Illinois USA. We provide telecom consultation services and
long distance resale services including calling cards and 800 numbers.
To reach us:  Post Office Box 1570, Chicago, IL 60690 or by phone 
at 708-329-0571 and fax at 708-329-0572. Email: ptownson@townson.com.

    ** Article submission address only: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu **

Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using
anonymous ftp. The archives can also be accessed using our email
information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to
use the information service, just ask.

TELECOM Digest is gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated
newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom. It has no connection with the unmoderated
Usenet newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom.tech whose mailing list "Telecom-Tech
Digest" shares archives resources at lcs.mit.edu for the convenience
of users. Please *DO NOT* cross post articles between the groups. All
opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any
organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages
should not be considered any official expression by the organization.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: stacy@sobeco.com (Stacy L. Millions)
Subject: Measuring Network Availability
Organization: Sobeco Ernst & Young
Date: Tue, 8 Mar 1994 19:12:41 GMT


Hi,

I have a question that has been puzzling me for some time.

I was involved in a project, where we helped to migrate a companies
user base from an IBM mainframe / SNA / 3270 terminal environment to a
UNIX / TCP/IP / vt220 / terminal server environment. I can remember
one of IBM network type people made a comment about how they guarantee
their users 99.8% network availability and he was skeptical that we
would be able to match that in the new environment.

Now my question is simply this:
 How do you
  a) define
 and
  b) measure
 'network availability'? Particularly in the context of
 LANs and WANs.

I, unfortunately, did not have opportunity to take this up the the IBM
network type who made the original comment, I would have been most
interested in his definition.

It would seem that the definition is the key. Defined one way it could
be interpreted as 'No one cut the cable, therefore it is available'
and thus you can easily attain 99.8%. At the other end of the scale,
you could define it such that the network is considered unavailable if
some one turns off their PC. More realistic would be something
somewhere in the middle.

I would be very interested in comments from people who have defined
this and do measure it.


stacy    stacy@sobeco.com   stacy@sobeco.ca   sobeco!stacy

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 08 Mar 1994 18:01:46 CET
From: JBUSTAMANTE@vms.eurokom.ie
Subject: Information Market Guide (IM-GUIDE)
Organization: EuroKom Conferencing Service


WHAT IS I'M GUIDE ?
   
Developed under Action Line 3 of the Information Market Policy ACTions
programme (IMPACT), I'M GUIDE is a directory of information products
and services available in Europe.  It includes not only databases and
databanks, but also CD-ROMs, CD-I products, diskette-bases, image
banks, etc., publicly available. For each product the database has
detailed information about the contents, subject coverage, updating
frequency, size, medium on which the service or product is available
etc., as well as information on the organisations producing or
offering the products (information producers, hosts, information
brokers, etc.)
   
I'M GUIDE contains information about:
   
* more than 2500 on-line databases and databanks
* more than 2000 CD-ROMs and CD-Is
* more than 800 other information products
* more than 1700 producers of information
* more than 800 services offering access
* more than 1000 information brokers
   
The database is produced by DG XIII/E of the Commission of the
European Communities.
   
The content of the database is available in all nine official
languages of the European Union.  You can search it using the Common
Command Language (CCL), or via a specially designed user-friendly
menu-driven interface (currently available in English, Spanish,
Italian, French or German).
   
I'M-GUIDE is continuously updated, with the information collection
carried out by a network of correspondents in all countries covered,
monitoring the information scene in their region.
   
On-line access to the database is provided FREE of CHARGE through ECHO
(European Commission Host Organisation).
   
HOW TO CONNECT TO ECHO VIA INTERNET

Now you can access ECHO with a simple TELNET  command and  the
address:
   
ECHO.LU      (or 158.64.1.51)
   
Once received  our  welcome  screen "%THIS IS ECHO PLEASE ENTER
YOUR CODE", you can login with the following public password:
 
NGUEST
(or with your own personal password)
   
If you would like to register (registered ECHO users are provided with
their own personal password and a detailed CCL Manual), or you would
like to receive further information about ECHO and its databases,
please send your NAME and COMPLETE POSTAL ADDRESS to:
   
    ECHO 
    European Commission Host Organisation
    B.P. 2373 
    L-1023 Luxembourg
   
    Or to any of the Email addresses below

JESUS BUSTAMANTE       
ECHO (European Commission Host Organisation)
Tel. :  +352  34981 220      Email :  POSTMASTER@ECHO.LU
Fax  :  +352  34981 234               ECHO@ECHO.LU
Pers. Email:  JESUS.BUSTAMANTE@EUROKOM.IE

------------------------------

Date: 07 Mar 1994 22:09:06 CST
From: Mohanram <MOHANRAM@VAX2.CSTP.UMKC.EDU>
Subject: ATM Newsgroup Wanted
Organization: University of Missouri - Kansas City, CSTP


Could you please tell me if there is a news group for discussion about
ATM? I would like to know more about this technology and there is no
better way than the news groups. I am not a regular reader of comp.dcom.
telecom news group. Please send me email.


