GLASNET INFORMATION
Version 3.0 18 Febuary 1994
"GlasNet (R)" - A Computer Network for Pro Bono Groups
in the Former Soviet Union
GlasNet is the first non-profit, non-governmental
telecommunications network to be established in the Former Soviet
Union. It is a network in the Former Soviet Union for people
there who have access to electronic communication equipment;
typically a PC and a modem (See Appendix B below for more
information on modems). Anyone with access to the Internet or any
of the networks listed below can exchange Email with GlasNet
users.
GlasNet's goal is to offer easy and inexpensive information
exchange between diverse groups within the Former Soviet Union,
including scientists, educators, cultural groups, journalists,
environmentalists, business people, computer enthusiasts, and so
forth. It also enables Former Soviet Union groups and individuals
to correspond electronically with their counterparts in the
Americas, Europe, and Asia. GlasNet is non-profit (revenues are
kept equal to expenses), and serves the communication needs of pro
bono groups in the Former Soviet Union who could not otherwise
afford modern communication services. Charges to GlasNet users in
the Former Soviet Union are entirely in rubles, and will be kept
as low as possible while maintaining good system services.
Thanks to the International Science Foundation for the Former
Soviet Union, GlasNet Moscow now has a direct connection to the
Internet. GlasNet service between Moscow and other parts of the
Internet is reliable and rapid; typical Email messages exchanged
between the US and Moscow arrive at their destination in
approximately a second after they were sent.
GlasNet is a member of the Association for Progressive
Communications (APC), a global network-of-networks with host
computers in Australia (Pegasus), Brazil (AlterNex), Bolivia
(Bolnet), Canada (Web), Germany (ComLink), Great Britain
(GreenNet), Nicaragua (Nicarao), Sweden (NordNet), Uruguay
(Chasque), and the USA (PeaceNet,EcoNet).
We are in the process of upgrading to Sun Microsystems equipment
in Moscow; this should increase perfomance by a factor of 2 to 4.
GlasNet has been operating in Moscow since March of 1991. The
Moscow in-dial modems support speeds from 300 to 14,400 bps, and a
wide range of protocols including V.32 bis, V.42, and MNP.
GlasNet has been operating in Moscow since March of 1991. The
current GlasNet Moscow hardware configuration supports 4,000 user
accounts; of these up to XX can be on line simultaneously,
depending on the number of available telephone lines.
GlasNet also has a host computer system operating in Kiev,
operating since December of 1992.
Collaboration among scientists, business people, and other
specialists in the USA has been facilitated in recent years
through the use of computer-based electronic mail and conferencing
capabilities, allowing people in different parts of the country to
work on joint projects, access data banks and information in
computers all across the country, and electronically publish new
work. These powerful capabilties are now becoming available to
the general public, the non-profit community in particular,
through such services as PeaceNet and EcoNet.
It is the goal of GlasNet to provide similar performance-enhancing
services to the fast-emerging independent sectors in the Former
Soviet Union, offering users easy access to friends, colleagues,
and potential associates in the Former Soviet Union and abroad.
Users from many other places in the Former Soviet Union regularly
access their GlasNet accounts using long distance calls, GlasNet
accounts have been accessed in this way from as far away as
Irkutsk and Vladivostok. Access is also available from many
Former Soviet Union cities via local calls to Public Data Networks
making X.25 connections to GlasNet. See Appendix C for more
details.
Services available to GlasNet users include:
Electronic Mail
GlasNet subscribers are able to exchange messages with others on
GlasNet, other users within APC, or with users belonging to many
other networks through APC "gateways."
Networks accessible through these gateways include: America
Online, Applelink, ARPANET, AT&T LandMail, AT&T MAIL, Bitnet, BIX,
BOLNET, CARINET, CGNET, CIGnet, COMLINK, COMPUSERVE, CONNECT,
CSNet, DASNET, DELPHI, DIALCOM, EasyLink, ECUANEX, EIES, ENVOY
100, FIDONET, GALAXY, GeoNet, GTE, HandsNet, HURACAN, IMC, INET,
Internet, JANET, MCI MAIL, MicroLink, NASA, NWI, OMNET, PANDORA,
PINET, Portal, PsychNet, ScienceNet, SOURCE, TCN, Telecom Gold,
Telemail, THE META NETWORK, TWICS, Tymnet/Ontyme,
UNDP;UNDRO;UNINET, UNISON, UUCP Mail Net, WELL, WORKNET, OMNET,
Usenet
Electronic mail (Email) overcomes the cost and problems of
telephone use. An electronic mail message is composed at the
user's convenience, then quickly sent by the GlasNet computer to
its destination in the addressee's host computer mailbox, which
may be in Moscow or halfway around the world. When the person to
whom it is sent logs in to his or her local network host computer,
the message is waiting. Transmission is immediate, and there is
no need for both parties to be present simultaneously. Costs are
less than long distance telephone calls or those of air parcel
services.
