As an ISP you will offer a service which generally includes some kind
of access to the Internet.This can be through dial-up modems, DSL,cable,
wireless…you name it!
There are two ways of becoming an ISP:
One is by becoming a Virtual ISP
which is reselling another ISP’s service under your own name.
The other way is by becoming a facilities
based provider which means you own and operate the physical pieces
which make up your network.
By becoming a facilities based provider you’ll
get some routers and servers, an upstream Internet connection and some
phone lines. The number one service a provider offers is dial-up modem
access. The center of being an ISP is the Internet and the foremost
service is Dial-up modem access, with just a few pieces of equipment
we build an ISP for you.
What does it mean to be an ISP?
The Internet is nothing more than the world’s
largest network-of-networks. Networks use a variety of languages (or
protocols) that enable the devices connected to them to communicate.
In the case of the Internet, TCP/IP is the protocol that everyone uses
to talk to each other.
The basic function of an ISP is to connect dial-up callers to the Internet.
Typically, customers will call with their modem or using Windows Dial-Up
Networking (DUN), and connect using the Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP).
To offer this service means having the capability to
answer V.34/V.90/K56Flex™ modem and ISDN B-Channel digital calls.
Once callers are connected, they will send and receive IP packets to-and-from
your network. It is your job to send-and-receive IP packets to-and-from
the rest of the world.
There are two distinct sets of Internet users and they
fall into the groups of consumer and business. Consumer customers represent
the large base of everyday users and are price sensitive. Business customers
will require you to provide top-notch service but they will also pay
for it. Business customers also may need to connect an office to the
Internet, in which case you will route a small piece of the Internet
to them called a subnet.
What you need to become
a facilities based ISP…
There are actually very few pieces to the ISP puzzle.
By breaking up the ISP’s network infrastructure into three distinct
areas, we can easily see where each piece fits. The three areas are
:
Network Access server.
This is where access services are added. For example, these can be
remote access servers for terminating dial-up modems or DSL modems
for leased-line connections.
Distribution Network.
This is where your backbone services connect to your access network.
Ethernet defines the ISP’s backbone and glues everything together.
Core Network( Internet ). This part
is responsible for the connection to the Wide-Area-Network. In our
case it is the Internet. As the Internet is a network-of-networks,
this connection is simply to another larger ISP.
You need at least these for ISP:
Remote Access server
: is the point where users connect for service. The
most common way is through dial-up modems.with low cost T1/E1 lines
and high-speed V.90 modems, an integrated box provides the best solution.
This box is called a Remote Access Server (RAS). The RAS connects
to the local phone company through a T1/E1 or PRI line and to your
local Ethernet switch. When users call to get on-line, the RAS is
the box that will answer the call with a modem. After a dial-in user
connects, the RAS will take IP packets and send them off to the Internet.RAS
requre a RADIUS server and asks to authenticate the user.
Authentication and Accounting server : RADIUS
stands for Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service. RADIUS is the
authentication protocol in which a client, such as a RAS, will ask
a RADIUS server to validate a caller. User names and passwords as
well as additional parameters are kept in a centralized database.
RADIUS Accounting tracks Authentication and Authorization transactions
and captures statistics about each session. If RAS is cisco remote
access then TACACS+ replace with Raduis.
DNS. Primary/Secondary Domain Name Resolution
: DNS is the method which computers translate names such
as www.yahoo.com into an IP address. This is done because all Internet
traffic is based on IP addresses, names are only for humans. As an
ISP you will need your own local DNS servers for your customers to
use.
WEB/FTP Server
E-Mail Providing POP3/IMAP4 and SMTP services
These servers will store-and-forward email addressed to your customers.
Router : For connecting you satellite
devices or Leased line modem and making internet access available
for users
Satellite Modem / Leased line modem : for
connecting your ISP to internet