1.6 System Advantages

1.6  System Advantages

There is only one mail server required to be connected to the internet and rural mail server can be extended to more than one. This offline email system is based on DTN fundamentals, store and forward operation by using TCP/IP. It is easy for implementation and system requirement is easy for maintenance. Finding of hardware malfunction replacement can be done easily. This system offers simplicity usage with a less complicated system and fulfills the typical user experience. User only need a web browser application to access the offline email system either from their personal computer, tablet PC or Smartphone. By using a windows based system, awkward environment can be avoided especially for inexperienced user and hence there is no need for special training if it was using Mac OS, Linux or other Unix system. There is no needs for the rural users to travel very far to the internet connected area to have the opportunity as equal as the people who live near to the internet connection. Only one user is moving instead of all users moving to the internet connected area. The system is affordable where there are no complicated requirements needed. There is the hardware cost needed for this offline email system implementation. Related software required is a free and open source. Estimated cost for this offline email system is RM6034.00 as shown in Table 1.1. This total cost consists of one offline mail server, one informediary device, one online mail server and one month internet subscription cost. The additional cost will be needed to support another rural area by providing another offline mail server which will cost RM2304 for offline mail server computer and wireless access point. Compared to other Wireless Service Provider such as Danawa Wireless Solution Provider, the cost is very high as shown in Table 1.2. Appendix A shows the details of the Danawa service. To use Danawa service, multiple Wi-Fi internet hotspots required for each rural area. And each Wi-Fi internet hotspot for 1 MBps which is one megabytes per second price is RM3000 monthly subscription and RM1000 for one time installation. By using DTN method, only one Wi-Fi internet hotspot required and can be extended to another rural area by providing offline mail server at each area where each area connected by infomediary device.

Items	Cost (RM)
Offline mail server (Laptop Lenovo Z460)	2099.00
Offline side wireless access point (D-Link DWL-2100AP)	205.00
Infomediary device(LG Optimus 3D P920)	2000.00
Online server computer (Desktop Computer)	1500.00
Online side wireless ADSL Modem (Riger DB 108-WL Wireless ADSL Modem 2/2+)	120.00
TM Streamyx Dynamic 1 MBps Internet Service Provider (ISP) (Monthly Subscriptions)	110.00
Total Cost:	6034.00

Table 1.1: Estimated Cost for Offline Email System based on DTN

The user interface is based on webmail where it can be accessed from a desktop computer, laptop or a mobile phone. The user can interact with the email application as it is a standard email and most users are familiar with it. It also uses the standard email address as an example: test1@pemail.suroot.com and webmail address as example for offline webmail http://192.168.1.7/pemail and for online webmail http://pemail.suroot.com. File transfer was executed automatically from each mail server to infomediary device whenever they are connected. The disadvantage of using native DTN is due to the complexity of the system while offline email system offers simplicity and every part of the offline email system is easy to implement and maintain. It is much convenient for the users and the email system administrator.

Table 1.2: Cost for DANAWA Wi-Fi Hotspot implementation

Some of DTN email such as Bytewalla 5 did not offer email registration at user side where it only can be done on administrator side. While this offline email system enables user to register a new email account from online mail server side.