Thanks in advance, 

Mohanram

------------------------------

From: mike@ece.concordia.ca (Michael Petsalis)
Subject: Telecom FAQ Location
Reply-To: mike@ece.concordia.ca
Organization: ECE - Concordia University
Date: Tue, 8 Mar 1994 00:29:43 GMT


Hello all!  Could someone please point me in the direction of the FAQ
for this newsgroup?  Please reply by email and thanks in advance.


Regards,

mike@ece.concordia.ca  (Michael Petsalis)         Voice : (514) 848 3114
Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering,      Fax  : (514) 848 2802
Concordia University, Montreal, Canada


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I've already responded to this writer with
the answer so others do not need to write, but this is a question which
comes up quite often. The FAQ is sent out automatically to each new
subscriber to the mailing list, and it is also available in the Telecom
Archives at lcs.mit.edu. From time to time, I also post it in the Usenet
group comp.dcom.telecom. At the present time, I am waiting for the new
edition from David Leibold; when it arrives it will replace the version
there now which is about a year old.   PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 7 Mar 94 19:49 MST
From: barry@coyote.datalog.com (barry mishkind)
Subject: Re: Brian McCann of WLUP Encourages Telephone Harrassment
Organization: Datalog Consulting, Tucson, AZ


In article <telecom14.117.6@eecs.nwu.edu> is written:

> A comment on the one-ring telephone harassment:  A local Chicago talk
> show personality (Brian McCann on WLUP's Sunday afternoon "comedy"
> program) has encouraged listeners to "drive your friends crazy" with
> one-ring phone calls. He thinks it's a "victory" if the harasser can
> drive the victim to taking the phone of the hook so "they can't
> receive those important calls." He spent this afternoon (6 March)
> playing this game and exhorting others to do the same. The final

> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: It sounds to me like it is time for
> someone to circulate Brian McCann's home telephone number publicly.
> Incidentally, the main switchboard for the business offices at WLUP is
> 312-440-5270. That is public information, it appears in the phone book

> By the way, if anyone thinks of something else callers to WLUP
> should not do -- something I may have overlooked -- write and let us
> know.  PAT]

We certainly shouldn't suggest that messages be sent to the FCC, regarding 
Brian's behavior ... especially to the new FTP location and email address 
they have put on line.


Barry Mishkind    barry@coyote.datalog.com   Tucson, Arizona


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: You're right; it would not do much good.
The FCC has been trying to collect on a fine against that station for
a few years now based on the antics of those two other obnoxious creeps
they have on the air ... what'stheirnames ... the station refuses to
pay and keeps dragging it through court. Years ago, the FCC's response
would have been to go out and padlock the transmitter after shutting it
off; I guess these days the big money involved with major radio stations
doesn't allow that to happen.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: Doug_Oke@mindlink.bc.ca (Doug Oke)
Subject: Re: Brian McCann of WLUP Encourages Telephone Harrassment
Date: 8 Mar 94 04:37:14 GMT
Organization: MIND LINK! - British Columbia, Canada


If you find it difficult to get through to the switchboard, or simply
don't want to waste the operators' time, don't forget that you can FAX
your message to WLUP.  As long as their machines haven't run out of
paper, you can use the phone lines to deliver a message about
irresponsible uses of telecom to them in printed form.


Doug Oke - Vancouver, Canada                  Doug_Oke@mindlink.bc.ca


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Good thinking! The fax number at the
WLUP general offices is 312-440-9377. But keep your messages brief (say,
less than 10-12 pages in length) and non-abusive. You might want to
fax them copies of pertinent FCC regulations, copies of scripts from
old Jack Benny radio shows to show them what 'comedy programs' were like
years ago and perhaps some pages from the Chicago phone directory to
show them a list of people who might be or were possibly affected by
McCann's 'game'. Say Doug, do you get AM-1000 out there in Vancouver
at night? I know there is a station somewhere around Calgary, Alberta
playing heavy rock music which comes in here in Chicago at night some-
times. When we get the signal it comes in like gangbusters even louder
than some of the locals. AM radio signals are amazing things.   PAT] 

------------------------------

From: lincmad@netcom.com (Linc Madison)
Subject: Re: Why Are Rates to India Increasing?
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest)
Date: Tue, 8 Mar 1994 08:53:38 GMT


A N Ananth (ananth@access.digex.net) wrote:

> In article <telecom14.104.12@eecs.nwu.edu>, Linc Madison
> <LincMad@netcom.com> wrote:

>> I was looking at yet another one of those newspaper ads for the
>> various LD companies' international discount calling plans, and I've
>> noticed that they list numbers like "India 73 cents (thru 3/30/94, 78
>> cents after)"

>> Is the PTT in India increasing its "landing fees"?

