Phoenix Rising BBS/phoenixrising.zip/phoenixrising/tele-dig/td14-071.txt

Text File | 1994-02-10 | 27KB | 569 lines

TELECOM Digest     Wed, 9 Feb 94 23:20:00 CST    Volume 14 : Issue 71

Inside This Issue:                         Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    PC Pursuit to be Discontinued April 1 (TELECOM Digest Editor)
    UC Berkeley Short Courses on High Speed Communication (Harvey Stern)
    ORSA Telecom Conference, March 1995 (Jane Fraser)
    Fiber Strangles Chicago Broadcasters (Alan Boritz)
    Audio Line Signal on Twisted Pair? (Ethan Ernest)
    Need Info on ISDN Phones (Al Cohan)
    Horrid AT&T 2500YMGK Sets (Randy Gellens)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
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----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Wed, 9 Feb 94 22:56:57 CST
From: telecom (TELECOM Moderator)
Subject: PC Pursuit to be Discontinued April 1


An internal memorandum was circulated recently to employees of Sprint
announcing the discontinuance of the PC Pursuit program as of April 1.
A copy of the internal memorandum was forwarded to the Digest along with
a letter being mailed as of this date to customers of PCP and 'host
customers' which receive connections from PCP users. The memo is first,
followed by the letter to customers.

                              ==================

The following letters are being sent to our customers starting today.
I want to briefly explain the phase-out plan and important differences
between PC Pursuit services and Host outdial services.

PC Pursuit and PC Business Call will be phased out at 12:01 AM, April
1, 1994. At that time we will cancel all remaining TAMS ID's which are
identified to be PC Pursuit or PC Business Call. After this time, cus-
tomers with these ID's will no longer be able to place calls to the
outdial rotaries. However OUTDIAL CAPABILITIES WILL STILL REMAIN ON
THE NETWORK FOR HOST-INITIATED OUTDIAL CALLS AND CALLS INITIATED WITH
NON-PC PURSUIT TAMS ID'S.

It is product management's intent to phase out all forms of outdial on
the network within the next 12-18 months. During the next coming months,
we will identify all outdial activities from all hosts and standard
TAMS IDs, domestic and international, in order to quantify the impact
of such a pbase out. However, at this time, we are cancelling PC Pursuit
and PC BusinessCall accounts only. We suggest no further responses be
given to outdial opportunities in RFP's or opportunity requests.

We will meet with you to discuss the phase out plan and ask for any
comments or suggestions. There may be significant dissatisfaction
displayed by some of our more vocal PC Pursuit customers. We have set
up an 800 number so that these people can vent their frustration (see
letter below). We would appreciate it if no product manager names were
given to any customer, as these calls are extremely long, and for the
most part, non-productive. Inquiries coming from the press should be
directed to Media Relations, which will make arrangments to answer
questions and conduct interviews. Norm Black at 404-359-6096 is the
contact for all media inquiries or Evette Fulton at 202-328-7411.
Stephen Rys (x-5743) or Paul Golder (x-5797) will handle internal
issues associated with the phase out.

        **********************************************

[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The copy of the above in my possession
is not signed. Next follows a letter to customers dated January 24,
1994.   PAT]

Dear Customer:

Over the past several months, Sprint has conducted a thorough business
evaluation of the PC Pursuit and PC BusinessCall services. Based on the
results of this evaluation, Sprint's PC Pursuit and PC BusinessCall
services will be discontinued April 1, 1994. We regret any inconvenience
this may cause you.

We are talking this step in order to focus our resources on the growing
demand for local dial-in access to online, "informatin provider" computer
hosts which are directly connected to SprintNet. The continued growth
in the number and variety of these dedicated hosts and host applications
has minimized the need for PC Pursuit and PC BusinessCall. Today,
access to these host based applications far surpasses teh usage of
dial-out access via PC Pursuit and PC BusinessCall.

Your PC Pursuit or PC BusinessCall ID/password will become inoperable
on April 1, 1994 per this notification. No further charges for these
services will be billed to your credit card or electronic funds transfer
account after this April 1, 1994 date. If you would like to discontinue
your service prior to April 1, 1994 please call 1-800-877-2006 between
the hours of 8:30 AM and 5:30 PM, Monday through Friday, Eastern Standard
Time.  If you have already discontinued your PC Pursuit or PC BusinessCall
service, please disregard this notification.

