getting online with novia using
netscape navigator
personal edition
and windows 3.1x or 95
Introduction
Internet access is a three step process. First and foremost, you need a modem. We'll address that first. Secondly, you need software to use in conjunction with your modem to transmit and receive what are known as TCP/IP packets, the behind-the-scenes couriers of information on the Internet. We'll address that after we've covered modems and in this document we will be discussing how to use Netscape Navigator Personal Edition for Windows. Lastly, you need an Internet Service Provider, a company to provide your modem-software combination with a number to dial and a "pipe" out to the Internet. That's where we come in, Novia Internetworking.
First, let's talk about your modem:
Your Modem's Job
The information your computer sends and receives - whether it originates on a floppy disk, CD-ROM, or online service - is digital in nature. Digital communication is perhaps more appropriately described as binary communication, or the transmission of data entirely through the use of zeros and ones. Because ours is a universe of tens - and has been so ever since our earliest ancestors counted their fingers and toes - it is easy to forget that our most flexible creations, computers, live in a base two - not ten - world.
Satellites, cellular telephones, and fiberoptic communications are just a few of the workhorses of the digital communications revolution. However, there is one corner of the telecommunications world where the zeros and ones of binary communication cannot travel, a place known as the subscriber loop.
The subscriber loop is the pair of copper wire that connects our home telephones to the rest of the telephone network. Subscriber loops congregate in automated "switches," from which out- and in-bound calls are routed by a computer. Subscriber loops, some of which are quite ancient, were designed to convey the human voice through the transmission of analog wave forms, the electrical echoes of the vibrations we create when speaking into a telephone receiver. Since subscriber loops are built to convey this,
… while computers might represent the same information like this,
… we cannot simply run a cable from our computer to the telephone jack and join the online revolution; our computer will need some additional assistance. It will need a device to modulate its binary transmissions into analog waveforms to send data, and it will need a device to demodulate incoming analog transmissions into their original binary form to receive data. One device that performs both jobs is a modem.
Modem Q & A
The growth in recent years of online services, as well as dial-up Internet service providers (ISPs) has generated a parallel growth in modem vendors. What was once an obscure add-on to a computer system is now considered standard equipment.
How fast should my modem be?
The speed of a modem is a function of its throughput, a measure of the number of binary digits or bits that can be transmitted in any given second under ideal conditions. The march to contemporary high-speed modems began with a throughput of 2400 bits per second or bps, but thanks to data compression technologies, today modems can be purchased that operate at a throughput rating of 28,800 bits per second, or 28.8 kbps. The next jump appears to be 33,600 or 38,400.
We recommend a 14.4Kbps (or faster) modem. A 9600 bps modem is acceptably fast for the patient user.
Is one modem as good as another, assuming they both operate at the same speed?
There was a time when the answer to this question consisted of three words: "Modems are modems." However, with the arrival of the 28.8Kbps standard in particular, industry-wide problems with different vendors' modems talking to one another appeared for the first time. Tracking down the origin of these problems is complicated by the nature of high-speed telecommunications. Trying to pack nearly 30,000 bits of information every second into a pair of copper wire never built for anything more expansive than the demands of the human voice is a daunting task. What this means in practical terms is that high-speed modems are more prone to experience problems with the hisses, clicks and buzzes we associate with normal telephone conversations (line noise). To compensate for these impurities, modems are designed with error-correction circuitry to detect and eliminate connection problems. The V.n designation after your modem, (V.34 for example), references which form of industry-approved error correction your modem supports. Part of any good error correction scheme is the ability to lower connection speed in the event of line noise much like an airline pilot might lower altitude to avoid turbulence. Modems are somewhat schizophrenic in this regard, however, for while some of the modem's circuitry devotes itself to compensating for line noise - to the point of dropping connection speed - other components of the modem's circuitry work equally hard to speed the transmission of data by compressing it.
Currently the industry is experiencing certain difficulties with a particular kind of modem known as "RPI," an acronym for Rockwell Protocol Interface. Rockwell Inc. manufactures much of the circuitry used in the thousands of modems that are sold every year. RPI modems do not perform error correction or data compression. Instead, these features are located within software that is loaded on the computer to which the RPI modem is attached. While this approach is in theory perfectly sound, many users of RPI modems have reported problems with connecting to various online services such as America Online, Compuserve, Prodigy - and yes - Novia Internetworking. If you have already purchased an RPI modem, we will do our best to get you up and running. However, it may be the case that in the absence of improved software, your modem simply will not work with our service or anyone else's. If you have not yet purchased your modem, we currently recommend against buying an RPI.
We recommend you use a V.34 modem from a reputable manufacturer (Hayes, US Robotics, Supra, Zoom, or Practical Peripherals)
Other than following the instructions that came
with my modem, is there anything else I should know about how to set it up?
Not really, but there are some common problems you can avoid by doing this: run a reasonably short (five to ten foot) length of telephone wire from the line jack on the back of the modem directly to the wall outlet.
