Traveling?
Take Your Local
Internet Access With You

by Stuart Froman

You've got your new laptop loaded with everything you need for a productive business trip. You've even got all the international power and modem adapters necessary to connect your laptop and modem in every hotel room from Auckland to Zurich. Now, if you could just avoid those costly and unreliable international calls to access your e-mail and the Web!

Let's face it, if you're not a net junkie, you at least have a sensible dependence on the information you access on the Internet. And whether you're traveling for business or pleasure, you still need to stay connected. But let's say you're in Paris, and your next stop is a conference in Tokyo. You'd like to review the latest conference attendees list, check out the entertainment possibilities, and generally read and respond to e-mails from staff, colleagues, friends, and family. Your ISP is in the US, so you make the international call. You happily click away until you realize you've just spent 45 minutes online. The bill from France Telecom? Somewhere between $18 and $23, depending on when you called, and not including the hotel surcharge! And not to mention how hard those international lines can be on your data.

But now you can automatically get a better, more stable connection to the Internet and pay under $5.00 for that same 45 minutes of connect time--whether you're in France or another country where the international dial rates are even higher! The service is available through the new Global Reach Internet Connection (GRIC) Internet Roaming service. Here's what GRIC Internet Roaming is, how it works, and how to get it.

WHAT IS GRIC INTERNET ROAMING?

AimQuest Corporation in Milpitas, California, developed the GRIC alliance to bring ISPs and telcos together to enable Internet Roaming and other global communication services. Similar to cellular phone roaming, Internet roaming allows you to log into a local GRIC member Internet provider almost anywhere in the world using the same Internet account you use at home -- and using a local telephone number. GRIC Internet Roaming comes in two flavors. First, a rapidly increasing number of ISPs and telcos offer roaming as a value-added service to their dial-up customers. Second, corporations can now obtain roaming server software and by working with a GRIC member Internet provider offer global roaming, with secure intranet access, to any number of employees using their regular corporate accounts.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Let's get a dial-up subscriber roaming, and then see how corporate roaming might differ. We'll assume that John Smith has an Internet account with NETCOM, a GRIC member ISP in the US. His User ID is "roaming", his password is "*****", and his e-mail address is "roaming@ix.netcom.com". He is about to travel to Tokyo where he wants to login using his laptop.

Before leaving, he does two things. First, he checks to make sure he has all the hardware he'll need for getting connected in the destination country (see "Roaming in the Real World" below).

Next, he uses the GRIC Roaming Phone Book and Dialer (RPBD) software previously installed on his laptop. He logs onto his Internet account, runs the software, and clicks on File/Update. This downloads from the AimQuest Web site all the latest telephone numbers for the Internet access points in Tokyo (along with all the other Internet access points worldwide, just in case John's plans change). The MS Windows 95-based GRIC RPBD software (a MAC version is scheduled for release in July and may be available by the time you read this) isn't actually required for roaming, but it's free with the service and makes roaming even easier by configuring the Dial-up Networking connections in Window 95 and stepping the user through the connection process. If John prefers not to use the RPBD, he can still go to the Web version of the GRIC Roaming Phone Book (http://www.aimquest.com/phonebook/home.html) and download the phone numbers and connection information for the Tokyo access points, for selected additional cities worldwide, or for all the access points in the world.

Armed with the latest telephone numbers, John is ready to roam. Once he reaches his hotel in Tokyo and connects the laptop modem to a phone line (using an adapter or an acoustic coupler), he boots the laptop and again launches the GRIC Roaming Phone Book.

Using the simple phone book interface, he selects Japan as the country and Tokyo as the city, and then clicks on SEARCH to display all the access points he can dial into.

To be safe, he confirms with the hotel front desk which of the numbers is local or the least expensive.

He then selects a number and clicks on CONNECT, which opens the Connect Window.

In the Connect Window, John confirms that his e-mail address, his password, and the dialing information are all correct. He then clicks on DIAL.

From there, the logon process is completely automatic. Once connected, John can check his regular e-mail account, visit his favorite Web sites, and even configure his news reader with the local news server so that he can check out his favorite newsgroups.