(signed)

Sprint Data Product Management

          ****************************************

(The following letter is in the mail to five host customers which allow
for PC Pursuit calls directly to their hosts.)

January 24, 1994

Dear (personalized):

Over the past several months, Sprint has conducted a thorough business
evaluation of the PC Pursuit and PC BusinessCall services. Based on
the results of this evaluation, Sprint's PC Pursuit and PC BusinessCall
services will be discontinued, effective April 1, 1994. We regret any
inconveneince that this may cause you or your users.

All PC Pursuit and PC BusinessCall customers are receiving the enclosed
letter which includes a 60-day notice of the discontinuation of the
services. On April 1, 1994, all PC Pursuit and PC BusinessCall ID/passwords
will become inoperable, which will require that these users select an
alternative method to access your host.

If you would like to discuss alternative dial-up access to SprintNet,
please contact your sales representative, or call 1-800-877-2006.


(signed)

Sprint Data Product Management

             ***********************************

[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: So there you have it, officially from
Sprint. PCP is discontinued as of April 1. The rumors have been going
around for quite some time, since even before Sprint discontinued
accepting new customers for the service a few months ago.

FYI, a bit of history: the old Telenet system began operation in the
early 1970's. Its email service called 'Telemail' was the first of
its kind I think. Just about ten years ago, in 1983-84 the PC Pursuit
service began, initially with just seven or eight cities which were on
outdials, and about the same number of places which had local indials.
But initially, the service operated in a different way. PC Pursuit had
its own indials, and for purposes of security, it operated on a callback
scheme. Users dialed into the PC Pursuit links, identified themselves,
then were called back at the phone number of record at Telenet. Once
connected by callback, *then* the user was allowed to make a single
connection to the one of seven or eight places served including Chicago.
After each call, the connection was dropped and the user had to dial
back in again through the callback modems for another session. All
connections were at either 110 or 300 baud initially, and within a
year or so of starting the service, 1200 baud was available in quite
a few places. Within about a year also, the callback scheme was dropped
and users began calling in on the 'regular' indials for Telenet in
their local area.

I was a customer of PC Pursuit from its second week of operation
through about two years ago, although in the last year or so of my
membership I used it rarely. The Net Exchange BBS was started about
a year after PC Pursuit itself started, and was intended as a place
for users to ask questions and make comments. In the beginning, to
reach the Net Exchange BBS, one had to use the Washington, DC outdials
and dial a seven digit number, or dial direct to the same seven digit
number (plus area code) if one could not 'get through' on PC Pursuit
due to congestion. Since 1990, the Net Exchange BBS has been a distri-
bution point for TELECOM Digest, with each issue of the Digest made
available to NetXBBS users in the 'files' area.

Initially, the service allowed unlimited nighttime and weekend useage
for $25 per month, on open account billing. The open account billing
was discontinued after a couple years because of considerable abuse
and fraud by customers, and it was grandfathered only to those of us
who had had it all along. All new customers had to pay by credit card
or EFT. Toward the end of my subscription there were only two or three
of us still on the system using open account billing. A few years
ago, due to abuse by users who were racking up many, many (in the
hundreds of) hours each month, the program was changed to allow for
25/50 hours per month at the rate of $25/$50 per month, with additional
hours above the limit at an extra fee. Also a few years ago, the original
Telenet network was sold to Sprint, the company which runs it today.
As Telenet, it was part of GTE.

In the late 1980's I wrote an essay which was distributed on Usenet
and quite a few independent BBSs called 'Let Your Fingers do the Walking'
which discussed a bug in the Telenet network at that time which permitted
connection to *any host* -- 'authorized outdial' or not -- with a legitimate
PC Pursuit ID/password. I listed several international points which could
be reached via Telenet including the British Telecom Master Clock and
the Master Clocks of a few other countries including Japan and the Hong
Kong Telephone Company. I discussed connections to the host systems on
several data networks accessible through those network's gateways to
Telenet, and how to use the outdials of those other networks after first
gatewaying to them via Telenet using ones PC Pursuit password. I included
network addresses for several live, 'online' terminals at the help desks
of those other networks where one could 'chat' interactively with
whoever was on duty. Management at Telenet was quite upset with me for
publishing that article, and the loopholes were closed shortly after
it appeared on the net.

