Setting Up Your Internet Connection

Transcription

1 4 CONNECTING TO CHANCES ARE, you aready have Internet access and are using the Web or sending emai. If you downoaded your instaation fies or instaed esigna from the web, you can be sure that you re set up and ready to go. If you don t aready have Internet access, this chapter wi hep you get connected. Setting Up Your Internet Connection This section provides some basic information about setting up Internet access for your computer, as we as hints for choosing an Internet service provider (ISPs the companies that se you Internet access). If your computer is configured ike most computers, you shoud be abe to get things set up using the information provided here. If you need more hep, good books are avaiabe. Many ISPs wi aso hep you by providing software that automates the setup process for their service. Here s what you need to get started: Modem. You need a modem to connect your computer to the onine word. The modem shoud be 28.8 Kbps or faster. The faster your connection, the better. esigna highy recommends that you use a high-speed Internet connection, such as DSL, cabe modem, an ISDN ine or T1 ine. esigna 4-1

2 Networking software. Your computer probaby aready has what it needs in the way of networking software. Windows 2000, Windows NT 4.0 with SP3 or higher, and (especiay) Windows 98 incude a the networking software needed, pus wizards that hep you set things up. You use dia-up networking, a Windows feature for connecting to a network via a modem. Getting on the Internet shoud be reativey easy. Browser software. esigna incudes a buit-in Browser window so that you can view esigna and other web sites without eaving the appication. You need Microsoft Internet Exporer version 5.5 or ater. If you don t aready have Internet Exporer 5.5, you can downoad it from Microsoft. Internet connection. This is where an ISP comes in. If you re connecting using a modem, you need to contact an ISP to set up your Internet connection. What to Look for When Choosing an ISP ISPs are not a aike. Here are some factors to consider and evauate as you seect an ISP. Bandwidth. Your modem isn t the ony thing that determines the speed and effectiveness of your Internet connection. The ISP s equipment and technoogy pay an important roe too. esigna paces a considerabe demand on your Internet connection, so you need an ISP with the technoogy and capacity to support our service. Experience shows that ISPs such as those sponsored by a teephone company are we suited to hande your needs. Modem support. Make sure your ISP supports your access device. Neary a ISPs support standard dia-up modems; however, some may not support some of the high-speed aternatives, such as ISDN or cabe modem. Accessibiity. Be sure that your ISP provides to-free access for your modem type and speed. You aso want assurance that the ISP has enough resources to support dia-up traffic from the number you be using. There s nothing worse than a busy signa when you need to get onine! 4-2 esigna

3 What to Look for When Choosing an ISP Reiabiity. Occasionay, a server goes down or other eements of the web go on the fritz. It seems to happen more with some ISPs than others. Ask for statistics on up-time and compare their reiabiity to other ISPs. Price. Price is aways a consideration, but not necessariy the most important. Most ISPs price their services competitivey. They usuay provide different pans based on the type of connection and Internet usage. Be sure to seect a pan that meets your needs. Setup support. Most ISPs provide software and support that make getting started a breeze. Look for a provider that can take a the work out of getting onine. Because you be using Microsoft Internet Exporer, you be ooking for instaation software and support geared for that browser. esigna subscribers have reported positive experiences with the foowing ISPs: EarthLink MCI WordCom AT&T Wordnet MindSpring Loca teephone companies (e.g., Pacific Be and Be Atantic) Creating an Internet Connection If you woud ike further information on how to choose a reiabe Internet Service Provider, pease go to Windows 2000, Windows NT, and Windows 98 each have sighty different methods for setting up an Internet connection. The good news is that the setup process for each environment is reativey easy if you foow directions cosey. Browser software such as Internet Exporer and Netscape Communicator provide easy-to-use esigna 4-3