If John was not using the RPBD, access would still be simple. Having downloaded the connection information from the AimQuest Web site, John would manually create a new account/dialing script in the dialer he normally uses. Once properly configured, he would initiate the connection as he usually would. When asked for his User ID, instead of typing just "roaming", he would enter "roaming@ix.netcom.com" (which is identical to his e-mail address). He would then enter his regular password. From there, the connection would work just as it usually does from home.

The connection process is so simple, and the GRIC member ISPs and telcos being accessed are of such high quality, that most users will never need to call the English-speaking customer support representatives that stand by during the normal business hours of each service provider worldwide.

The simplicity of access extends to corporate roaming as well. If John's company had established a corporate roaming account with a GRIC member ISP, logging in would initially be the same as above, whether using the GRIC Roaming Phone Book or not. The only special consideration for some laptop users is that if the laptop is usually configured to access the corporate network using a "static IP address," the configuration would have to be changed temporarily to "dynamic IP address." (If you use your laptop at the office and it is connected directly to the company network, that is you don't "dial-up" to get connected, then your laptop is probably configured with a "static IP address." Your System Administrator can confirm this and show you how to change the configuration to "dynamic IP.")

After John gets connected to the Internet and depending on the security setup of his company's firewall, he might have to run an additional small applet to set encryption and Virtual Private Network (VPN) options. But once logged on, John would have full access to his corporate intranet or whatever security-level access was granted to him.

BUT HOW DOES IT REALLY WORK?

To understand how you can log into the network of one ISP and check an e-mail account that is half-a-world away, it's useful to understand how the GRIC Roaming Network operates. This information isn't essential for using the roaming service, so if you aren't interested in a little technical information, skip ahead to "Roaming in the Real World," which includes additional practical tips for roaming.

Meanwhile, here's a very general introduction to dial-up Internet access, "authentication servers," "mail servers," and the GRIC difference.

In addition to the information we already have on John (ISP name, User ID, password, and e-mail address), two other key bits of information help us understand how the roaming network operates. First, ISPs use an "authentication server" to determine if someone trying to log in has a valid account. Put simply, an authentication server has a database of User IDs and passwords and checks what a user types at the login screen against the database. If there is a match, the authentication server allows the connection to be made. If there is not match, the authentication server does not allow the connection and usually gives the user another attempt to enter the information.

The second key bit of information is that ISPs also have "mail servers." The mail servers are the actual machines at the ISP where incoming ("POP3 server") and outgoing ("SMTP server") e-mails reside until they are downloaded to a PC or sent out over the Internet. NETCOM, for instance, has smtp.netcruiser and popd.netcruiser. Some ISPs use only one name, such as "mail.ispname.com", for both servers.

Each time John logs onto his NETCOM account from home, he enters his User ID and password. This information is immediately checked by NETCOM's authentication server, which checks to see if "roaming" is a valid account and if the password that was entered matches the one on file for that account. Once logged on, John runs his e-mail software. This software is configured to check or send mail to the appropriate mail servers at NETCOM.

For all the dramatic benefits of the GRIC Roaming Network, the principle behind it is very simple. Each GRIC member ISP has installed special authentication server software, called AimTraveler. When John roams in Japan, he is actually dialing the local number of an ISP in Japan. For the User ID he enters (or the GRIC Roaming Phone Book automatically enters) "roaming@ix.netcom.com". The AimTraveler software in Japan sees the "@ix.netcom.com" and recognizes that this is a roamer. Instead of checking the regular local user database, AimTraveler forwards the authentication request back across the Internet to NETCOM. The AimTraveler software at NETCOM also recognizes that this is a roaming request, checks to ensure that a valid User ID and password have been entered, and if so, sends an OK back to the AimTraveler software in Japan, which in turn grants John full access to the Internet.