 From the beginning of the Telenet network until just a couple years
ago, Telenet was assigned 'area code' 909 for its administrative use
since all hosts on the network otherwise had addresses of the form
xxxyyy or xxxyyyy where xxx was the area code where they were located
and yyy or yyyy was the 'address'. 909yyy or 909yyyy was used to
connect with the Telenet administration itself. Numerous addresses
of the form 909xxx connected to all sorts of test ports for network
diagnostic purposes. Some were 'loop arounds', others presented curious
results when one connected to them.

So, about ten years after it started, PC Pursuit is dead. In the
beginning it was a radical, very modern innovation. A decade later,
it is just another way of connecting, and not a very good one at that.
So from a nostalgic point of view, I am sorry to see it go, but from a
business and effeciency standpoint, its demise is overdue.


Patrick Townson

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

Date: Wed, 9 Feb 1994 10:17:55 -0800
From: [e-mail]
Subject: UC Berkeley Short Courses on High Speed Communication


U.C. Berkeley Continuing Education in Engineering Announces 3 Short
Courses on Communications Technology

SONET/ATM-BASED BROADBAND NETWORKS: Systems, Architectures and Designs
(April 18-19, 1994)

It is widely accepted that future broadband networks will be based on
the SONET (Synchronous Optical Network) standards and the ATM
(Asynchronous transfer Mode) technique.  This course is an in-depth
examination of the fundamental concepts and the implementation issues
for development of future high-speed networks.  Topics include:
Broadband ISDN Transfer Protocol, high speed computer/network
interface (HiPPI), ATM switch architectures, ATM network
congestion/flow control, VLSI designs in SONET/ATM networks.

Lecturer: H. Jonathan Chao, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Brooklyn
Polytechnic University.  Dr. Chao holds more than a dozen patents and
has authored over 40 technical publications in the areas of ATM
switches, high-speed computer communications, and congestion/flow
control in ATM networks.

GIGABIT/SEC DATA AND COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS: Internetworking,
Signaling and Network Management (April 20-21, 1994)

This short course aims to provide a general understanding of the key
issues needed to design and implement gigabit local and wide area
networks.  The topics are designed to compliment those covered in the
SONET/ATM-Based Broadband Networks course (above).  Topics include:
technology drivers, data protocols, signaling, network management,
internetworking and applications.  Specific issues addressed include
TCP/IP on ATM networks, design of high performance network interfaces,
internetworking ATM networks with other network types, and techniques
for transporting video over gigabit networks.

Lecturer:  William E. Stephens, Ph.D., Director, High-Speed Switching
and Storage Technology Group, Applied Research, Bellcore.  Dr.
Stephens has over 40 publications and one patent in the field of optical
communications.  He has served on several technical program committees,
including IEEE GLOBECOM and the IEEE Electronic Components
Technology Conference, and has served as Guest Editor for the IEEE
Journal on Selected Areas in Communications.

PERSONAL (WIRELESS) COMMUNICATION NETWORKS: Cellular Systems, Wireless
Data Networks, and Broadband Wireless Access (April 20-22, 1994)

This comprehensive course focuses on principles, technologies, system
architectures, standards, equipment, implementation, public policy,
and evolving trends in wireless networks.  Topics include: modulation,
coding, and signal processing; first generation systems; second
generation systems; broadband networks; third generation systems; and
applications and technology trends.  This course is intended for
engineers who are currently active or anticipate future involvement in
this field.

Lecturer: Anthony S. Acampora, Ph.D., Professor, Electrical
Engineering, Columbia University.  He is Director, Center for
Telecommunications Research. He became a professor following a 20 year
career at AT&T Bell Laboratories, is an IEEE Fellow, and is a former
member of the IEEE Communications Society Board of Governors.


For more information (complete course descriptions, outlines, instructor
bios, etc.) contact:

Harvey Stern
U.C. Berkeley Extension/Southbay
800 El Camino Real Ste. 150
Menlo Park, CA 94025
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
email: [e-mail]

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

Date: Wed, 09 Feb 1994 10:02:54 EST
From: [e-mail]
Subject: ORSA Telecom Conference, March 1995


         Third ORSA Telecommunications Conference
                    20-22 March 1995
            Sheraton Inn, Boca Raton, Florida

                    Sponsored by the
      ORSA Technical Section on Telecommunications

                    CALL FOR PAPERS


The Third ORSA (Operations Research Society of America)
Telecommunications Conference will be held in Boca Raton, Florida,
20-22 March 1995.  In the tradition of the First (March 1990) and
Second (March 1992) Conferences, both held also at the Sheraton Inn
Boca Raton, the Third Conference will again focus on the theory and
application of Operations Research to problems in telecommunications.