FAX
GlasNet provides its users with the ability to send messages to
FAX machines. FAX messages are sent directly to FAX machines in
the Former Soviet Union; FAX messages are sent as Email from the
Former Soviet Union to California, and then as FAX messages from
there to FAX machines in the US. Similarly FAX messages can be
sent as Email from the US or other APC hosts to GlasNet, and from
there as FAX messages to FAX machines in the Former Soviet Union.
Most users find that this system provides more reliable delivery
than direct FAX-in-the-US to FAX-in-the-Former Soviet Union calls.
Because of the bit-mapped nature of FAX encoded messages it is not
possible for users to receive FAX messages via the
character-oriented GlasNet system.
Electronic Conferencing
An electronic conference is a written conversation with other
users; a conference is created to discuss a particular topic or to
facilitate communication between people working on a joint
project. GlasNet users can start their own conferences on topics
of interest, or are able to participate in on-going conferences on
other APC networks. Although anyone on any of the networks listed
above can exchange Email with GlasNet subscribers, people in the
US must be subscribers to the IGC networks PeaceNet or EcoNet in
order to participate in conferences with GlasNet users. Contact
information for IGC is given below. Many of the Usenet News
Groups available through Internet are carried on GlasNet and can
be posted to or read from by GlasNet users.
GlasMail (R)
People without a PC and a modem can still communicate using
GlasNet's GlasMail (R) service: in November 1991 GlasNet began
offering this new service. It allows reliable communication
between people who have no Email or other equipment. Messages can
be delivered using phone calls, FAXes, Email, letters, or
telegrams. The messages are sent rapidly and reliably between the
USA and the Former Soviet Union by Email; they are translated into
the specified form and dispatched from Moscow (or San Francisco at
the US end). Prices range from $4 to $9 for normal messages,
depending on the speed and cost of delivery. Delivery can be as
short as 1 day from from receipt of a message in the USA to its
delivery in the Former Soviet Union. Messages from the Former
Soviet Union to the USA can be delivered more rapidly.
------------------------------------------------------------
The Russian staff of GlasNet opposed the coup of August 1991 and
courageously kept GlasNet operating during it. GlasNet was used to
keep GlasNet users informed about the fight against the coup, and
to pass information about it back to the West. Similar
information exchange was maintained during the siege of the
Parliament Building in October of 1993.
For further information on GlasNet or GlasMail, please use the
contacts below.
In the Former Soviet Union:
GlasNet User Support
Email: support@glas.apc.org
Alexander Zaytsev, Technical Director.
Email: alexz@glas.apc.org
The Executive Director of GlasNet is Anatoly Voronov.
Email: avoronov@glas.apc.org
GlasNet Moscow office address:
107074 Moscow
ul. Sadovaya-Chernogryazskaya, 4
suite 16 3rd floor
(near metro KRASNYE VOROTA)
voice telephone: (095)207-0704
voice telephone and FAX: 207-0889
Data telephone numbers: 262-4857, 262-0209.
Both 4857 and 0209 are equipped with rotaries; incoming calls are
automatically routed to one of 16 data lines.
In the USA:
David Caulkins
GlasNet USA
437 Mundel Way
Los Altos, CA 94022
(415)948-5753 voice
(415)948-1474 fax
Email:
glasadmin@igc.apc.org (from Internet in the USA)
People in the USA who wish to access GlasNet and do not have an
account on one of the APC-connected gateway networks listed above
should get an account on one of the IGC networks: PeaceNet or
EcoNet. For information about these networks, contact:
IGC
18 de Boom
San Francisco, CA 94107
(415)442-0220
(415)546-1794 fax
Email: igcoffice@igc.apc.org
It is possible to sponsor a GlasNet account for colleagues in the
Former Soviet Union by making dollar payments to IGC in the USA;
accounts sponsored in this way are effectively free to users in
the Former Soviet Union.
