Service Definitions
Avanta (Centre Name) [“Avanta”] provides our centre licensees [“Licensees”] with access to the internet in capacity of 10 Mbps 1:1, this is delivered to our server room on a fiber optic cable terminated on a Mux . The bandwidth is provided by Reliance.
Equipment
In order to utilise internet bandwidth provided by Relaince, Licensees will have to have equipment with an Ethernet networking facilities and be running an operating system that supports TCP/IP or DHCP.
Security
Avanta provides the bandwidth without any security monitoring or restrictions therefore responsibility for the security of a Licensee’s network and devices attached to it lies solely with the Licensee.
Know-How
Avanta can arrange for the supply of additional set up support including equipment purchase and configuration at attractive rates through our preferred partners. It should be noted that this generally requires 48 hours notice for any services required, due to ordering of equipment and possible commitments to other Licensees.
Avanta will provide ports equaling to the number of internet connections subscribed by the Licensee on the distribution switches and patch them to the relevant office.
Installation
Avanta will endeavour to have Bandwidth services presented to the Licensee within 48 hours from the receipt of order. Times set out for upgrades to existing services are subject to the increased speed being available on the existing service type. If the faster service has to be delivered over a different medium, longer upgrade lead times may apply. An installation charge will apply for all initial set-up or up/downgrades to the service. Note that this installation charge (Set-Up Fee) does not cover any configuration of Licensee Equipment or network, but does include any patching of services from the comms room to the Licensee Accommodation
Support
Should a Licensee encounter problems with their service, they should contact the Business Centre for a fault resolution. Avanta support the service during Business Hours (0830-1800, Mon-Fri), and will use all reasonable endeavours to have any service problems addressed.
For all Licensee internal network or hardward support, Avanta offer a range of support packages available through our partner iHotdesk.
Availability
Avanta offer Service Level Agreements for the Service based on uptime of 99.5%. The uptime is measured at monthly measurement periods from the 1st to the end of each month. Any periods of downtime reported by a Licensee that continue in excess of 20 minutes from the time logged with the Business Centre constitute downtime.
“Service Availability” is defined as the ability of the Licensee to exchange IP packets with the Network Services Provider’s designated gateway switch via the provided switch port. Service Availability is measured by sending ICMP “echo” requests from the Network Service Provider`s designated gateway switch to the switch at regular intervals and there shall be an “outage” if this measure fails. The response to the ping burst confirms that the connection is still in place and the service is still available.
Service interruptions caused by:
do not constitute outages of Service Availability
Why is this service more expensive than my home broadband connection?
The service is delivered on a 100MB fibre optic connection, using premium Cisco routing and switching equipment to enable Avanta to deliver many different types of Bandwidth and IP configuration to all of the different clients (and types of client) in the building. This has to be available in 48 hours and sometimes faster to meet the short term needs of clients in the offices. This type of infrastructures is unfortunately not cheap, neither is the provision of the support structure to enable us to respond quickly to client issues.
What is the set up charge for?
This covers the one-off cost of providing the internet connection, it is subject to VAT. It is levied on a per company basis and will not be raised again (unless the client changes to another type of Internet connection or upgrades/downgrades). Note that this installation charge does not cover any configuration of Licensee Equipment or network, but does include any patching of services from the comms room to the client accommodation. There are no set up fee for phones, so expansion/contraction by the client will not result in any further set up fees.
How is the Service Presented?
The internet connection is managed by a Linux based software which manages the bandwidth and ensures that each licensee works on a different VLAN to ensure data security.
How do I get the connection to my Office?
The data connection can be patched directly to your office, through our distribution switches, so you don’t need to bring in your own hub. This also ensures data security
What is a RIPE/Public Address?
A RIPE/Public Address is a globally unique number that identifies a device on the Internet. If you want someone on the Internet to connect to you or one of your servers, then you must tell them your public address (also known as your “real” or “external” address). If you request a public/RIPE address, you need to install a piece of equipment that performs NAT. Most Routers and Firewalls today can provide NAT for you. If you require more than one public/RIPE address, you will need to fill in an IP address allocation justification form.
If you plan on using a VPN to access a remote network, we strongly recommend utilising a RIPE address, running on your own firewall. The reason being that when you access the internet over an internal range, you will utilise something called a NAT table. NAT is similar to the receptionist in a large office. A Client calls the main number to your office, which is the only number they know. When the client asks for you, the receptionist checks a look-up table that matches your name with your extension, and then forwards the caller to your extension. However, the NAT lookup table (NAT table) is constantly being updated, so it frequently reaches a point of saturation, and, consequently, needs to be cleared.
All clients/users with internal ranges are routed via these tables to access the internet and by their technical nature fill up. You could say that the receptionist has too many names to compare against, rendering the look-up table useless. In order to prevent this, our ISP flushes these tables every 1-2 hours depending on usage and, once they are flushed, all connections requiring a constant transfer of information will be lost, including VPNs.
What equipment do I need?
You would not need any equipment to connect to Avanta’s network, however, a firewall is also recommended (or a router with a basic firewall). For the public (RIPE) address you will need a router , (again, a firewall is recommended as well).
Do I need a Firewall?
