Connect to the Internet

Whether you want to connect your iSeries™ to an Internet Service Provider (ISP), or configure your iSeries server as a Web data server or application server, you can use the Internet Setup wizard to connect to the network.

Before you use the wizard, you must have TCP/IP configured on your iSeries server. See TCP/IP setup for instructions on configuring TCP/IP.

To take full advantage of your Internet connection, you might first consider the following tasks:

• Determine which Internet services to use

  Before you connect your company or organization to the Internet, you need to have a good understanding of what you want from the Internet. Do you want local users to access the Web to perform research? Do you want local users to send e-mail across the Internet? Do you want to operate a Web server to advertise your company's products?

  The Internet services that you intend to use and provide are important for determining your best method for connecting to the Internet to promote your business goals. Some popular Internet services include the Web, e-mail services, such as Post Office Protocol (POP) and Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), Gopher, File Transfer Protocol (FTP), and Telnet. See Chapter 4, "Selecting an Internet Service Provider," in the IBM^® redbook AS/400^® Internet Security Scenarios: A Practical Approach for more information about Internet services that might be right for you.

• Select an Internet Service Provider (ISP)

  After you determine the services you need from the Internet, you can shop for an appropriate ISP. Compare the range of services, costs, security features, technical support, and network and connection topology of several ISPs to find a good match for your needs. For detailed information about choosing an ISP, see Chapter 4, "Selecting an Internet Service Provider," in the IBM redbook AS/400 Internet Security Scenarios: A Practical Approach .

• Create a security policy

  Each Internet service that you use or provide poses risks to your server and the network to which it is connected. You need to create and institute a security policy that minimizes these risks. The inherent security features of the iSeries server, when properly configured, provide you with the ability to minimize many risks. When you connect your server to the Internet, however, you need to provide additional security measures to ensure the safety of your network. See iSeries and Internet security to research security risks and assist you in implementing a security policy that meets your needs.