But if John is logged onto the Internet with the ISP in Japan, how can he check his e-mail at NETCOM? That's where the mail servers come in. Even though John has used the GRIC Roaming Phone Book or another dialer to dial the Japan ISP, his e-mail software is still configured to check his mail server at NETCOM. Nothing in the way roaming works changes the e-mail setup. When John runs his e-mail software, the software can find the mail servers no matter where they are on the Internet. Incoming e-mail is sent directly from the "pop3.netcruiser" mail server to John's PC. Mail sent from John's PC goes directly to the "smtp.netcruiser" mail server. In fact, from the user's point of view, everything about e-mail works just the same as if John had dialed in just a block away from his ISP.

For corporate roaming, the scheme is only slightly different. In this case, the company has its own AimTraveler software installed. Let's say John's company is SmartCorp and his e-mail account is "roaming@smartcorp.com". The company has a leased-line account with NETCOM. When John roams, he uses "roaming@smartcorp.com" to log on. The AimTraveler software in Japan sees "@smartcorp.com," and knows to send the authentication request to NETCOM. When the AimTraveler software at NETCOM receives the request, it sees "@smartcorp.com" and knows to send the request on to SmartCorp. Once the AimTraveler software at SmartCorp validates John, the OK is sent back to NETCOM and then on to the ISP in Japan. A secure "tunnel" can then be initiated between the laptop in Japan and the corporate intranet in the US.

ROAMING IN THE REAL WORLD

While Internet roaming is a breakthrough technology that overcomes the limited geographic coverage of most ISPs, there are other important considerations when taking your laptop on the road and attempting to go online.

"Hardware"

Connecting your laptop to different power sources and connecting the modem to different telephone lines can be a new and frustrating experience for roamers -- and could cause damage to your equipment! Digital phone lines, different dial tones, hard-wired phones, incompatible connectors and sockets, and ungrounded power adapters are just a few of the problems you may encounter. Fortunately TeleAdapt provides a variety of solutions to these problems. Start at http://www.teleadapt.com to explore the issues and resolve these problems.

Some Basic GRIC Tips

These are just a few tips to help you consider issues you may confront. AimQuest is also building a Roamer's FAQ at its Web site at http://www.aimquest.com.

1. Always update the Phone Book before leaving on a trip. New Access Points are constantly being added, and our members may at times change the phone numbers they use.

2. When multiple numbers appear in the GRIC Phone Book for the city you are in, check with the Front Desk to make sure which numbers are a local call from the hotel.

3. If there are multiple numbers for your location and you have trouble connecting using the first one, try the others before calling customer support.

4. Authentication may take a little longer when roaming. Try setting the "timeout" feature of your dialer to 90 seconds. (If working manually in Win95, for example, go to the Dial-up Networking Folder. Click on the icon you want to modify. Select the File menu and choose the Properties option. Click on the Configure button and then the Connection tab. Set "cancel call if not connected within" to 90 seconds. NOTE: Future version of the GRIC Phone Book and Dialer will set this automatically.)

How to Get the Roaming Service

It is important to keep in mind that AimQuest and GRIC do not sell Internet roaming accounts to end-users. Currently only Internet service providers that have joined the GRIC alliance can offer GRIC roaming to their subscribers. A growing list of ISPs from all around the world are joining GRIC. To find out which ISPs in your area offer GRIC Internet Roaming, visit the AimQuest Web.

For dial-up subscribers, most GRIC member ISPs offer roaming as a value-added service. Access charges usually range from $4-$6/hour. Additional charges may be applied as well. Pricing for corporate roaming is structured differently, and you should contact your local GRIC member ISP for more information.

The Future of Global Services

GRIC services do not stop with roaming. The GRIC alliance is also rolling out a host of other services, including global Internet-based faxing, telephony, and video conferencing. In fact, the GRIC alliance creates the world's first Super SoftTelco, that is, a single virtual telephone company that makes possible a variety of new global communication services. The goal is to give you direct, local, low-cost access to all communication services, whenever you need them, no matter where you are, using just one account.

From checking your e-mail in Guam, to sending a fax in Santiago, to having a very long conversation with your friend in Malaysia, it's a great new low-cost world of communication out there. Getting connected is no longer enough. Now you can stay connected by taking it with you all over the world.

The End

Copyright © 1997, AimQuest Corporation, All rights reserved.