Yes, you are advised to buy a hardware firewall or configure a software firewall on all your connected Pc’s. None of our internet connections are protected by firewalls.
Do I need an ADSL modem?
None of our internet connections requires an ASDL modem. They are ADSL/SDSL in name only to represent their contended nature.
Do you provide servers to relay email (SMTP servers)?
Yes, we offer two SMTP servers: smtp.pitcore.com and post.viatel.net.
You can utilize any of the two.
What is DHCP?
DHCP is a protocol used by networked computers (clients) to obtain IP addresses and other parameters such as the default gateway, subnet mask, and IP addresses of DNS servers from a DHCP server. The DHCP server ensures that all IP addresses are unique, e.g., no IP address is assigned to a second client while the first client`s assignment is valid (its lease has not expired). Thus IP address pool management is done by the server and not by a human network administrator.
Will an internal IP address be automatically assigned?
All our data ports can provide DHCP you would just need to ensure that you PC/ laptop is configured for DHCP
ADSL (Asynchronous Digital Subscriber Line)
A way of moving data over a standard phone line. It is much quicker than a regular modem. The Asynchronous means it has different speeds for both upload and download.
Bandwidth
The amount of data that can be carried from one point to another in a given time period (usually a second). This kind of bandwidth is usually expressed in bits (of data) per second bps. The higher the bandwidth the faster your connection will be.
E1
European Standard meaning a Leased Line that has a capacity of up to 2mb.
E3
European Standard meaning a Leased Line has a capacity of up to 34mb
FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
Permits the transfer of files over the Internet from one machine to another.
Firewall
Secures access to the LAN and all network resources from both internal and external intrusions
Handset
Desktop apparatus used to make and receive telephone calls.
HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol)
The most common Internet protocol used for displaying Internet pages.
Internet
Derived from the words “Interconnected Networks”. Made up of multiple networks all interconnected at the peering points situated around the world to create one worldwide entity called the Internet.
IP Address
A unique numerical identifier in 4 blocks separated by full stops to allow access to the Internet (Example IP Address: 123.200.199.1)
IPSEC
Encrypts data over a private or public network to make sure any transmissions remain secure.
ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network)
A digital phones standard that allows video, data and voice connections simultaneously over standard copper wire pair. It is generally a minimum of twice as fast as a standard modem connection.
ISP (Internet Service Provider)
A company that provides access to the Internet.
LAN (Local Area Network)
A network of computers that are local to an area (same office, same floor, etc)
Leased Line
It is a fixed digital connection to the digital data network (Internet). It is permanently “On” which means no dialup is required and there are no call charges.
Mail relay
Often referred to as an e-mail server, a device and/or program that routes an e-mail to the correct destination.
Modem
A piece of kit connected to your computer that allows a dialup connection using your existing phone line.
NAT (Network Address Translation)
Is the translation of an IP address between differing networks. E.g. Your private IP address on your LAN will translate to something completely different when you are on the Internet and in this way it is a security feature.
PABX (Private Automatic Branch Exchange)
See PBX
PBX (Private Branch Exchange)
A PBX is a telephony switching system (or exchange) generally used within an office. It takes one or more incoming ISDN lines and provides these to many internal `extensions`. These extensions can be ordinary phones, digital phones, modems/fax machines or Data Routers
POP (Point of Presence)
A location where the ISP provides local access to the Internet
POP-3 (Post Office Protocol)
POP3 is a client/server protocol in which e-mail is received and held for you by your Internet server. Periodically, you (or your client e-mail receiver) check your mail-box on the server and download any mail, probably using POP3
PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network)
The PSTN is the collection of interconnected systems operated by the various telephone companies and administrations around the world to route all calls to the location you have dialled.
Private IP Address
An internal IP address that cannot be seen outside the Internal Network
Public IP Address
An IP address that can be seen outside the Internal Network (e.g. Internet)
Reverse DNS
Reverse DNS (rDNS) is a method of resolving an IP address into a domain name, just as the domain name system (DNS) resolves domain names into associated IP addresses. One of the applications of reverse DNS is as a spam filter.
Router
Interrogates data packets and finds the best route between the sender and receiver.
SDSL (Synchronous Digital Subscriber Line)
A way of moving data over a regular phone line. It is much quicker than a regular modem. The Synchronous means it has the same speeds for both upload and download.
SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)
See Mail Relay
SLA (Service Level Agreement)
Linked with the T& C’s. Defines the level of service a customer should expect. Failure to do so will meet with a penalty incurred by AVANTA.
Static IP Address
A term to describe a publicly seen IP address that does not change as opposed to a dynamic IP address which changes each time you are on the Internet.
Telnet
Telnet is a user command and a tool for accessing remote computers..
“U” Rack Space
A standard to describe the use of cabinet rack space. Each “U” is equivalent to 4.4cm (1.76”)
URL (Uniform Resource Locator)
A unique Internet address identifier to locate the page you are looking for E.g. http://www.Avantaex.com
VPN (Virtual Private Network)
Refers to a network in which some parts are connected remotely using the public Internet. The data however is encrypted so the network is “virtually” private.
WAN (Wide Area Network)
A WAN connects multiple LAN’s together using a service provider to create a single network.