There are two ways to pay for GlasNet accounts:
1. From the USA by establishing a Sponsored Account. These cost
$25 per month, plus a one-time $60 setup charge. The $25 per
month covers connect and storage charges up to 600,000 characters
per month of traffic. Special services (FAX, telex, X.25 access,
etc) are not included in the $25 monthly charge.
Sponsored accounts are paid for in dollars to the GlasNet USA
office. After an initial payment to set up the account (typically
$85), accounts are billed monthly in the USA.
2. People in the Former Soviet Union can pay directly in rubles.
=================================================================
Appendix B
Modems
Modems suitable for use with GlasNet should have the
following characteristics:
1) Error correction (MNP protocol levels 2 - 5, or V.42)
This is very important !
2) Hayes-compatible AT command set
3) Supports data rates of 300 to 14,400 bps
Modems of this kind are available at electronics and computer
stores in the USA, either retail or mail-order. Prices range from
approximately $60 to $200 for an internal modem (plugs into a slot
in a PC), or $140 to $300 to for an external modem (in a separate
box, and usable with a PC, Macintosh, or any other computer with a
serial port). Copies of communications software (MTE or Procomm)
can be obtained from the US or Moscow offices of GlasNet.
Communications software packages recommended for use with GlasNet
are:
For IBM PC computers and equivalent clones using the DOS
operating system:
Procomm
For use with non-MNP modems - MTE or MTEZ
For Macintosh computers:
Red Ryder, Microphone, or White Knight
Other communications software packages have a high probablility
of working with GlasNet.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Connecting a Modem to the Former Soviet Union Telephone System
There are two ways to connect a modem with an RJ11 modular
connector to the telephone system in the Former Soviet Union.
I) ADAPTER
Adapters that plug into an Former Soviet Union telephone jack and
accept an RJ11 modular plug of the kind used by US telephone
equipment and modems can be purchased from:
Pharmec
18/2 Ulitsa Dokukina
129226 Moscow
187-3979 tel
187-4522 FAX
or in the US from:
4D Company
444 E 87th St. Suite 4F
New York, NY 10128
(212)427-4151
(212)427-4572 fax
There are two models; Model 122 has a female RJ11 and a female
Former Soviet Union phone connector; it accomodates a modem and a
Russian telephone simultaneously. Model 121 has a female RJ11 and
accomodates only a modem.
I) DO IT YOURSELF KIT
Parts and tools needed:
1) Two clip leads, about 45 centimeters long.
Clip leads are insulated wires with alligator clips on both ends.
2) A modular plug cable. This is a standard cable of the type
you would use to connect your telephone to a modular wall jack in
the USA.
Items 1) and 2) are available from Radio Shack and most other
consumer electronic stores.
3) A small screwdriver with a blade about 3 millimeters wide.
Procedure:
Temporary Attachment
A) Cut the cable of 2) in half. Strip the center two connectors
in the cut end of one of the halves. In the US these two wires
are called Ring (red wire insulation) and Tip (green wire
insulation). Attach one of the clip leads of 1) to each of these
wires.
B) Use the 3) screwdriver to take the cover off the Former Soviet
Union telephone wall jack. Attach the other ends of the clip
leads from A) to the two wires in the jack. Connect the modular
plug to the modem.
Permanent Attachment
C) Cut the cable of 2) in half. Strip the center two connectors
in the cut end of one of the halves, exposing about 1 centimeter
of the electrical wire beneath the insulation. In the US these
two wires are called Ring (red wire insulation) and Tip (green
wire insulation).
D) Use the 3) screwdriver to take the cover off the Former Soviet
Union telephone wall jack. The two wires in the jack are secured
by screws; loosen these with the screwdriver, wrap one of the
wires from C) on each so that both the new and old wires are under
the screws. Tighten the screws to secure all the wires. Guide
the cable of C) out of the Former Soviet Union wall jack, and put
the cover back on so that it does not pinch the cable. Connect
the modular plug to the modem.
=================================================================
Appendix C
Access to GlasNet Moscow via local or long distance calls, and
by local call access to X.25 Public Data Networks (PDNs) from
other cities.
