PPP From Your Desktop

If you've had some sort of account on one of UNT's host computers for a few years, you've probably come to know the ins and outs of "terminal connection" software such as ProComm Plus, MS-Kermit or Z-Term pretty well. You used to have to use software packages like these to dial-in to UNT if you wanted to read your E-mail, read the USENET newsgroups, or find information via Gopher. All communications between your home computer and UNT was, for many years, text-based. In fact, a lot of it still is.

The Computing Center has, since the spring semester of 1996, provided an alternative to text-only communications. This new format, called Point-to-PointProtocol (PPP, for short) allows you to dial-in to the same bank of modems, using specialized software available for most platforms, and run (from your home computer) Graphical User-Interface (GUI) -based applications such as Netscape Navigator, WinVN, WS-FTP, and NCSA Telnet.

First, let's discuss the technical requirements for getting a PPP connection to UNT. Aside from a few (obvious, we hope!) requirements (color monitor, 16 megabytes of RAM, 10-20 megabytes' free hard drive space, and a mouse) nothing special is required. PPP connections run best on at least a 28.8kbps modem, although the slower 14.4kbps connection rate is acceptable. UNT's modems, to which you connect, can communicate at up to 33.6kbps, however most users have reported a maximum connection rate of about 28.8kbps. Software packages for PPP connections are available from the UNT Bookstore for each of three major Operating Systems - Windows 3.x, Windows 95 and MacOS 7.5 - but it's also possible to download the software yourself for free. The Computing Center has free handouts available on downloading, which can be done on-campus in any of the General Access Computer Labs or off-campus via FTP (File Transfer Protocol.) All three packages include GUI-based software including a WWW (World-Wide Web) browser, USENET Newsgroup reader, terminal emulation programs (for connecting to such host computers as Jove and the Academic Mainframe computers) and an FTP client, in addition to various file compression utilities and graphical image viewers. One other thing: you'll need a Jove account prior to making a PPP connection. You apply for a Jove account at the Information Sciences Building (ISB) Room 119, and it's free. When you dial-in to UNT's modems, you'll be asked to type in your Jove UserID and password to gain access.

As you might expect, PPP connections are extremely popular among the University community. Although the Computing Center provides several free dial-up lines, to which you can connect with either PPP or terminal emulation software, usage is extremely heavy and you should expect at least a 30- to 60-minute wait. One suggested remedy is to call in between 5:00 and 10:00 any morning. Phone numbers for these General Access lines are 565-3800 and 565-3989 for Denton; 972-221-0059 for the Dallas area and 817-337-0063 for the Fort Worth area.

An alternative to those annoying busy signals is a Premium Remote Access Service subscription, which can be purchased at the UNT Bookstore. For a $10-per-month rate (billed at $45 per semester) subscribers may have unlimited access to UNT's Internet connection via a special telephone number, with a ratio of lines to users guaranteed not to exceed 7:1.

Unfortunately, all local (Denton) Premium Access accounts have been sold for the spring. The Computing Center has placed an order for additional equipment to augment the 665 subscription-limit in Denton and the 330 Dallas/Fort Worth quotas, in response to an overwhelming demand for Premium Service.

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