NETWORK WORLD NEWSLETTER: STEVE TAYLOR AND JOANIE WEXLER ON WIDE AREA NETWORKING 12/21/04 Today's focus: Initial test report good for router with dual Ethernet WAN interfaces
Dear [EMAIL PROTECTED], In this issue: * Testing a router for small and midsize branch offices * Links related to Wide Area Networking * Featured reader resource _______________________________________________________________ This newsletter is sponsored by BMC Software Linking IT Priorities to Business Objectives, an IDC whitepaper. Get insights from IDC on aligning business goals and IT priorities. IDC offers practical, actionable information on how Business Service Management can help you reduce operating costs, improve service levels, respond faster to business needs and protect delivery of business-critical. Click here to download this whitepaper now. http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=91638 _______________________________________________________________ NW'S RESEARCH CENTER ON STORAGE Go to NW Fusion's Research Center for detailed information on enterprise storage. Find the latest breaking news, case studies, white papers, commentary, reviews and more. Topics on how ILM impacts your storage strategy, how to migrate to a new tape drive, how to link SAN islands and more are all found in the Research Center. Click here: http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=91568 _______________________________________________________________ Today's focus: Initial test report good for router with dual Ethernet WAN interfaces By Steve Taylor and Joanie Wexler A couple of weeks ago, we discussed the recent introduction of routers for small and midsize branch offices that incorporate support for dual Ethernet WAN interfaces (see first editorial link below). The most obvious application for these devices is to use both DSL and cable services for additional throughput and, more importantly, for added reliability since DSL and cable tend to use separate physical infrastructures. We recently began testing of one of these devices on a network that uses both cable and DSL. Both services are attached simultaneously to the router. Since our testing is not exhaustive and is still in progress, we'll not mention the manufacturer at this point. But here are our first impressions: 1) Installation was unremarkable. Every product is a little different, so you have to find the right screens, but we were up and running in less than half an hour. Procedures such as cloning the MAC address to keep the DSL service happy were straightforward. 2) These kinds of products seem to have two modes: load-balancing, in which both links are used constantly, and fail-over, in which the secondary link is active only when needed. Load-balancing mode seems to make the most sense because there's no need to have bandwidth standing by if it's available otherwise. 3) The product seemed to work quite well in fail-over mode. We tried unplugging each link (to simulate failure), and the traffic rerouted rather seamlessly to the other link. This isn't to say that a given session did or did not have to be restarted, but at least the fundamental connectivity remained intact. So the first report is that the product "worked." But not without glitches. We'll address some of these and some caveats when we return to your inbox the first week of the new year. RELATED EDITORIAL LINKS Cable and DSL: Reliable enough for the branch? Network World Wide Area Networking Newsletter, 12/07/04 http://www.nwfusion.com/newsletters/frame/2004/1206wan1.html Double your broadband, double your fun Network World, 09/13/04 http://www.nwfusion.com/reviews/2004/0913rev.html Building VPNs on the cheap Network World, 12/20/04 http://www.nwfusion.com/news/2004/122004cheapvpn.html Switch start-up enhances aggregation Network World, 12/20/04 http://www.nwfusion.com/news/2004/122004-hammerhead.html _______________________________________________________________ To contact: Steve Taylor and Joanie Wexler Steve Taylor is President of Distributed Networking Associates and Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Webtorials.Com. For more detailed information on most of the topics discussed in this newsletter, connect to Webtorials.Com <http://www.webtorials.com/>, the first Web site dedicated exclusively to market studies and technology tutorials in the Broadband Packet areas of Frame Relay, ATM, and IP. He can be reached at <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Joanie Wexler is an independent networking technology writer/editor in California's Silicon Valley who has spent most of her career analyzing trends and news in the computer networking industry. She welcomes your comments on the articles published in this newsletter, as well as your ideas for future article topics. Reach her at <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. _______________________________________________________________ This newsletter is sponsored by NetScout The deployment of VoIP is well underway and unstoppable, but the implementation and ongoing support is extremely challenging. To successfully support VoIP and other demanding applications, IT organizations need to change their approach to network management. Learn about readiness assessment, design and ongoing management in the Network World Special Report: Recommendations for Implementing and Managing Converged Networks. http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=91662 _______________________________________________________________ ARCHIVE LINKS Archive of the WAN newsletter: http://www.nwfusion.com/newsletters/frame/index.html _______________________________________________________________ FEATURED READER RESOURCE THE EXTENDED ENTERPRISE: NW'S ANNUAL GUIDE Here we analyze the latest tools, techniques and strategies for extending your business reach. Find out how connecting to your business partners is influencing those relationships, how you can make your business partners take security issues as seriously as you do and more. Click here: <http://www.nwfusion.com/ee/2004/?ts> _______________________________________________________________ May We Send You a Free Print Subscription? 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