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  SOHO to the Enterprise: End-to-End or Dead End? Unfortunately, none of the devices are supported by any of the vendors' existing enterprise remote-access GUIs. We also hoped proprietary applications that normally manage the central-site device would extend to the SOHO router--but though almost all of the vendors promise all-encompassing proprietary applications in the future, none could deliver on those promises for this review. All the devices offer Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) support, but lack the seamless user interface throughout the product line that we've become accustomed to when configuring central-site devices. Thumb-nail Sketch All five products tested provide some support for certain pieces of enterprise management, but none offers a true end-to-end enterprise solution for managing the devices f rom the central site. Instead of focusing on the specific routing performance of these devices, we tested the entire routing management capability vis-ˆ-vis the full product l ine. Although none of the vendors' products seems quite up to par, the best all-around router is Ascend's Pipeline 75. Used with Ascend's central-site high-density Max 4004 router, Pipeline 75 offers a management platform exactly like that of the central-site server, as well as plenty of online diagnostic information to get you up and running. Shiva's AccessPort is a solid standalone SOHO router for small-office management and is able to leverage call group support from the company's AccessSwitch to facilitate LAN-to-LAN connections. U.S. Robotics' LANLinker BRI brings Web-based management and Remote Authentication Dial-In User System (RADIUS) to the table, but it doesn't provide any real management advantages when working with the NetServer PRI in the Total Control hub. Bay's Nautica CLAM provides a ubiquitous management interface when paired with Bay's MARLIN, a single PRI device, but it supplies no extra ease of management features when matched with Bay's high-density central-office solution, the Remote Annex. 3Com's OfficeConnect Remote 530 was difficult to set up in the small office, and we found that connecting through the company's AccessBuilder 5000 yielded no additional management advantages. Ascend Communications Pipeline 75
Ascen d packages its Java-based Pipeline Configurator, a Windows wizard and configuration utility, with the Pipeline series routers. However, it is nothing more than a fancy Windows setup application and not offered as a freestanding Web applet. The Pipeline Configurator works only with the Java Virtual Machine for Windows95 and NT. For the average Windows user, it offers nothing more than a setup wizard and a GUI configuration program. A Pipeline 75 option saves the configuration to disk, making it easier to configure other devices. Network administrators with multiple units to set up also may use TFTP to save or restore configuration files; the problem here is that the saved file is in a format that's difficult to edit. It's also possible to use TFTP to load a new release of software to Pipeline's flash ROM. With Ascend's Remote Management Protocol, a network administrator can easily configure Pipeline over an ISDN link. Ascend says its protocol lets the unit automatically detect the phone number and Service Profile Identifier (SPID) of another Pipeline router. We were quite impressed by Ascend's Secure Access Manager enterprise management utility. It works with Ascend's Firewall Manager, which is a separate agent residing on a Pipeline or Max. Secure Access Manager is a Windows95-, NT- and 3.1-based application for configuring the device as a firewall filter or configuring additional security. The Firewall Manager can prevent just about any protocol or address from accessing a central site or remote office, providing great flexibility in blocking incoming and outgoing calls. When we submitted the same security profile to both Pipeline and Max, we obtained reliable incoming and outgoing filters for each device, making it easier to manage filtering throughout the connection. The other devices we tested also have filtering support, but don't equal that of Ascend. |
Overall, Ascend's Pipeline 75 tops our test group for enterprise management and router features. We connected the Pipeline 75 to Ascend's Max 4004, which supports 72 digital modems and four incoming PRI spans. Using these devices together, we experienced not only seamless management but also seamless connectivity. Pipeline 75's online diagnostics, configuration screens (identical to those in other devices in the product line), authentication compatibility with Enigma Logic's Safeword an
d Security Dynamics' Ace Server, and utilities like Ascend's Secure Access Manager and Remote Management Protocol provide a solid foundation for building and managing a large network of small offices.
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by Dave Brown Updated May 23, 1997 |