Many answering machines and cordless telephone units are equipped with two jacks, allowing you to chain together multiple telephone devices (one length of wire goes to the wall, the other to the next device in the chain). At each device along the chain, there is an opportunity for the signal on the wire to degrade. Making your modem part of such a chain is not recommended.
Hooking up to the Internet
What do I need - once my modem has
been connected - to use my home computer to access the Internet?
The language of Internet-connected computers is a networking protocol known as TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol). PPP or Point-to-Point Protocol allows its older cousin, TCP/IP, to connect microcomputers to the Internet on demand via dial-up modem links. Your PC therefore requires both TCP/IP and PPP software to access the Internet.
For Windows 3.1x and Windows 95 users, both halves of that equation can be addressed by purchasing one of the following packages:
Spry's Internet in a Box
Trumpet's Winsock 2.1f
Netscape Communications' Netscape Navigator Personal Edition for Windows
There is one final piece to the jigsaw puzzle as well - you need an Internet Service Provider, a company to bridge the gap between your home PC and the Internet at large. That's where we come in, Novia Internetworking.
This documentation addresses how to use the last package, Netscape Navigator Personal Edition, to access the Internet with Novia Internetworking on a PC running Windows.
Can I buy Netscape Navigator Personal Edition from Novia?
As a provider of your "pipe out to the Internet," we are not currently resellers of any Internet access software - Netscape or otherwise. If we were, you would be foolish to buy from us! (Odds are we would not be able to purchase in the volume necessary to sell it much below retail). Here are some options:
Buying Direct You can order Netscape Navigator Personal Edition direct from Netscape Communications by calling their sales number at (415)528-3777
Buying Locally A number of local software vendors carry the package as well, among them Best Buy, Software, Etc., MegaMart, and Babbages.
Netscape Navigator Personal Edition ranges in price from $36 to $55. The current version of Netscape Navigator Personal Edition is 2.0.
What about my access to the Internet through Novia?
You should have your Novia account established and ready-to-go before actually installing Netscape Navigator Personal Edition.
How do I establish an account?
Call us at our business office between the hours of 9 AM and 5 PM Monday through Saturday. The number is 391-4005. The following dial-up account types are available:
Account Type
|
Setup
Fee
|
Monthly Charge
|
Hours of Connect Time
|
Basic
|
None
|
$ 9.95
|
20
|
Intermediate
|
None
|
$14.95
|
60
|
Surfer
|
None
|
$19.95
|
200
|
Extended
|
None
|
$29.95
|
Unlimited
|
What do I pay if I go over my allotted hours?
One dollar per each hour over.
I have direct Internet access where I work. When I
connect from there, does it count against my connect time?
No. The rates listed above apply only to connections that utilize Novia's bank of dial-in modems.
Standard payment methods?
MasterCard? Visa? Discover? American Express?
All of the above. We also do pay-by-check billing. We do not maintain credit card records on any of our Internet-connected computers, by the way.
What if I move away or choose
another Internet service provider.
Will I have to buy a new copy
of Netscape Navigator Personal Edition?
No … you would need to change its settings, but the software itself will work fine.
Installing Netscape
Navigator Personal Edition for
Windows 3.1x and Windows95
Okay. I've purchased Netscape Navigator
Personal Edition for Windows.
How do I install it?
Installing Personal Edition is a two-step process. First the actual software needs to be installed on your computer's hard drive. Secondly, this software must be configured to work with Novia Internetworking, which involves "telling" the Personal Edition software a number of things about the nature of your connection to the Internet.
Step One includes "installing:"
the Dialer application that will talk to your modem
Netscape Navigator, the web-browser
Step Two includes "telling" Personal Edition:
what your login and password are
what Novia's telephone number is
where something called the DNS is, which is responsible for seeing to it that your computer not get lost on the Internet
what Novia's electronic mail and USENET news servers are called
Step One:
Installing the Software
Installation for Windows 3.11 Users:
Insert the first installation disk in your A: or B: floppy disk drive.
Click the Windows program manager's File menu. Select Run…
Into the command line text entry field, type:
A:\SETUP
(or B:\SETUP as the case may be)
Follow the instructions contained in the Getting Started manual for setting up Netscape Navigator Personal Edition. As you proceed through the installation process, insert disks as prompted. At the conclusion of the installation, you will be prompted to restart Windows. Go on to Step Two: Configuring the Software.
Installation for Windows95™ Users:
Insert the first installation disk in your A: or B: floppy disk drive.
Click to activate the Windows95™ Start menu and select Run…
Into the Open text entry field, type:
A:\SETUP
(or B:\SETUP as the case may be)
As you proceed through the installation process, insert disks as prompted. At the conclusion of the installation, you will be prompted to restart Windows. Go on to Step Two: Configuring the Software.
