XPost: alt.folklore.computers   
   From: firstname@lastname.pr1v.n0   
      
   In article <873bn3u12l.fsf@thalassa.informatimago.com>,   
   Pascal Bourguignon   wrote:   
   >Morten Reistad  writes:   
   >> The PHBs that think they control the Internet may be totally clueless   
   >> that this stuff even exists. It may be a wise choice to let them   
   >> remain clueless.   
   >   
   >If they learned it, everything would stop.   
      
   No, but they would make quite a song and dance, and it   
   would be interesting to watch.   
      
   You see, while 10% of traffic may be corporate VPNs to the home; this   
   segment is close to a quarter of revenues. This is _exactly_ the thing   
   the PHBs like to push; extra revenues for pretty blinkenlights.   
      
   Problem is, they cannot stop carrying the competition's VPNs. They   
   need them to terminate traffic; noone has enough internet coverage to   
   deliver everything; and they would be in a regulatory jam if they even   
   tried.   
      
   Hosting is also a commodity; so it is dead easy to set up a gateway   
   host in a hosting center, and run VPNs there. There is a buyers market   
   for these things.   
      
   I am migrating several of the smaller companies I have assisted over   
   the years to such a solution.   
      
   A fully hosted box, hardware and 3 GB data/month included, costs   
   around $120/mo. I never see the box, it is in a bunker somewhere. I   
   get to install the software of choice; they support anything where the   
   OS producer supports network ghosted images.  (P.t. QNX, 2xBSD,   
   3xLinux, 3xWindows, Solaris).   
      
   The box is a VIA Nehemiah at 1Ghz, 512M ram, 40G disk.  Can get 2.6Ghz   
   Pentium with 1G+120G for approx $50/mo extra. I don't see the point   
   for a VPN over DSL.   
      
   They take $6 per backup tape, handled and stored for up to three   
   months. I pay $100/mo extra if I want 16 GB traffic.   
      
   This is not a unique service. I know of four such hosting   
   companies. They are all dotcoms that survived, and are still   
   struggling, but business is improving.   
      
   I am building myself an OpenBSD environment to load onto such a box,   
   and plan to roll that out as VPNs. When the news postings stop showing   
   headers with "via.reistad.priv.no" and start showing   
   "puff.reistad.name" it is operational.  (after puff, the magic   
   dragon. Yes, the hosting center is near the sea).   
      
      
   To the questions about published statistics; no I don't know   
   of any that are good. The problem is; no PHBs know that this   
   is important. They just want to push DSL, preferrably some   
   premium solution at extra $$.   
      
   The moment the DSL market is saturated they will have to scurry   
   for new business. At current rates the DSL/cable market has   
   reached around 60% coverage in the primary adoption area;   
   the "atlantic and pacific rims" (from Finland to Ireland in   
   Europe, the NE corner of the US, the pacific coast, Japan,   
   Korea, Taiwan, NZ and the SE corner of AU). Adoption is   
   rising with ~15% per year. I guess we'll see scurrying for   
   business in 3-4 years time.   
      
   It is interesting with the US, where ISP coops now are   
   creeping up all over the place because the telcos are   
   not delivering the goods. It is not the kind of business   
   structure I would immediately associate with the US.   
   Sweden, yes. Perhaps Japan.   
      
   -- mrr   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)