> Actually the rates are not increasing at all. As one who spend$, let
> me assure you that the rate of $0.73 is almost 50% off the normal
> rate ... at the present time, $0.78 per minute is the best you can do
> [if you call over the weekend etc]

That still doesn't answer my question.  The rate (with the special
discount plan) is $0.73 now, but will be (again with the special
discount plan) $0.78 next month.  That *is* an increase; why?  None of
the other countries mentioned in the ad has any differential.  Also,
one of the ads like this that I saw listed the "regular price" rates
for India, and they *are* scheduled to increase on 4/1/94.


Linc Madison   *   Oakland, California   *   LincMad@Netcom.com

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 8 Mar 1994 04:29:09 EST
From: Paul Robinson <PAUL@TDR.COM>
Reply-To: Paul Robinson <PAUL@TDR.COM>
Subject: Re: Information Needed on Satellite Phone
Organization: Tansin A. Darcos & Company, Silver Spring, MD USA


Min Hu <hu@helios.physics.utoronto.ca> writes:

> During the gulf war, both the reporters and the American soldiers
> used a kind of satellite phone system so that they could communicate
> with outside world.
 
The soldiers were using radiotelephones that were connected to the
military's satelite system.  And here is how far the world has
changed; some of the critical classified information sent by the
military was transmitted over satelites leased from Russia!

The reporters were using Inmarsat telephones.  They're fine if you
want to pay about $9 a minute more than typical overseas calls, e.g. a
long distance call from the U.S. to Saudi Arabia is about $1.20 a
minute, while Inmarsat charges about $10 a minute.
 
Oh, and don't forget the $10,000 to $50,000 for the transmitting
station.


Paul Robinson - Paul@TDR.COM

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 8 Mar 1994 04:33:57 EST
From: Paul Robinson <PAUL@TDR.COM>
Reply-To: Paul Robinson <PAUL@TDR.COM>
Subject: Re: InterLATA CID
Organization: Tansin A. Darcos & Company, Silver Spring, MD USA


tjnelson@attmail.att.com, writes:

> I have a question regarding the use of Caller ID on Inter-LATA
> calls.  Currently the technology exists to deliver the calling number
> to the terminating LEC office
 
As long as all the paths from start to end are SS7 switches.
  
> Since this information in most cases is deliverable right now, why
> doesn't InterLATA CID exist?
 
In "To Sail Beyond the Sunset," A son asks his mother, "In Dallas the
TV telephones are all stereo; why is Kansas City still using flatties?"
to which his mother responds, "Donald, whenever any question begins
'Why don't they' the answer is almost always 'Money'."
 
> The only reason I've heard so far is that the RBOCs must be "de-
> regulated" before they can accept/deliver Inter-LATA originating
> numbers.
 
Some people in some cities have noted getting Caller-ID information
from people in other states, who are long distance calls.  It's a
political, not a technical question.  What it probably comes down to
is that the local telcos believe that providing calling party
information is a valuable service for which they think they shouldn't
have to provide it without compensation on calls delivered to a
distant point, where the the distant party benefits without the local
company getting some cut.
 
> This doesn't seem to make much sense. Perhaps it's just a matter
> of working out which carrier charges who and for how much or is
> there another reason?
 
Don't forget, if calling number delivery becomes much more available,
some companies can dispense with T1s for 800 numbers and get the same
thing without having to pay for T1 trunks to get real-time delivery of
calling party numbers.  Since an 800 call almost always comes in as
just an ordinary call terminated on ordinary phone lines, the CNID
information should be available in real time to me, with my $10 a
month 800 number from Sprint as it is to some company paying $2000 a
month for T1 trunks.
   

Paul Robinson - Paul@TDR.COM

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 8 Mar 1994 01:56:58 -0800
From: lincmad@netcom.com (Linc Madison)
Subject: Re: Traffic Overloads in Manual Service Era
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest)


In article <telecom14.116.9@eecs.nwu.edu> you wrote:

> One such instance that I remember specifically was an explosion at
> the Whiting Refinery in 1953. ...  it quickly spread into some
> storage tanks and a large device they called a 'cat cracker' -- whatever
> that means -- ...

The 'cat cracker' is a device that uses a catalyst (cat for short) to
'crack' complex hydrocarbon molecules, which is to say to break very
complex molecules into simpler molecules.  It's highly explosive, of
course, because you're dealing with petroleum and heating it up to
work on massaging its molecular structure.