4 wizards to hep you connect, or you can use Windows Hep to step you through the process. NOTE: Many ISPs provide software that automates the Internet setup process. If you seect one of these ISPs that sets up a connection for Microsoft s Internet Exporer, you be in business before you know it. What You Need from Your ISP When you sign up for service with an ISP, make sure it provides you with the foowing information you need to set up your Internet connection: The teephone number your modem wi dia to connect to the Internet. A user name and password for ogging onto the Internet. (Technica stuff) The type of connection you make to the ISP s server: PPP (Point to Point) or SLIP (Seria Line Internet Protoco). PPP and SLIP are protocos that estabish how your computer wi communicate with the Internet. PPP is preferabe because it works effectivey with high-speed modems such as cabe modems and provides greater security. (Technica stuff) The ogon procedure, if any. Some ISPs require a script; if so, the ISP wi need to provide it. (Technica stuff) The IP address and domain name server (DNS) address. These are unique identifiers for the ISP s servers that you be connected to. Your ISP may provide this information dynamicay whenever you connect. If not, you need to specify these two addresses when you set up your connection. If you re aso setting up emai, you need this information as we: Your emai address The address for incoming and outgoing emai, and (more technica stuff) the server type for incoming emai 4-4 esigna

5 Your emai account name and password Connecting Using Internet Exporer Let s wak through how you woud buid an Internet connection using the Internet Exporer 5.5 connection wizard. Other browsers contain simiar programs to hep you get up and running. Internet Exporer incudes a connection wizard that heps you set up an Internet connection. Like the esigna instaer wizard, the connection wizard presents you with a sequence of screens dispaying information and offering choices. Each screen contains instructions about what to do. After you compete a screen, you move to the next screen by cicking the Next button. If you want to return to an earier screen to correct a mistake or to check on something you entered, you can cick the Back button. When you insta Internet Exporer, you encounter the connection wizard as you go through the instaation. If Internet Exporer is aready instaed, you can access the connection wizard from the Toos menu. To buid an Internet connection from Internet Exporer 1 Start Internet Exporer on your computer. 2 Cick Internet Options from the Toos menu to dispay the Internet Options diaog box. The Internet Options diaog box appears. esigna 4-5

6 3 Cick the Connect button to start the Internet connection wizard. 4-6 esigna

7 4 Cick the I want to set up my Internet connection manuay checkbox, and then cick Next. The connection wizard asks you how you want to connect to the Internet. esigna 4-7

8 5 The phone ine and modem checkbox shoud aready be checked. If it isn t, cick it, and then cick Next. The connection wizard ists your modems and asks you to seect the one you use for your Internet connection. 4-8 esigna

9 6 Cick Next if the modem you want to use is highighted. If not, cick the down arrow and choose another modem, and then cick Next. The connection wizard asks for the teephone number that the system must dia to connect with your ISP. esigna 4-9

10 7 Enter the area code and phone number provided by your ISP, change the country name and code if necessary, and then cick Next. The connection wizard asks for the user name and password that you use to connect to the Internet. You need to set this up with your ISP in advance esigna

11 8 Enter your user name and password, and then cick Advanced. The connection wizard dispays the Advanced Connection Properties diaog box with its defaut settings. esigna 4-11

12 9 Change the defaut settings based on connection specifications provided by your ISP. If it hasn t provided this information, you need to contact it before you can go on. When you re finished, cick OK to return to the wizard, and then cick Next. The connection wizard asks you to provide a name for the connection esigna

13 10 Enter a connection name, and then cick Next. The connection wizard asks you if you want to set up emai. esigna 4-13

14 11 Cick Yes if you want to set up emai or No if you don t. If you cick Yes, the wizard asks you for your emai address. If you cick No, you re just about finished and can skip forward to step esigna

15 12 Enter the emai address provided by your ISP, and then cick Next. The wizard asks for the emai server information provided by your ISP. esigna 4-15

16 13 Enter the server type for incoming mai and the addresses of your incoming and outgoing mai servers, and then cick Next. The wizard asks for ogon information esigna

17 14 Enter the account name and password provided by your ISP. If you want, you can direct Internet Exporer to remember your password so that you won t have to retype it each time you og on. Cick Next. You re just about done. esigna 4-17