Table 1 December, 1993
Price *
cents/min
+-----------------------------------------------------------+----+
|City | Modem Number | Command | |
+-----------------+----------------+------------------------+----+
|Moscow | | | |
| direct-dial |(095)262-4857 | none |0.60|
| | 262-0209 | none |0.60|
| | 262-2072 | none |0.60|
| | 971-5968 | none |0.60|
| | | | |
| ISKRA |(097)29-073 | | |
| TSI X.25 PAD |(095)262-7020 |nui(GLAS) 7 [or 7] |2.25|
| Infotel PAD |(095)958-0226 |n4100300039proba-.GLAS |2.25|
| Note: The ISKRA line and the TSI and Infotel PAD numbers | |
| can provide good-quality local Moscow connections | |
| for those users with Moscow telephone exchanges | |
| that do not work well for data communications. | |
| Call GlasNet User Support at 207-0704 or 207-0889 | |
| for more information. | |
| | | | |
|St. Petersburg |(812)168-5162 |nui(GLASP)7 [or 7] | 6.3|
| voice 568-3953 | 168-5474 | | |
| | 168-3263 | | |
| | 168-2750 | | |
|Tallinn |(0142)31-3116 |con7 |13.2|
|Kiev |(044)229-6005 |nui(GLAS) 7 [or 7] | 7.8|
| voice 229-3369 | 229-8239 |nui(GLAS) 7 [or 7] | |
|Odessa |(048)21-6294 |nui(GLAS) 7 [or 7] | 7.8|
| voice 21-6281 | | | |
|Kazan |(8432)36-1673 | | |
| | Command: n4117300002connect-4102101600 | 4.5|
|Voronezh 55-5467 |(0732)56-1941 | | |
| | Command: n4118300002connect-4102101600 | 4.5|
|Izhevsk |(3412)056 | | |
| | Command: n4519300001proba-4102101600 | 4.5|
|Nizhny Novgorod |(8312)31-9041 | | |
| | Command: n4114300002connect-4102101600 | 4.5|
|Ekaterinburg |(3432)56-2665 | | |
| | Command: n4510300003connect-4102101600 | 4.5|
|Novosibirsk |(3832)98-1110 | | |
| | Command: n4812300001connect-4102101600 | 9.0|
|Vladivostok |(4232)22-0310 | | |
| | Command: n4921300001connect-4102101600 | 9.0|
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
* - prices are quoted in US cents but billed in rubles
If user has a NUI to any other X.25 Network, he can use
any of the following addresses (NUA) to login to GlasNet:
0250441022016000
024420703707
025029904070507
For example, you can use IASNET for this, but you must pay them
for the NUI and the X.25 traffic.
Here is some information about IASNET:
City Code Admin Sovam Support Modem number
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Moscow 095 229-1118 947-5586
932-6765
Baku 8922 66-3995 66-4689 66-0079
Kazan 8432 54-3200 74-3430 76-3688
76-3272
Kiev 044 296-4238 296-4247 296-4292
296-4283
Minsk 0172 26-4560 26-4560 20-7674
Riga 0132 55-1133 55-1133 36-3041
St. Pete 812 311-7129 311-8412 311-0365
Ufa 3472 22-5500 22-4827 52-8647
Vladivostok 4232 25-2731 25-2598 25-4633
25-3455
25-9711
Yerevan 8852 28-5082 28-2951 28-4230
Future X.25 access:
In 1994 we anticipate adding Alma-Ata, Kaliningrad, Murmansk,
Novorossiysk, Novosibirsk, and Petrozavodsk
INFOTEL has entry points in: Moscow, Rostov-na-Donu,
Ekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Novgorod, Barnaul, Krasnoyarsk,
Voronezh, Izhevsk, Kazan, Tumen, Vladivostok, Nizhnii Novgorod,
St-Petersburg. It has plans to establish X.25 nodes in all
Russian regional centers.
fax: +7(095)200-3208 or 954-0895
telex: 411727
voice: 252-1212, 9549600
Transinform - expects to get new equipment from Alcatel and start
expansion to additional cities.
Rospak - JV with IASNET, has and install a number of X.25 entry
points in smaller cities of Russia (fax: +7(095)229-3804,
voice: 229-3237)
The rates are about $0.80/hour and $0.50/Kilosegment