A Core Competence Product Evaluation
Up and Running: Configuring the SOHO
The SOHO can be deployed as an IP or IPX router or bridge, and can be
used for Internet access, enterprise remote access, or even as a
central site access server. Five standard configurations are described
in the SOHO's QuickStart guide; choose one of these to facilitate
initial configuration with the QuickStart utility. You'd be far more
likely to encounter the SOHO's big brother, the PaceSetter PRO, or
another higher-end router as a central site access server, so we'll
concentrate here on using the SOHO for remote and Internet access.
The SOHO supports traditional fixed IP addressing, but a
key feature of the SOHO is its support for Network Address Translation
(NAT), and ADC's own variation of this standard, IPShare.
Both NAT and IPShare enable LAN users to "share" the single
external IP address assigned to the SOHO's ISDN BRI. This not only
simplifies network address assignment (since local LAN addresses
remain private), but also reduces ISDN remote access costs.
Before NAT,
it would have been necessary to purchase a multi-host LAN ISDN account
from an Internet Service Provider -- a monthly recurring cost of
$150-300, depending upon the number of IP addresses required. But,
using NAT or IPShare, a single-host ISDN dial account can be used to
provide an entire PC LAN with Internet access at
a cost approaching that of plain old analog dial. (Consult our overview
of Internet Service Provider
for further information.) While NAT only works when traffic is initiated
from a host on the remote LAN, IPShare extends this dynamic address sharing
capability to incoming calls. NAT can support up to 120 connections, while
IPShare is limited to 32 users. Both are supported by the SOHO, so you'll
need to review the descriptions carefully to determine the solution that
best meets your needs.
Once you determine your desired network topology, simply connect the SOHO to
a PC's serial port using the supplied console cable and power up the
SOHO. Using a terminal program such as Windows 95 HyperTerm, open
a console window, reply to the login prompt, and you'll be presented
with the QuickStart menu.
Enter the number corresponding to the topology you've selected and
follow the prompts which follow. For example, when we configured the
SOHO for Internet ISDN (QuickStart 1), we were presented with the
following series of menus.
Connect the SOHO to an ISDN BRI and you'll mostly likely be able
to place your first call within minutes of beginning the QuickStart
configuration process...
Tell me about ISDN Internet Service Providers