> > > > But how large is too large?
> > >
> > > I imposed a 5 MB limit here after someone sent a single message of more
> > > than 100 MB to one of our dialup users. This past week I had a user
> > > get upset that we wouldn't accept a 28 MB message he wanted someone to
> > > send him.
>
> He's probably now looking for a new ISP ...
I don't think so. His employer has already asked for my help in
identifying why their 56k frame-relay line is so saturated. That one
28 MB message would have occupied its full capacity for more than an
hour.
> >Not every user requires this kind of bandwidth today, but the
> >applications to generate sch data are here (sound, multiple still
> >images, video, sharing executables, etc). You can't unring the bell, so
> >it's probably worthwhile to study what can be done to mitigate the
> >impact.
Well, I can give my answer without further study: people with
corporate or university T3 connections need to remember that the most
common connection is still a 26.4 Kbps dialup. A 2 MB message that
takes a fraction of a second to send over a T3 (or a few seconds over
a T1) takes dialup users about ten minutes to download.
During download of a large message, dialup users get no feedback
telling them something is happening. When they get an unusually large
message, they think something is hung and hang up. This leaves their
mailbox locked until TCP times out, so when they dial back in and try
again they get a cryptic error message. After two or three tries at
this they're frustrated and on the phone to support. This almost
invariably ends with a request that we delete the message for them.
> ISP's and corporate email administrators should just get used to large and
> frequent email attachments, upgrade their systems, or watch their customers
> or job go somewhere else.
The Internet's bandwidth-blessed elite should keep in mind that the
vast bulk of Internet users does not share their good fortune or the
values that depend on it.
--
Dick St.Peters, [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Gatekeeper, NetHeaven, Saratoga Springs, NY
Saratoga/Albany/Amsterdam/BoltonLanding/Cobleskill/Greenwich/
GlensFalls/LakePlacid/NorthCreek/Plattsburgh/...
Oldest Internet service based in the Adirondack-Albany region