18 15 Cick Finish to finish configuring your Internet connection and exit the wizard. Connecting to the Internet Uness you have a fu-time Internet connection such as a DSL service, you need to connect to the Internet before starting esigna. To make things easy, you want to create a shortcut on your desktop to your Internet connection. You can do this by doube-cicking the My Computer icon on your desktop, and then doube-cicking the Dia-up Networking foder. You shoud see an icon for the Internet connection you set up. Pace the cursor on the icon, and then cick and hod down the eft mouse button whie you drag the icon onto your desktop. When you reease the mouse button, a shortcut to the connection icon wi appear on your desktop. Now a you have to do is doube-cick the shortcut icon whenever you want to connect to the Internet esigna

19 When you doube-cick the connection icon, the Dia-up Connection diaog box dispays on your screen. If dia-up is set to connect automaticay, your PC wi dia your ISP and estabish the Internet connection. If the automatic connection feature is not set, you need to compete the connection by cicking the Connect button. esigna 4-19

20 Staying Connected If in the future you want to connect automaticay, simpy cick the Connect Automaticay button. Typicay, when you set up an Internet connection, it wi time out and disconnect automaticay if there is no traffic on the ine for a specified period of time. (The defaut time out setting for Internet Exporer is 20 minutes.) This can be an aggravation because esigna data is not visibe to most browsers. In most cases, you can disabe the timeout feature in Windows so that you stay connected. If you do this, you must remember to disconnect manuay when you are finished using esigna. To disabe the disconnect feature in Windows 98 1 Cick the Start button and choose the Contro Pane from the Settings menu. The Contro Pane opens on your desktop. 2 Doube-cick the Internet icon and cick the Connection tab in the Internet Properties diaog box esigna

21 3 Cick your connection in the Dia-up Settings box, and then cick the Settings button. The Settings diaog box appears. esigna 4-21

22 4 Cick the Advanced button to dispay the Advanced Dia-Up diaog box. 5 Cick the Disconnect if ide checkbox to disabe the automatic disconnect feature, and then cick OK. If your connection continues to timeout, it usuay means that your service provider has a disconnect feature. If this is the case, you need to contact your ISP for assistance esigna

23 How You Receive Data From the esigna Network... esigna pioneered point to mutipoint financia data transmission in the eary eighties. Over the past eighteen years, esigna has bended technoogies to create the argest, most fexibe network data transmission dedicated to active market traders and investment professionas. This network deivers data over FM, Cabe TV, Sateite, and most recenty the Internet and associated TCP/IP reated technoogies. The acceptance and robustness of IP-based Internet deivery has enabed esigna to become the fagship product and preferred market data patform. esigna has everaged its expertise in running ticker pants to provide its fu capacity datafeed to corporate cients. This datafeed is caed Turbofeed and provides trades, quotes and pricing information aowing firms to buid, database and redistribute their own market data soutions. TurboFeed is used by a number of different firms to buid a variety of customer appications and services. esigna s ticker pant is fed by direct data feeds from each of the U.S. based stock, option, and futures exchanges. esigna is supported by two competey redundant Network Operation Centers (NOCs), one in Hayward, CA and the other in Sat Lake City, UT. esigna NOCs and staff are dedicated to ensuring accuracy and integrity of the data, hardware, teecommunications inks and Internet servers. The esigna ticker pant is manned 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Whie ony one NOC is primary at any one time, the other faciity can immediatey function as a primary site in the event of a system faiure, equipment probem or regiona disaster. For the Internetbased services, the Hayward and Sat Lake City sites, as we as the co-ocated sites at AboveNet ocations in San Jose, CA and Vienna, VA and InterNAP ocations in Atanta, GA and New York, NY, run in tandem. User connections are oad baanced amongst a sites. In the event of a compete site faiure, the remaining sites have the capacity to hande the additiona oad. A sites, esigna faciities and co-ocation sites, have compete power faiure protection. Immediate protection is accompished via Uninterruptibe power systems. As depicted in Figure 4-1, esigna uses a of the top tier-one Internet Service Provider networks to support its financia backbone. This practice enabes esigna and its cients to benefit from the muti-miion doar networks that these companies esigna 4-23

24 maintain and upgrade. Cients are aways guaranteed state-of-the-art network performance and reiabiity. Figure 4-1. esigna Network Data Deivery 4-24 esigna