Subject: E-mail Network Establishment in China--input needed

From: [email-masked] (Guyang Huang)
Date: Sun, 24 Nov 91 23:32:04 -0500

Hi AEIC fellows,

I got a call from Mr. Xiaohua Xuan (address seen Cc:) this afternoon about
some questions relating e-mail networking to/in China (remember my early
forwarding of his inquiry?:-) ). Based on what I understand of the status
quo --- I know I could very well be wrong ---- I suggested that the link
b/w US/CA to China has been existed and the main obstacle for the establishment
of such a network is more of technical and financial than that of political,
provided the authority/exports are convinced of the merit from such a network
for the industrial, commercial, research and educational (unfortunately I guess
the education is still the last priority for the authority:-( ) value.

Mr. Xuan is quite enthusiastic and dynamic on gethering help/resources together
for building such a gigantic project:-). He said he knew some scientific
group successfully built up e-mail linkage to Africa. So the next obvious
Question (at least seems to me) is:

What kind of network, and to what extend, is achievable and pragmatic for the
resource/help we could possibly have?

I do know the complication it is and our lack of knowledge. I do admit it
somewhat beyond our aeic netters scope --- I do wish I am wrong here:-) ---
if not capability. But anyway I think it will be at least very inspiring,
incentive and informative to have such a discuss, especially for those
people on computer divisions. And the outcome of the discussion might be
helpful to Mr. Xuan's great goal.

Really, I got all excited by Xiaohua's call. I remember few days ago saw a
post on a net saying that computer network and communism can't be co-exist
:-) ---- Ooops, excuse me for getting political. We should be academical.:-)

Guyang
UMass Amherst

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From: Bo Xiong <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 24 Nov 1991 23:58:43 -0500

Well, people on the network, especially on SCC :-), have been discussing
this question for several years, as far as I know, there are following 
operable network links between China and outside world, but please be 
warned that non of them is free link as DXZ in Hawaii (Hey! :-) pointed
out early today.

1) The link between Beijing and Germany, it was a 1200 bps modem link via
   international phone line but recently was upgraded (connected via Shanghai)
   according to People, but still via telephone company.

   This link has existed for at least five years (?) and most of communication
   going in/out Beijing are thru the link.
  
2) The link between Beijing Univ. and Hong Kong Univ., (then connected
   to other sites in beijing/China), it's been operating since two years
   ago.

3) The link between Qinghua Univ. and Uinv. of British Columbia, Canada,
   it's established in 1989 using X.25 protocol.

Since there have been too many info discussions on the network, I really
do not bother to keep/collect those info, because there is NO
significant change in terms of free-of-charge connection TO CHINA,
though there are big changes on the network INSIDE China.

A guy on SCC (Scott Horne :-) claimed that he had communication with
someone in Beijing via a link in Japan, but NO ONE but himself can
use it so far :-)  :-)  It's likely a "lie"  :-)  (Just read some
news a few weeks ago that some Japanese companies petitioned to JP
gov't to sponsor the e-link to China)

I have the gateway/path names for all of the three links and some true
e-addresses in China (Actually I belive CND-tech group has the most info
in this regard among ordinary CSS overseas :-)

But the problem is, there is NO gov't subsidized link in China (unlike
in the western countries, each internet pays about $3,000 a month to
join the Public Data Network run by gov't or some telephone like AT&T
to get a 24 hour 56K bps constant connection).  Those links to China 
are charged on international phone call basis, i.e., the receiver pays
for each bite they receive, yes, the RECEPIENT pays, not the sender,
so, according someone's experience, if you send three-line message, the
recipient in Beijing pays RM 3-5, because mailer head and handshaking
time is charged too.

Okay, that's a rough picture about what I know.  I have been exhausted
in some other network acitivities (CND and SCC :-)  :-)  If you have
any question, you can send it to      [email-masked]
some bright heads may be able to answer if they have time.

Cheers!

Bo Xiong
On CND working account

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From: Bo Xiong <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 25 Nov 1991 00:05:34 -0500

OK, I forgot to mention some more e-links to Chian, besides the e-mail
links (public links) I talked about in my last message, there are many
PRIVATE e-mail links to China, like AT&T, World Bank and HP Co. and
etc., but those are all private company links based on phone line too,
only authorized employees of the company have the access to it.

Bo Xiong

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From: [email-masked] (Guyang Huang)
Date: Thu, 5 Mar 92 10:38:50 -0500

Here is a mail from Fudan, Shanghai

>From: **** **<[email-masked]>
<Subject: Re: Hello from Fudan Univ.
Status: R

Hi, aeic-netters:
    I'm very glad talk with you. And I want to know eagerly what service the
email network can provide. Just now I have attend some of the interest-group
such as the unix-wizard and had got news from China's digest, but because of
the reason you know well, I don't want anything concerned to politics and sex
to be sent in.
    I am in Computer Network lab, Computer Science Dept., FDU. And my major is
computer network, I am now the postmaster and sys-manager here. So I think I am
very luck to have the opportunity to use the email(in fact, my master thesis is
about e-mail).
    I know you all interested to the emails in China, now I introduce it below,
you can tell it to anyone interested in it.
    The first organization joined to the world network is Beijing Chemistry
College(?), so they named C=cn(Chemical network), but maybe they haven't email
system. Then accord to project 8711, CAEIT(Electric Scienct Institute), NCI(
Northern Computer Institute),Fudan Univ. and Jiao Tong Univ. built China
Research Network(so PRMD=crn), now there are some other institute and university
are to connect into this network. If you want to connect with them, you can 
send email to there postmaster,for example, in fudan it is [email-masked].
crn.cn.  There address are:
        cc.caeit.crn.cn      (CAEIT)
	eci.crn.cn	(Eastern Computer Institute)
	nci.crn.cn	(Northern Computer Institute)
	sci.crn.cn	(Sorthern Computer Institute)
	scl.crn.cn	(Institute No. 54, in Shijiazhuang)
	ee.sjtu.crn.cn	(Jiao Tong Univ.)

    Now the emails in FDU is only used be several teachers in CNL, except the
previous president Madam Xie Xide. Her PC/XT can access her emailbox here
by modem and telephone line.

/****

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From: [email-masked] (Guyang Huang)
Date: Thu, 5 Mar 92 10:38:50 -0500

Hi, aeic-netters:

/****