Rolling Your Own Internet Connection?

budGibson asks: "Recently, I have become interested in rolling my own Internet connection using a T-1 or T-3. I realize this means maintaining my own DNS, routers, etc. A quick trip to the local phone company's web site suggests this is possible, as does a tour around ATT's data services division . I know that Slashdot at one point in time was going over a T-1 before co-location. Are there any non-vendor resources on what I need to set up my own on-site connection? Are there any tips on what to avoid? What to ask for?"

Comments

Your own broadband/dsl/isp

[basscomm]

There is an article on the PBS web-site about this very thing. Doesn't seem to be too complicated.

What?

[Anonymous Coward]

This sort of question goes along the people that visit the Jaguar showroom. If you have to ask what it costs, you aren't ready for it. To go from a T1 (1.4Meg) to a T3 (45Meg) in the same breath just won't make it. To wit: I set up our Internet connection years ago using a T1, and watched it gradually fill up until it was maxed out for most of the workday. There were 2000 people using the Internet. We upgraded to a 10 Megabit Internet connection, now have 3500 users who think their job is to check out the Internet, and we have not maxed out the 10 Meg. Real work just doesn't take that much capacity. To pay megabucks for a T3, how will you use it?

So starting with a small link, get experience learning about all the stuff. DNS, routers, Telecom protocols (when you lease the line from the Telco, you may need someone with experience and equipment to begin the troubleshooting) and who will run your firewall and virus checking?

If you need a T3, then you should already have staff that would be ready to take it on.

The benefit of having it inhouse, is immense. You get to decide what you want to do, you don't have to wait for some other vendor to get to your dns updates, etc, etc.

Think hard about this

[ScuzzMonkey]

I understand that you're just exploring the idea, and you're certainly asking the right questions. But IMHO, and no offense, you've got a lot of things to get familiar with before getting too serious about it. The fact that you can toss off a line like "...interested in rolling my own Internet connection using a T-1 or T-3" says to me that you either haven't figured your requirements out very well or aren't familiar with the technologies in question, as those are two very different beasts.

It might help if you posted what your objectives are. I don't often recommend getting T1 service to anyone anymore, especially individual users, and there would have to be some really special circumstances to make me think it's a cost-effective idea. So what are your circumstances?