A Core Competence Product Evaluation
Out of the Box: Hardware, Software, Documentation and Accessories
The BITSURFR Pro can be used with a PC equipped with a 486 or faster CPU, 8 MB of RAM, and high speed (UART 16550AF) serial port. We evaluated this TA with a 486/50 DX2 with 8 MB of RAM and a Pentium 150 with 16 MB of RAM, both with high-speed UARTs. The BitSURFR has an integrated NT-1 (network termination), providing a single RJ-45 jack for connection to your ISDN subscriber line U interface. The TA also sports two analog ports that allow you to connect any analog device (your telephone, fax machine, or analog modem) through RJ-11 jacks.
Why high-speed UARTs? An external TA interfaces to your PC through a serial port (DB25 connector). Older, slower UARTs limit the volume of data that can be exchanged between the TA and PC, making it impossible to exploit the higher bandwidth afforded by ISDN. If you have a Pentium or Pentium Pro, don’t sweat these high-speed UARTs – you probably already have them. But if you plan to use the BitSURFR with an older 486, you’ll need to consider the added cost (and headache) of upgrading your serial port I/O controller card.
The product is shipped with an ISDN SURFR Setup utility, HyperAccess Lite, NetManage Chameleon WinSOCK TCP/IP software, and a TurboCom/2 advanced serial port driver. ISDN SURFR Setup supports configuration under Windows 3.11, Windows for Workgroups, and Windows 95. We evaluated the BitSURFR Pro under Windows 3.11 with OnNet 2.0 TCP/IP and Windows 95 with Microsoft TCP/IP and Dial-Up Networking.
What else is in the box? The BitSURFR Pro Getting Started Guide provides an introduction to ISDN, the BitSURFR, and a high level description of physical installation and configuration. Guidelines for ordering ISDN and a power transformer for the TA are also provided. A pair of cables are also included in the box: one with RJ-45 terminations to connect the TA to your ISDN wall jack, and another with RJ-11 terminations to connect your favorite analog device to the BitSURFR.
What else do you need? An ISDN wall jack, of course – you’ll need to purchase an ISDN Basic Rate Interface (BRI) from your local telephone company or other ISDN local access provider, and either have the inside ISDN wiring installed or do it yourself. And you’ll need someplace to call – the phone number of an ISDN access server and an appropriately-configured dial-in account. If you plan to use ISDN to surf the web, you’ll need to purchase a single-host ISDN dial-in account from an Internet Access Provider. If you plan to use the TA for remote access to your corporate network, you’ll need to chat with your friendly system administrator back at the office. You’ll need this info to configure the BitSURFR Pro, so attend to these prerequisites before you fire up the ISDN SURFR Setup utility.
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