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In this roundup, we looked at solutions that offered between 23 and 48 modems and T1/PRI WAN connectivity. Access Beyond's Hawk 2290 Remote Access Server, Ariel Corp.'s RASCAL RS1000 Model 4802, Multi-Tech Systems' CommPlete Communications Server and RAScom's RAServer 2500 went head-to-head in our labs.

The devices fell into one of two categories: turnkey solutions (RAServer and CommPlete) and card-based solutions (Hawk 2290 and RASCAL). Turnkey systems are unpacked and cabled up, and you begin running the server. With card-based syst ems, you need to install the hardware into an existing NT server.

RAScom's RAServer 2500 and Ariel's RASCAL RS1000 came in a close first and second, respectively. Both came with 46 ports. The RAServer 2500 was the only server to include a software package for reporting, accounting and billing. The RASCAL was the fastest in performance and call handling with the lowest price per port. Multi-Tech's CommPlete edged out Access Beyond's Hawk 2290 with better management and call handling. The Hawk 2290 offered decent throughput but lacked the management for a similar price per port.

RAScom RAServer 2500
RAScom's RAServer 2500 takes top honors based on its management package, decent throughput performance and wealth of features. Its price per port is slightly higher than the runner-up, Ariel's RASCAL RS1000.

The RAServer, one of two turnkey solutions in this roundup, is a multivendor solution: The chassis is from Texas M icrosystems, the modem cards come from Ariel, and RAScom supplies the T1/PRI line card. Add Virtual Motion's RAS Manager and Imagen Communications' NT PayMaster 2.0 for billing, and Funk Software's Proxy Remote Control for remote administration, and you have a complete remote-access server ready to run out of the box.

Not surprisingly, the RAServer performance test results were almost identical to those of Ariel's RASCAL 1000. However, the RAServer didn't fare as well during the modem dial test. This test was designed to stress the server's call-handling abilities by repeatedly dropping and bringing up calls in batches. A successful call was counted when the IPCP (IP Control Protocol) layer was successfully negotiated.

We compared the number of successful LCP (Link Control Protocol) connections against the number of modem calls and the number of successful IPCP connections against the number of successful LCP connections. We checked our modem dial testing against a Cisco AS 5300 and Ascend MAX 4004 rem ote-access servers to ensure the test's validity, and both of those devices completed nearly 100 percent of all calls. The RAServer successfully negotiated 84 percent of the LCP and 93 percent of the IPCP from the remaining LCP connections for a total of 78 percent successful PPP connections. Compared with the 98 percent connection rate for both the Hawk 2290 and the RASCAL RS1000, the RAServer connection rate hurt its overall performance score.

The RAServer 2500 was the only product tested that shipped with a full set of applications for management, billing and remote management. The modem and server management is furnished by Virtual Motion's Remote Access Manager (RAM). It provides a GUI that lets you view and manage multiple RAS servers, and you can combine data across the multiple servers. In addition to reporting on individual ports and users, RAM comes with preset reports showing various aspects of server utilization, such as port utilization and user access. Unfortunately, there is little reporting customization with the exception of time interval. Nevertheless, RAM's reporting far exceeds anything found native in NT.

RAM is not real-time; it periodically refreshes the state of the RAS ports in the GUI. Selecting an active port displays current statistics, such as user name or transferred data. RAM also shows error statistics on the modem link, which is useful for troubleshooting. Updating takes some time and adds to the server's load. If you are participating in an NT Domain, you can also obtain RAS information on other servers that you have administrative rights to. Imagen's NT PayMaster reads through the NT Event log and gathers login information and tracks usage for billing--useful for charge backs and other administrative tasks.

The additions within RAM that control access to specific ports and set session criteria for users and user groups are especially notable for user management. You can set up a number of ports to allow only specific users or groups to log in on that port and alter sess ion parameters, such as static IP address assignment. You can also set up user and group session restrictions according to time of day, access to other servers and session duration. RAM surpasses NT's user management, and the wizard presents the session options within a single menu command.

Housed in its own chassis, the RAServer 2500 is custom-built to withstand electronics' worst enemy: heat. Four fans move air through the chassis and over the modem cards. Modems generate tremendous heat and without proper cooling, the signal processors--the heart of the modem--will quickly start to misbehave. Although our server contained 46 modems, the 2500 can handle up to 96 modems in a single chassis. The 4x6-inch filtered air inlet should keep the 2500 cool when loaded up.