RGnet and the "new & improved" Little Garden is reality. While we
have some open items (discussed below) it's quite well under way.
This is both news and request for member involvement.

OVERVIEW:

RGnet Inc is an Oregon corporation, made from TLG and PSG (Pacific
Systems Group, ie. Randy Bush's net). It's purpose is to join forces
with PSG to gain some of their advantages, and to make us a more
formidable entity for negotiations. A fairly predicable lot was
made it's officers; me, Pozar, Gilmore, Bush, etc. I don't even
know, details will follow. It's main ongoing purpose will be to
purchase equipment. Especially after the next few months, during
which we build the net, RGnet won't do a whole lot, and will retain
very little in the way of resource$. It will remain an umbrella
organization for us to use to our advantage.

TLG will remain TLG, with no fundamental changes. I'll have a real
TLG bank account and PO box etc by the end of the month, rather
than my d/b/a, which was the interim solution. Members added since
Sep92 have been getting invoiced by me; older members will switch
over, from paying TIS to paying me. If TIS stays with us, they'll
become another paying member, rather than sort-of bill collector.
For most, the only change here will be billing address and name.

Our initial topology has been finalized. Without resorting to a
map, we have IP Resellers service from SprintLink, at T1 rate. Our
main POP is 444 Market, 30th floor, in Metropolitan Fiber System's
(MFS) space.  (There is a T1 line from Sprint, elsewhere downtown,
to our SF POP.)

There will be T1 from the SF POP to Cygnus, in Mtn. View. There
will be 56K from the SF POP to Toad Hall, in the Haight. 814
University will be directly connected to Cygnus.  Santa Cruz
(scruznet) is quite well underway, and will be connected via Cygnus.
They will be standalone, with 56K service.

The two basic leased lines have been ordered. The SF POP will be
complete, according to MFS, 22 October, though we'll have access
to install our equipment on the 15th.  I'm about to order equipment
this week, including a Portmaster to install at the new POP for
some of the present Toad Hall members having troubles with the NOS
boxes.

We are actively seeking additional 56K and T1 members, now. More
on this later.  Leads apprciated.

We are planning for a 01 Nov 93 switchover date, plus or minus
depending on a few undetermined variables. We anticipate no problems
for the switchover. There will be no interruption in service during
the switchover period.


WHERE WE STAND RIGHT NOW:

The contracts have been signed or are underway, and we have a lot
of the hardware we need (routers, UPSs, etc) and and initial loan
to get started. New hardware will be ordered next week.

	NOW IS THE TIME TO LOAN TLG MONEY -- NOW!

Over the last few months, a number of people expressed interest in
loaning money to make TLG get off the ground. Now's the time.  I
need to come up with $4000--$5000 ASAP. Monday is not too soon.
Terms are: payable by Nov94, 3% simple interest. While we can't
promise to carve your name into a little brass plaque to hang in
the hallway, we'll burn your name into an EPROM and give you a copy
:-)

We have to purchase some unsurprising items: 56K and T1 CSU/DSUs,
routers, etc. We also want to buy a Portmaster 2e 10-port, expandable
port server to put into the SF POP, and offload some of the Toad
Hall connections presently on NOS boxes. We could then sell off
some of them or leave them lightly loaded (some seem to work just
fine also). Some of the NOS boxes would be sold off (they work just
fine lightly loaded).

We have two relatively-major late changes; a Portmaster 2E for the SF
POP, so that we can get some of the Toad Hall members workign reliably
(trouble with NOS), and to move the 814 University leased line from TIS
to Cygnus, so that we'll have access to both ends of that line, and to
off-load the Cygnus/TIS line, etc.


We need to have a couple or three meetings, to just chat up the changes,
plus local meetings to work out specifics, like additional volunteers to
handle problems at each POP site (after we ELIMINATE the obvious sore
points like NOS boxes and creaky wires).

We also have a plan to make each POP economically self-supporting; ie.
treat each like a 56K member, and have sub-members pay for usage like is
startingto happen in 814 University.

MEETINGS TO PLAN:

 o General TLG meeting, pizza-based? (WE NEED A PLACE LARGE ENOUGH FOR THIS)

 o Toad Hall members meeting, to discuss changes to the POP (relocating
   some to 444 Market, obtaining a PM 2E, volunteers for problems, etc)

 o 814 Univ. members meeting, to discuss how to clean up the POP
   hardware, phone lines, moving the leased-line, volunteers to handle
   problems, apartment members share of services, etc.

And for all, to go over the new economics and overall changes.

I wanted to get this admittedly skimpy information out ASAP, seeing how
it's 1 October and we want to turn-on 1 November. A lot of little things
all in series ha to be resolved, and they were this afternoon (sigh).

We should plan a general meeting soon, before we occupy the new SF POP
(because then we'll have too much work to do to have a meeting!) and
plan the POP-meetings following that.

I'll follow up on this early next week. 

By Monday, you should all receive a preliminary copy of the TLG
datasheet, ie. price sheet and service offering. It's basically written
up, we want to pass it before some sensible people for editing first. 

Get out those checkbooks!!! :-)