N4C Summer
+2010 Trial N4C Summer
+2010 TrialContact, Privacy, security etc., +English, Swenska, Saami, Deutsche
+ +Between early July and the middle of August 2010 the participants in the networking +for communications challenged communities (N4C) +project will be providing email and limited +web services in some locations in Padjelanta. +Given that there are no normal Internet connections in the area, we will be +using Delay-Tolerant Networking (DTN) in order to provide +these services. That means that an email sent from Staloluokta will travel on +the next suitable helicopter to Ritsem from where it will be forwarded to the +Internet. Based on our experience from 2009, we expect on average such an email +will take about 15 hours to get from Staloluokta to its destination. Similarly, +a response email from the Internet is likely to take another 15 hours to get +back to Staloluokta. The limited web services we will be providing include +content regularly pushed from the Internet as well as the ability to request +specific web pages. As with the email service, delays will be measured in hours +or days, depending on the location, helicopter movements and the availability +of power.
+ +Note that this is an experimental deployment - the service is not guaranteed +in any respect, and you use it at your own risk.
+ +How Does it Work?+ +We have developed a solar-powered WiFi hotspot that we call a "village +DTN router" (pictured on the right). You can use this just like your home +wireless access point if you have a WiFi enabled device. (SSID="n4cvillage", no +security). These devices include mail and web servers (start at http://village.n4c.eu/ if you're not here +already) where these instructions and more can be accessed. + +Since these devices are solar-powered, they will sometimes turn themselves +off to conserve battery power. Current plans call for the devices to be +turned off from 22:00 until 06:00 local time, and also whenever the +battery level is too low. There is a small screen on the village DTN +router (inside the window) that displays the current state, which +for example, will indicate when the device will next reboot, if it is in +a low-power state. (When the device is turned off, it will not provide +any services:-) + +Please don't tamper with these devices - as you can imagine it can +take a lot of effort to go visit one to fix it! + +We have installed equipment on two Fiskflyg helicopters that can +transfer messages between these village DTN routers and gateway devices +installed at Ritsem. That is how emails and web content move between the remote +sites and the Internet. + +The technology used for these transfers is called Delay-Tolerant Networking and is being used +for trials like this one and for a range of other applications. + + |
+  |
+
Locations and Dates+Current plans call for village DTN routers to be installed as listed below. Note that dates may vary somewhat and that even locations are subject to +change, as the trial proceeds. +
For most services, messages from the Internet are delivered to all +locations. So if you send a mail from Ritsem and someone answers that mail, +then you should be able to see the response when you access the mail service +later on in, for example, Staloluokta (if enough time has passed of +course.) + + |
+
+ 
+ http://www.padjelanta.com/en/karta/index.asp
+ |
+
In order to use the email service, you need:
+ +| Incoming Mail (IMAP) Server - optional SSL: | +imap.village.n4c.eu + +Use SSL: Yes +Port: 143 (wihtout SSL) or 993 (with SSL) |
+
| Outgoing Mail (SMTP) Server - optional TLS or SSL: | +smtp.village.n4c.eu (use authentication) +Use Authentication: Yes + +Port without SSL or TLS/STARTTLS: 25 +Port for TLS/STARTTLS: 587 +Port for SSL: 465 + |
+
| Account Name: | +your full email address (including @village.n4c.eu) | + +
| Email Address: | +your email address (username@village.n4c.eu) | +
| Password: | +your chosen password | + +
Full instructions for using the mail service may be found here. (TBD)
+ +To use the web service you need a WiFi-enabled device with a standard browser. + +
There are two ways to get at web pages - each day we push some content to each of the village DTN routers, and +you can access that content as if you were browsing the web normally. You can +also request content we don't push to be specially +delivered. Note however, that only fairly "static" web content really works +well either way - rich web applications cannot currently be used via our +service since they generally depend on a "real" Internet connection.
+ +To request a specific web page, you can use our web request portal, which allows +you to enter a web site address (a URL). We will then send that to an automated +web engine which will attempt to get those pages and send them back to you. Of +course, this will take quite some time, so is only really suitable if you will +be in the area and able to use the network for a few days at least. This +service works best if your browser accepts "cookies," in which case, it is +possible to make a request where only you get to see the results. The default +is that pages you request this way will be available to anyone who tries to +access them. (Though they will not be "indexed" on our list of sites.)
+ +Most WiFi enabled devices with mail and web clients should work. We have +used the following devices successfully with the village DTN routers. Your +mileage may vary!
+ +We are considering providing some laptops or other client devices for shared +use in some of our locations for some of the time, so do ask if you'd like to +use the system, but don't have a device with you, and we'll help if we can.
+ +We are also investigating the provision of a web-mail front-end for the mail +service, for devices that have a browser but no mail client. We'll provide more +details on that once we've done some testing.
+ +The main developers of this trial are from Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, and Intel Ireland, co-operating with other +partners in the N4C project, in particular Luleå University of Technology (LTU), +and Tannak AB. who are +providing local assistance, users and support.
+ +You can contact us in a number of ways, but do remember that some of them +make take some time!
+ +
We'd really welcome your feedback, whether positive or negative, about any +aspect of the trial. The best way to give us that feedback is to send us an +email at: help@village.n4c.eu.
+ +Since this is an experimental deployment, we do record lots about what +happens in the network. For mail users, that means that we could, in principle, +read your emails, just like any other Internet service provider could. For web +users, that means that we could track the pages you read, just like most +Internet service providers actually do. However, we will do neither.
+ +We will destroy any private or personally identifying information within a +year of the end of the trial, and we will never make any such information +public in any form. Any scientific papers or other publications resulting from +the trial will only include statistics and we will ensure that any such +statistics are anonymized to the fullest extent possible.
+ +However, you use this experimental network at your own risk, and there +is always the possibility that our network, or machines on our network +could be hacked. While we do endeavour to secure our network, machines +and data, this is not a production network, so users should not use this +network for sensitive data, such as banking details, etc. Users should +also not re-use passwords from other systems that may be more sensitive.
+ +As a mail user, you will only ever receive emails from us relating +to the operation of the network but such mails will never request your +password. We do plan to send an email after the trial, giving a one +week warning that the mail servers will be decommissioned to any users who +request such a warning. The purpose of this mail is to give users a +chance to retrieve any messages from our servers that they might wish +to keep for later.
+ +We do not have a formal acceptable use policy, however, our network +has very limited capacity and could be susceptible to congestion should +users attempt to email videos from the trial area or to download +video, so we reserve the right to delete anything that causes a +problem for the network, including for example larger emails or +illegal content should we become aware of such. This is an +experimental network and depends on users behaving well, so please +do not abuse the system! (Thanks:-)
+ +DRAFT 2010-05-26 SUBJECT TO CHANGEcontact: stephen.farrell@cs.tcd.ie + + +