i/s Back Issues

Volume 14

No. 5  May/June 1999

Staying Connected When You're Far from Home

Susan Jones

Taking a laptop on your travels can be a convenience, but figuring out how to connect it to the Internet may not be as easy. If you plan to be on the road with your laptop and want to keep in touch electronically, you have two options: to connect via MIT's Tether service or to use an outside Internet Service Provider (ISP). This article gives an overview of these two options; a short companion article in this issue, "Cybercafes and Web Mail", takes a look at cybercafes, for times when you're away from home without a laptop and want to read email or surf the Web.

In addition, several useful Web sites related to traveling with your laptop are listed in the "Surf Sites" article in this issue.

Before You Go
Download the necessary software -- email program, Web browser, telnet software, and Kerberos authentication -- directly from MITnet. With enough lead time, the IS Computing Help Desk can help you install the software on your laptop and get it set up.

Here's the specific software you need on your laptop, sorted by platform.

Macintosh and Windows

Eudora Pro (email)
http://web.mit.edu/ist/help/eudora/

Netscape Navigator (Web browser)
http://web.mit.edu/ist/help/netscape /

Windows only

Kerberos for Windows (KfW)
http://web.mit.edu/ist/help/kfw/

HostExplorer (Kerberized Telnet)
http://web.mit.edu/ist/help/ktelnet/

Macintosh only

MIT Kerberos for Macintosh
http://web.mit.edu/ist/help/kerberos/kerbformac.html

Better Telnet (Kerberized Telnet)
http://web.mit.edu/ist/help/ktelnet/

Once you have downloaded the software onto your laptop, you should sign up for the necessary accounts (e.g., MIT's Tether service, a new ISP, MIT email), if you don't already have them. Also, be sure to write down your settings for MITnet TCP/IP, dialup, and email, so that you can restore them after returning from your travels.

Tether
Tether is MIT's remote-access dialup service, providing PPP connectivity to MITnet. Tether is a good choice when you need access to software from MIT-specific servers such as net-dist.mit.edu or access to certain Web pages, such as licensed library material or class materials that are restricted to Tether and on-campus MITnet users.

Tether is also a good choice when

	You don't need speeds faster than 56 Kbps
	You want to use a standard MIT Eudora account to get email
	You want Kerberos authentication and encryption to ensure that your passwords cannot be captured in the clear
	You can use a calling card to make long-distance calls.

The MIT Calling Card is a good way for faculty and staff to connect to Tether when the call is long-distance. Available from Telephone Support, the MIT Calling Card lets you bill long-distance calls to an MIT account. For details, send email to <callingcard@mit.edu> or call x3-3690.

Macintosh and Windows users can configure their dialup software to use the calling card numbers when connecting to Tether from a remote location.

For the basic facts about MIT's Tether service, see http://web.mit.edu/ist/help/tether/

Distance Dialup
If you plan to connect to MITnet from outside MIT and find that using Tether via long-distance will be prohibitively expensive, think about using a national or international ISP that provides local phone numbers in various cities and countries. Be aware that in some countries, local calls are not free. You may be charged by the minute.

With most outside ISPs, you can still use Eudora to send and receive email. You can also get MIT certificates and use certificate-based services through an outside ISP. With some ISPs you may be able to receive your MIT email, but need to send and reply via the ISP's email server.

Remember, though, that with this option, you won't be able to download software from servers such as net-dist.mit.edu or access Web pages that are restricted to on-campus MITnet users or those connected via Tether.

The rules on export of encryption are complex and in flux. Recently, for example, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that U.S. export limits on encryption are unconstitutional.

Pulling It All Together
For more in-depth coverage about setting up your laptop, attend the free IS Quick Start class Retrieve Your MIT Email from Afar. The next session is on June 28 at noon in the N42 Demo Center. The class is for Macintosh and PC users, and no registration is required.

A Last Word
Whichever connection method you choose, make sure you have all the necessary accounts and have tested the connections before you leave MIT. Try the dialup connections. Is your modem working? Can you get your email?

It's also a good idea to make one last backup of the hard disk data on your laptop and to update your virus protection software. And don't forget to bring an emergency boot disk.

Have a good trip!

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