Designing small city network

[globalonline]

I'm in the process of helping my small town improve thier WAN infrastucture. They have three remote locations connected to the city via a 56k connection. The city wants everyone on the WAN to have internet access. I thought providing them with a 256k point-to-point connection (from City Hall) to the internet would be sufficiant . However, one of the locations they have more than 10 workstations, I don't think a 56k data line back to the city hall would be significant. Any suggestions?

[svermill]

That would indeed be painfully slow. Maybe you could get a DSL connection directly into each remote site and buy a small DSL router? Or perhaps set up an ISP account for dialup directly from each remote site? I'm not by any means an expert on access servers in an outbound configuration, but I think they are fairly simple/affordable. Probably cheaper than your next option, which would be ISDN or leased lines into City Hall.

Scott

[mbjohnson]

If you want everyone to browse the Net through your site, I would do something like 128K Frame Relay to each remote site, and at the main site, depending on cost and what's available I would try to get a T-1.

Id DSL is available, you have a "guaranteed" T-1 DSL link for about $100.00/mo

Good luck.

[globalonline]

Thanks so much for your suggestions

[michael]

If you want to speed up access to the internet specifically http traffic trying using something like a Content Engine. A CE507 would be good in this situation. You would be saving almost 50% bandwidth over time if users are accessing web pages. Your CE507 would be cacheing web pages with out the end user knowing.

[globalonline]

What is the cost of one of these units...Thanks.

[mbjohnson]

It's listed for $5500.

[globalonline]

WOW!! that's expensive...Thanks for your help.