Activation
Activation is the BT process by which your existing phone line
becomes enabled to receive data and voice calls simultaneously.
This is one of the many advantages of broadband because your
phone line is shared, but without the inconvenience of permanently
engaged phone lines. It simply means that you can be online
and your phone line is still available for incoming and outgoing
calls.
Activation takes place at your local phone exchange, for which
BT makes a charge. This is a once only cost.
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Bandwidth
Bandwidth is the information carrying capacity of your broadband
connection.
The Home500 is 10 times faster then the best of other modems.
The Biz500 is 10 times faster then the best of other modems.
The Biz1000 is 20 times faster then the best of other modems.
The Biz2000 is 40 times faster then the best of other modems.
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Broadband
Broadband is generally used to describe a high-speed Internet
or data connection that is charged at a flat rate fee. Broadband
presents you with major opportunities to manage your business
cost-effectively. Not only can you realise the benefits derived
from improved access to the Internet but you can also achieve
significant cost-savings.
Why move to Broadband?
Broadband is suitable for most businesses with the following
requirements:
· You have increased your time online
· You need a high speed connection
· You require a cost-effective solution
How Broadband works
LCBroadband works by connecting your computer to the telephone
wall socket via an ADSL modem and an adapter (microfilter).
The telephone line must be a BT line.
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Broadband packages
Link Connect offer a range of broadband services to suit the
varied requirements of home users and business users of all
sizes.
Home500
For 1 computer, Contention ratio 50:1, 512kbs download, 256k
upload
Biz500USB
For 1 computer, Contention ratio 50:1, 512kbs download, 256k
upload
Biz500
For up to 5 computers, Contention ratio 20:1, 512kbs download,
256k upload
Biz1000
For up to 12 computers, Contention ratio 20:1, 1024kbs download,
256k upload
Biz2000
For up to 25 computers, Contention ratio 20:1, 2048kbs download,
256k upload
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Contention ratio
Since bandwidth is not infinite across BT's network, users have
to share it. This means your data path between you and your
ISP is shared with other broadband connections. The contention
ratio is the amount of other users your connection could be
shared with. It is always represented as the minimum guaranteed
contention. For example if the contention ratio is 20:1, the
maximum number of users sharing the bandwidth will be 20.
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Domain Name
A domain name on the Internet is your own individual address
or means of identification, like your phone number or postal
address. It is unique to you and cannot be used by anyone else
(for the period you have registered the domain name). A typical
domain name would be info@mycompany.co.uk
A domain name can be used to host a website and/or email.
Each domain name has a unique identification number called
an IP address. The email system on the Internet uses the IP
address to deliver email to and from a domain name.
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Firewall security
Our appliance product line provides comprehensive, scalable
security solutions, encompassing broadband telecommuters to
large corporate offices, e-business sites, and carrier networks.
The full-featured firewall uses technology based on stateful
inspection, securing against intruders and Denial of Service
(DoS) attacks. All appliances provide:
Integrated solution with security-optimised hardware, operating
system and firewall, which provides higher level of security
than patched together software-based solutions:
· Robust attack prevention, independently configurable
on every interface, including SYN attack, ICMP flood, and Port
Scan
· Network Address Translation (NAT), Port Address Translation
(PAT), route, or transparent modes of operation
· The proprietary OS software is an ICSA certified stateful
inspection firewall
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Firewall 24*7 support
The Firewall support service gives you access to highly trained,
certified support engineers to provide troubleshooting and integration
assistance. This is a 24*7*365 service available via phone and/or
email.
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Hosting
Domain names
Link Connect can host your email and/or website on their Domain
Name Server (DNS). Link Connect is an ISP, offering a complete
portfolio of hosting solutions for business and home users.
As one of the UK's leading providers of web hosting services,
our superior network, world class support, and innovative service
packages enable us to offer our clients first class quality
and service.
Email
As part of our hosting service we will also provide up to 10
POP3 email accounts for your use.
HQ mail
HQ mail is email software that enables you to view your mailbox
from anywhere with an Internet connection. From a safety point
of view, your email is held on a mail server so it can be retrieved
should your system crash or you accidentally delete mail.
HQ mail allows access to a central filing system of emails.
Any individual can store their emails in public folders, which
allows anyone on the network to view them. This only applies
to emails you have saved in these folders, it does not give
access to your inbox or emails that you have saved in private
folders.
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Installation
A range of installation options are available for LCBroadband.