Linc


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Thanks also to several other correspondents
who wrote to explain the term to me.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: ray@rock.concert.net (Jim  Ray -- Personal Account)
Subject: Wanted: Alphanumeric Pager Software
Date: 8 Mar 1994 19:51:24 GMT
Organization: CONCERT-Connect Public Dial UNIX


Anybody know of a source for software that will use the modem to dial
an alphanumeric pager and to send a message to that pager?

Motorola uses these keyboard-like devices now.  It would be nice to
replace them with software.


Thanks!

Jim Ray                   
Tel: 919-981-7433  Fax: 919-981-0066  
Internet:   ray@mercury.interpath.net 

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 8 Mar 1994 07:43:21 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.COM>
Subject: Re: Need TAP/IXO For Alpha Pagers


> I am looking for any info on the TAP (Telelocator Alphanumeric Input
> Protocol) or something called IXO.

> These are used for sending out alphanumeric messages on certain kinds
> of pagers.  And I need the info to write my own programs.

Look in dir pub/ixo on anonftp.geo.mtu.edu.

There is also a mailing list:

 subscribe via email to majordomo@warren.mentorg.com
  (send help message for instructions)

 contribute via email to ixo@warren.mentorg.com


Monty Solomon / PO Box 2486 / Framingham, MA  01701-0405  monty@roscom.com

------------------------------

From: fontaine@sri.ucl.ac.be (Alain Fontaine)
Subject: Re: Phones in the Movies Again
Organization: Universite Catholique de Louvain
Date: Tue, 8 Mar 1994 13:08:41 GMT


In article <telecom14.114.12@eecs.nwu.edu>, wtm@uhura.neoucom.EDU (Bill
Mayhew) wrote:

> bulbs, which thread into their sockets.  European bulbs have bayonet
> type sockets (similar to over-grown automotive turn signal lamp
> sockets) so the gag makes sense if you understand this.

And in 'America', everyone rides a horse, wearing a big hat and a pair
of colts. Now, I was born here in Belgium (Europa) in 1951, and I have
never encountered a bayonet socket except for the small lamp in my
wife's sewing machine ...  /AF


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: What was that song from "West Side
Story" which went, 'da da dee da in America ... da da dee da in America;
da da dee da in America ... in America!'

------------------------------

From: cwg@mcc.com (Chris Garrigues)
Subject: Crosstalk (was Re: LD Headaches From Within an IBX System)
Organization: Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation (MCC)
Date: Tue, 8 Mar 1994 15:49:11 GMT


In article <telecom14.117.3@eecs.nwu.edu>, Jonathan Lieberman <lie6@midway.
uchicago.edu> wrote:

> Ever since then during aproximatly 35% - 50% of my long distance calls
> (both those that I originate, and when other people call me long
> distance) I hear other people (and they hear me) making long distance
> calls from within my building. 

A few years ago while unemployed, I found that I was getting crosstalk
on my phone line from some business.  I called SouthWestern Bell and
they fixed the problem.  A number of months later when I was home
during the day, I noticed that the problem was back, so I called SWB
again and they "fixed" the problem again.  Things were fine again for
a few months and then one day I was on my modem line dialing into work
and the line went completely dead.  I stepped out onto my front porch
and noted a SWB repair truck parked in front of Jeff's house across
the street.  I walked over to the truck and told the guy what
happened.  He asked me "Is your number xxx-xxxx?"  I answered that it
was, and he muttered "Damn!  Is it completely dead?"  Yes.  "Okay,
I'll take care of it once and for all."

He put a tone generator on my line and walked down the street with a
coil on the end of a poll until he stopped getting the signal.  He
then climbed up the poll and discovered an ant colony in the wiring.
By 10PM he had my line working and by noon the next day, he'd patched
up everything and evicted the ants.  I don't know of any line problems
in my neighborhood since, but I could be lucky.

It seems that this crosstalk problem had been going on for years and
every time someone would complain about it, rather than fixing it they
simply patched a different line into the bad pair.  They made a point
of mixing business and residencial lines on the theory that we'd be
less likely to be using the lines at the same time.  Until the line
completely failed, they didn't have an easy way to localize the
problem, so they punted.


Chris Garrigues                              (MIME capable) cwg@mcc.com
Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation    +1 512 338 3328
3500 West Balcones Center Drive                     Fax +1 512 338 3838
Austin, TX  78759-6509          USA


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I once had an aunt who could be quite a
nuisance on the telephone. She would call at very inconvenient times and
want to talk for hours. She did not live in a colony however; she lived
in a retirement village in Florida. That's enough for today. :)   PAT]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V14 #119
******************************


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