FEATURED SPEAKERS: The Keynote Speaker will be Robert E. Kahn (NRI);
and the Plenary Speakers will be Robert G. Gallager (MIT), Frank P.
Kelly (Cambridge), Clyde L. Monma (Bellcore), and Jean Walrand
(Berkeley).

 TOPICS FOR THE CONFERENCE INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:
    ATM Networks                 Economics of Telecommunications
    Wireless Networks            Performance Evaluation
    High-Speed Data Networks     Queueing Models
    LANs and MANs                Network Topology
    Video and Multimedia         Loss Networks
    Network Management           Routing and Scheduling
    Teletraffic Theory           Congestion Control
    Polling Models               Simulation
    Reliability                  Optimization

Two kinds of submissions are invited: proposals for (i) organized
sessions, and (ii) contributed presentations.  A proposal for an
organized session should include a one-page abstract for each
presentation, and a cover letter from the session organizer that
outlines the theme of the session; a proposal for a contributed
presentation should include a one-page abstract describing the talk.
All proposals and abstracts will be reviewed by the Program Committee.
Send proposals and abstracts in triplicate to Keith W. Ross, Program
Chair; for registration materials contact Mary T.  Magrogan at the
ORSA Business Office.

 IMPORTANT DATES:
    1 September 1994:  deadline for proposals and abstracts for
                       organized sessions
    1 October 1994:    deadline for abstracts for contributed
                       sessions
    15 December 1994:  notification of acceptance
    1 February 1995:   deadline for preregistration

            GENERAL CHAIR:
              Robert B. Cooper
              Dept. of Computer Science and Engineering
              Florida Atlantic University
              Boca Raton, FL 33431
              [e-mail]
              [phone]

            PROGRAM CHAIR:
              Keith W. Ross
              Dept. of Systems
              University of Pennsylvania
              Philadelphia, PA 19104
              [e-mail]
              [phone]

            MEETINGS MANAGER:
              Mary T. Magrogan
              ORSA Business Office
              1314 Guilford Avenue
              Baltimore, MD 21202
              [e-mail]
              [phone]

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

Subject: Fiber Strangles Chicago Broadcasters
From: drharry![e-mail] (Alan Boritz)
Date: Wed, 09 Feb 94 20:13:04 EST
Organization: Harry's Place BBS - Mahwah NJ - [phone]


I came across a letter I wrote last year to the editor of Radio World
on two issues dear to Pat Townson (fiber implementation and Chicago),
and thought I'd share it one more time before retiring it.  The issue
that brought it up (in 1992) was Illinois Bell trying to sell (or
push, depending on your perspective) fiber in place of preferred
copper circuits.

(May 18, 1992)

        Telecommunications fiber is the best and worst thing to happen
to the broadcasting business.  It makes possible better transmission
characteristics than copper over comparably longer distance circuits,
but *reliability* is the *real* issue.

        Customers served with fiber facilities (such as those
described in "Fiber at Issue in Chicago, 5/6/92 {Radio World}) are
*much* more vulnerable to circuit outages due to MUX (muliplexer)
failures than due to physical circuit problems.  As telcos scramble to
install fiber backbone and other facilities to save on plant
construction and maintenance expenses, they often overlook something
as simple as MUX AC power.  Where telco customers were used to either
having telco provide circuit power (for POTS or similar service), or
not having to provide circuit power at all (for local unloaded
equalized program service), now the customer has to worry about
whether or not someone may kick out the power cord for equipment for
which he may or may not have control.