Self-install
Broadband is simple and easy to install yourself. You will need
a suitable router or modem, which we can supply. Full installation
instructions are sent to you and we have a support line should
you encounter any difficulty. (Please note that we can only
support the installation of modems purchased from us).
Self-install is a quick and cost-effective way of getting started
with broadband, saving the cost of an engineer visit.
Engineer install
Alternatively a Link Connect engineer will set up your broadband
for you. Using a modem or router supplied by Link Connect, the
engineer will attach the modem to your phone socket and computer
and test that the connection is working satisfactorily.
Broadband connected to network
A Link Connect engineer can install broadband on your network.
This involves configuring the router to the range of IP addresses
used by your network, installing the modem on the server and
testing that the connection is working satisfactorily on each
machine on the network.
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IP Addresses
To differentiate computers, each computer connected to the Internet
is assigned at least one unique IP address (Internet Protocol
address). An IP address is a unique identifier for a connection
on an IP network.
IP addresses are used to deliver packets of data across a network
and have what is termed end-to-end significance. This means
that the source and destination IP address remains constant
as the packet traverses a network. Each time a packet travels
through a router, the router will reference it's routing table
to see if it can match the network number of the destination
IP address with an entry in its routing table. If a match is
found, the packet is forwarded to the next hop router for the
destination network in question. There are 2 types of IP addresses
- Dynamic and Static.
Static IP addresses (No NAT)
A static IP address is an address that doesn't change every
time you log on to the Internet. A static IP address is essential
for the following:
· SMTP mail. The mail server needs the same IP address
to be able to collect and deliver mail.
· Virtual Private Network. In order to gain remote access
to your network, a static IP address is needed.
· Remote communication applications. Software such as
PC Anywhere, which enables communication between machines requires
static IP addresses in order to identify the machine they wish
to communicate with.
Static IP addresses are the most convenient because as the
number stays the same with no re-configuration or resetting
of hardware required.
All LCBroadband multi-user packages are supplied with a minimum
of 1 static IP address.
Dynamic IP addresses (NAT)
Originally all IP addresses were static, but with the growth
of the Internet it soon became clear that there would not be
enough numbers available for everyone to have a static IP address.
A dynamic IP address changes every time you connect to the Internet.
Your ISP will have a range of dynamic IP addresses available
and you will be allocated any one of these at any time.
A dynamic IP address uses a different type of user recognition
and is typically used for POP3 mail and for home or light users
of the Internet.
IP addresses can be public or private. A private IP address
is used internally on a network, a printer for example. A public
IP address is external, such as a firewall or mail server.
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Microfilters
The line for which you are ordering LCBroadband will need one
microfilter for each telephone/extension socket that has equipment
plugged into it (telephone/fax machine/computer). This easy-to-install
device splits your existing sockets into two channels and prevents
any interference from the ADSL connection. Without them, you
may experience noise on the line when you make a voice call.
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Minimum Mac Specification
For Home500 and Biz500USB products (single users):
PowerPC 601 or equivalent 200Mhz
32MB System memory (RAM)
2-speed CD-ROM player
Video driver/display 800 x 600, 256 colours
100MB free on hard drive
Mac OS 8.6 up to OS 9.0
An available USB port
In addition to the above, business products (multi-user):
10baseT Network Adaptor + RJ45 connector
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Minimum PC Specification
For Home500 and Biz500USB products (single users):
Pentium 200Mhz
32MB RAM
16-bit sound card
4-speed CD-ROM player
Video card/display 800 x 600, 256 colours
150MB free on hard drive
Windows 98, 98SE, ME, 2000 Professional or XP
An available USB port
In addition to the above, business products (multi-user) require
10baseT Network Adaptor + RJ45 connector.
Note: Business (multi-user) products are also
compatible with Windows 95, NT4 Workstation SP3. USB products
are not compatible with dual processors.
For Biz 1000 and Biz 2000
Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000 Professional, NT4 Workstation or XP
180Mb free on hard drive
10baseT Network Adapter with RJ45 connector
CD-ROM drive
16-bit sound card
Video card and monitor capable of 800 X 600 resolution, 256
colours
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Modem
Your computer and ADSL modem should be situated not more than
3m from a telephone wall socket, as this is the typical length
of the connecting cable. The modem comes with a CD-ROM containing
the software you need to load onto your computer to allow operation
of the modem. Please note that any existing analogue modem in
your computer will not work with LCBroadband.
The modem may be purchased from us or from other suppliers.
You may also be able to use your existing ADSL modem if you
already own one.
