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While network routers designed for small and remote offices have been around for a couple of years, they haven't delivered much functionality.
Even though these devices allow remote LANs to connect to the corporate intranet or the Internet, they've been extremely difficult to set up, configure and maintain. In fact, operating them has usually been beyond the skills of the remote users they were designed to connect.
Lately, that's changed.
New small office routers boast a setup and configuration that is much easier than in earlier versions. In addition, these new routers are delivering greater flexibility because they're designed to more closely reflect real-life use. This means that managers of remote office networks no longer need to learn cryptic commands; they don't need to telnet into the router to make changes; and, in some cases, they don't need to renumber every node on their entire network just to have access to the Internet.
Easy Management
The greatest innovation for routers is Web-based management, which vendors began delivering in the fall of 1996. Web-based management is an HTML page carrying forms that let you set parameters for the router, including access numbers, ISDN information, security and firewall characteristics and the like. In addition, some router manufacturers now are including configuration software that will actually find the router on the network and begin the setup process when the device is first installed.
While there are limitations to what these new features can accomplish, they make management of remote access routers much easier for people who work with them. Equally important, these devices retain their command line interfaces and their network management features, including SNMP and RMON. This means that while the router is connected to the network, it's still part of the corporate management scheme.
The Cisco 1604 and the Farallon Netopia are two new routers that sport this feature set.
While both these products are similar to routers included in the CommunicationsWeek 1996 Remote Access Lab Test (CommWeek, Oct. 28, 1996) conducted last fall, their function and, to some extent, their usefulness, have changed significantly. Farallon's router, for example, is now much easier to set up and manage after being nearly impossible to do last fall. And, Cisco has added a Web-based management capability that...