        Broadcasters with studio or transmitter facilities in
multi-tenant buildings are *especially* vulnerable to program circuit
failures due to power disruptions.  Landlords are under no obligation
to provide telecommunications utilities with AC power, let alone
non-interruptible power sources.  If telco merely "grabs" the nearest
AC outlet and plugs in their MUX equipment, there's no telling what
can happen when either maintenance can have building AC circuits
turned off or (in a worse case scenario) the whole building is without
AC power.  All the standby power equipment in your studio and
transmitter facilities won't do you any good if telco's MUX's are
off-line.  For example, even in the Empire State Building, New York
Telephone has made no provisions for continuous (or even reliable)
power for the equipment that feeds radio and television circuits
upstairs with it's single fiber riser.  It's a frightening thought
that a communications system relied upon so much by so many would be
planned so poorly.

        Broadcasters lose something very valuable when telco installs
fiber in place of copper -- reliability.  However, while telco's enjoy
lower installation and operating expenses with fiber facilities, telco
customers see no savings passed along for inferior service. Broadcasters
should demand from telco *reliable* service responsibly planned and
installed.  We *can't* accept anything less.


[e-mail]  or  uunet!drharry!aboritz
Harry's Place BBS (drharry.UUCP) - Mahwah NJ USA - [phone]

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

From: [e-mail] (Ethan Ernest)
Subject: Audio Line Signal on Twisted Pair?
Date: Wed, 09 Feb 1994 21:44:05 -0500
Organization: ERNESTCO


I am presently wiring my new office with eight nodes of connectivity
(I'm trying to cover a lot of bases!) I've run 10base2 thin coax, RG56
Coax for Video/Cable, and two pairs (one spare) of 10baseT level3
eight conductor (four pairs 24g awg) plenum cable, which I plan to use
for telephones and possibly 10baset or localtalk.

My question is this: does anyone know whether it will cause problems
or interference with either digital data or analog phone signals on
the other pairs in the plenum if I use two pair of wires in the cable
to run right and left line level (1-2V) audio signals?

Since I've already sheetrocked most of the walls, this would save me a bit
of time snaking separate lines!

Any help greatly appreciated.


E R N E S T C O

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

Date: Wed, 9 Feb 94 13:44 EST
From: The Network Group <[e-mail]>
Subject: Need Info on ISDN Phones


I need to know a source for ISDN phonesxxx -- excuse me: voice
terminals.

I have heard that AT&T has a few of these but haven't heard of any
other manufacturers such as Northern Telecom or others. Apparently the
Northern product for Meridian Digital Centrex is not an ISDN phone.

If anyone could help, I would appreciate it.

Thanks in Advance,

Al Cohan

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

From: [e-mail]
Date: 09 FEB 1994 16:18:00 GMT
Subject: Horrid AT&T 2500YMGK Sets


In preparation for our move from a Dimension PBX to a G3, we are
replacing our 7101 'voice terminals' with new ersatz 2500 sets.  (I'm
told that since we lease the PBX and the phones, we must exhange them
all).

These things are the same size as the classic 2500 sets of yesteryear.
But they are cheap!  They didn't even bother gluing in lead weights,
as is typical with cheap equipment to give it that sold feel and heft.
(They do have an empty compartment in the base that could hold a sand
bag, to keep them from sliding off the desk.)

The worst problem with these sets is the sidetone.  At my normal
speaking level, I can't hear any sidetone.  This is disorienting.  If
I speak up even a little bit, I get a horrible buzzing distortion in
place of sidetone.  Co-workers (with louder voices I guess) report
always hearing the dread buzzing.

Besides the lightweight and cheap feel and the appalling sidetone, the
sets suffer from bad sound quality in general, an irritating chirp
instead of ringing, a message waiting lamp that flickers instead of
blinking, and pushbuttons that don't feel right.  All in all, pretty
useless junk, I'd say.  I'm very surprised that AT&T, of all
companies, is pushing this schlock.  Aren't they the ones who spent
years investigating optimal telephone parameters for factors such as
sidetone, ringing, speaker quality, etc.?  How can they produce a set
that is so far below their own standards?

If we're going to have cheap plastic phones with obnoxious chirpers,
we could at least have small ones (like the old 7101A sets), instead
of these huge things.  But I'm told AT&T no longer make the 7101 sets.
In fact, I'm told that AT&T says these toy 2500s are their standard
sets, sold in vast quantities, and they were surpised to hear of our
complaints.

Well, at least they are made in the U.S.A.


Randall Gellens              [e-mail]
A Series System Software
Unisys Corporation           [Please forward bounce messages
Mission Viejo, CA            to: [e-mail]]

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

End of TELECOM Digest V14 #71
*****************************