Step Two:
Configuring the Software
After you've restarted your computer, you will find that your Windows 3.11 desktop now contains a new program group called Netscape Personal Edition. If you are using Windows95™, you should have a new folder called Netscape Navigator Personal Edition. Open this and double-click the Account Setup Wizard icon.
STEP ONE
At this point the software will prompt you with two buttons, "I need to choose a service provider" and "I already have a service provider" Select "I already have a service provider" and click on the Next> button.
STEP TWO
You will now be presented with a number of Account Information dialog boxes, the first dealing with your easy access icon, the icon you will double-click to launch the Netscape dialer and access the Internet. In the Name of Easy Access Icon: text entry field, type "Novia Internetworking" (or simply "Novia" if you'd rather) and click on the Next> button.
STEP THREE
This dialog, along with the one following it, are informational only. They explain the specific settings and parameters Netscape will require to configure your PC to access the Internet. Click the Next> button until you reach the dialog prompting you to "Enter information about yourself:"
Enter your name and company name (if applicable). Click on the Next> button.
STEP FOUR
This dialog will ask you for your login and password. You were given these when you signed up for an account. Be sure to enter the login name in all lower-case letters. If you have forgotten your login name, password, or both, give us a ring at 391-4005. Leave the "I will need a TTY window" option unselected and click on the Next> button.
STEP FIVE
At Novia Internetworking, your Email login and Email password are precisely the same as your regular login and password. Reenter your login and password (the login should already be done for you) and click on the Next> button.
STEP SIX
In this dialog box you will supply the Account Setup Wizard with the telephone number your modem will dial to access the Internet. Enter 402 for the area code setting. The telephone number itself is 390-2638. Click on the Next> button.
STEP SEVEN
A DNS server is responsible for mapping Internet host names such as www.novia.net to Internet Protocol numbers such as 204.248.24.1. Use the following settings for DNS information in this dialog:
Primary DNS Server: 204.248.24.2
Secondary DNS Server: 204.248.24.1
Domain Name: novia.net
Click on the Next> button.
STEP EIGHT
In this dialog you will be prompted to provide information about Novia's server names:
POP Server: pop.novia.net
SMTP Server: smtp.novia.net
NNTP Server: nntp.novia.net
Click on the Next> button.
STEP NINE
At this point the installer will turn its attention to your modem. An informational dialog will appear notifying you that the Account Setup Wizard will attempt to detect your modem.
Making sure that the "Don't detect my modem; I will select it from a list" option is unchecked and that your modem (if external) is powered on and connected to your PC, click on the Next> button.
The installer will now attempt to recognize or "auto-detect" your modem.
If the installer recognized your modem's model and vendor, it will display this information in the next dialog. If your modem was recognized, click on the Next> button and move on to step ten.
If the installer could not identify your modem, you will be prompted to select it from a list. While Netscape Communications makes an effort to keep its software current, if you are using a modem released after Netscape Navigator Personal Edition was published, the installer will be unable to recognize it. You have two options if this is the case:
1. You can select the closest match from the list of modems with which you will be presented when the auto-detection fails. For example, if you are using a BitHead 28.8kbps KL-2 modem which the installer failed to recognize, but you found a BitHead 28.8kbps KL in the resulting list of modems, odds are choosing the listed BitHead model would work.
2. You can select Hayes compatible from the modem list.
Click on the Next> button.
STEP TEN
This dialog will ask you for the telephone number from which you are calling. Enter your telephone number and click the Next> button.
STEP ELEVEN
The Dialing Information dialog allows you to specify an access number to receive an outside line if you are calling from an office (usually 9 or *9) and disable call-waiting. If you do not have call-waiting, click on the Next> button. If you have call-waiting, the second call notification "click" will result in hang-ups when you are online, so it is recommended that you turn off call-waiting for data calls. To do so, type *70, in the Disable Call Waiting with field. Click on the Next> button.
STEP TWELVE
That's it! Click on the Finish button. At this point, you have successfully installed and configured Netscape Navigator Personal Edition. The installer will ask you if you want to get online now and register the software or do so later.
Where do I go from here? How do I send e-mail? How do I read news? How do I download software?
One of the paradoxes of the Internet is that most of the information about how to find information on the Internet is in fact on the Internet. While the previous sentence may not win any awards for grammar, it is nonetheless true. The best place to start for you - as a user of Personal Edition - is the Getting Started manual. It will guide you through using the web browser, sending and receiving e-mail, etc.
If you need additional information, give us a call and we can try and answer your question or, if your needs are more general, steer you towards one of the many Internet books we have purchased over the years. We know what is good and what is kindling. Running up charge bills at bookstores is what got us into the business in the first place!
However, the best way to contact us is of course through e-mail. Just address your message to "staff."
Any questions?
What's my e-mail address?
Oops! Almost forgot: it's your login name plus "novia.net." In other words, if your login is jlennon, put jlennon@novia.net on your business cards. We hope that will be your e-mail address for a long time to come.
Thank you again for choosing Novia!