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Multi-pop/v-pop
email
Multi-pop email delivers all mail on a domain name into one
mailbox (for example mail@yourcompany.co.uk). The mail client
software then delivers the mail to the individual recipients
on the network. This enables unlimited users of the mail system,
but is not as efficient or professional as SMTP. The one mailbox
can fill up very quickly and therefore good housekeeping is
required.
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Network Management
Policy Based Networking solutions that improve the performance
and ensure the quality of mission critical and time-sensitive
applications running on IP networks. Our range of products allow
network managers to define relationships between organisational
needs and network infrastructure in order to achieve maximum
efficiency from network and server resources.
Network managers can track, account and bill for network usage
according to the same policies that define and enforce network
bandwidth allocation. Advanced tools provide capabilities for
reporting on account activity, analysing specific application-level
traffic flows as well as long-range traffic usage patterns.
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POP3 email
Post Office Protocol. A system by which a mail server on the
Internet lets you pick up your mail and download it onto your
computer. A POP server is the computer from which you pick up
your mail.
POP mail services store your incoming messages on a server
until you are ready to collect them. You download them using
an email software package, Outlook Express, for instance. Once
you download the messages, they are deleted from the server
and stored on your PC. POP3 collects your email, where SMTP
sends it to you.
With POP3 mail, you can create and read messages offline, and
connect just to send messages and download your new mail. An
almost unlimited number of messages can be kept (as long as
you keep downloading them regularly) since they are stored on
your hard disk. This also means that you can re-read old messages
without connecting to the Internet.
POP3 mail typically uses a dynamic IP address. Whenever someone
logs on for POP3 mail the IP address from which the connection
was made becomes available to send and receive email for a limited
amount of time.
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Router
You must have a router for all multi-user installations. The
router should be situated not more than 3m from a telephone
wall socket, as this is the typical length of the connecting
cable. The router comes with a CD-ROM containing the software
you need to load onto your computer/server/hub to allow operation
of the router.
The router may be purchased from us or from other suppliers.
You may also be able to use your existing ADSL router if you
already own one.
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Security
If the Internet is now critical to your everyday business operations,
then our tailored solutions are for you. Our tailored solutions
portfolio offers the very best in managed IP services and solutions
including high capacity connectivity, dedicated server hosting,
e-mail outsourcing, security, IP integration, project management
and consulting. With all you would expect of a leading IP services
provider, we deliver first-class solutions that not only meet
your business needs today, but have been designed with the flexibility
to meet them for many more years to come.
As an established provider of IP services, we have a wealth
of security technology experience and the resources needed to
offer an unsurpassable range of security solutions. To ensure
your business safety, we will work with you to help assess the
risks and threats, and to minimise intrusion.
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SMTP email
SMTP (simple mail transfer protocol) is a protocol for the process
of exchanging email between mail servers on the Internet. The
objective SMTP is to transfer mail reliably and efficiently.
An SMTP mail system allows unlimited email accounts on a given
domain name, making it a cost effective solution for companies
requiring large numbers of email addresses.
With SMTP, incoming email to any address on the domain name
(whatever@yourcompany.co.uk) is delivered centrally to a server.
Your mail client software (eg Microsoft Exchange) then sorts
the mail into the individual post boxes for each person. The
email accounts on SMTP mail are managed by the company’s
network administrator enabling accounts to be added or removed
easily as employees join or leave the company.
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Sockets
If your BT line extends to other sockets in your house, you
will need to plug a microfilter into each socket/extension,
especially if you have other telephones, fax machines, etc.
on that line.
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Virus Protection
Virus protection is vital for business continuity. With an estimated
85% of current viruses propagated by email, we are helping to
tackle the virus problem by providing mail virus protection
service using award winning scanning technology.
You may already have protection at your desktop or server level,
but with our email virus security solution, you have the added
advantage that emails are caught at the 'Gateway' level before
they get anywhere near your organisation or that of your email
recipients.
Managed E-mail Anti-virus Service takes away the headache of
protecting your company's emails against viruses, that pass
to and from the internet through our mail servers. This means
a reduction in time and money spent on this aspect of in-house
protection.
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VPN (Virtual Private
Networking)
The VPN facility enables you to connect your local area network
(LAN) or to another private network, via the public Internet,
or for remote teleworkers to access your LAN securely via the
Internet. A secure 'tunnel' is established and as you are making
use of an existing Internet connection, there are no long distance
phone charges or huge leased line costs typical of LAN links.
Our solutions supports industry standard PPTP and IPSec VPN
protocols, with DES/3DES encryption to link to Teleworkers or
remote offices.
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