Date: Sat, 8 Dec 2001 10:24:50 +1100 From: Stanley Hopcroft <Stanley.Hopcroft@IPAustralia.Gov.AU> To: freebsd-isp@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: FreeBSD as multiple line RAS Message-ID: <20011208102448.B391@IPAustralia.Gov.AU> In-Reply-To: <DBEIKNMKGOBGNDHAAKGNEEOGKKAA.dave@hawk-systems.com>; from dave@hawk-systems.com on Fri, Dec 07, 2001 at 10:41:27AM -0500 References: <DBEIKNMKGOBGNDHAAKGNEEOGKKAA.dave@hawk-systems.com>
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Dear Sir, I am writing to thank you for your letter and say that you can probably do much better than 2 modems per FreeBSD box. On Fri, Dec 07, 2001 at 10:41:27AM -0500, Dave VanAuken wrote: > Anyone have first hand experience, pitfalls, or comments regarding using a > freebsd box as a simple RAS for multiple remote dialin lines. > > Have a client that needs to provide access to a number of stores, maximum of 8 > at a time. Currently has a two ports available on an NT server, and a number on > an AS400 for inventory management. > > Solution would be throw a coule of cheap FreeBSD boxes in there with 2+ modems > each. What isthe maximum number that you could reasonably pack into a single > FreeBSD box without running into resource problems? I think it's more a question of :- . how many slots for serial IO cards you have . how much money you have to spend on serial IO cards. I think that the better cards (vi) offload all of the serial/interupt processing to the card. > > Easy solution would be to install a Cisco 2509 or something, but that may be > overkill. Thoughts? I have used . 16 port generic (AST clones) multi-port ISA cards (2 x 8) in a FreeBSD 2.x-3.x/486 terminal server (inc one modem) without any problems . the 8 port PCI cyclades (cheapo model) in a Dell 350 likewise (apart from hacking the Dell box to get an RJ cable into the edgemost port). Both Stallion and Cyclades make very high density mutli-port serial cards that AFAIK are supported by FreeBSD 4.x. These are large scale (>= 64 ports IIRC) products that are quite dear. If you want . best price per port . only want Async line protocols (25xx do sync also) . want the box doing other useful things and . do not have a red hot second hand Cico 25xx price (they are getting cheaper .. since they were end of lifed) . do not have tight space requirements . do not want ISDN and digital modems (I don' think there is anyone that does that for FreeBSD unfortunately, only Cisco and Ascend) then go for a FreeBSD based solution. Personally, unless I wanted a high density serial concentrator (eg consoles for rackmount servers), I wouldn't go past a FreeBSD terminal server. However, a very nice prebuilt (linux based) terminal server is the TS2000. > > Dave > > > To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org > with "unsubscribe freebsd-isp" in the body of the message Thank you, Yours sincerely. -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Stanley Hopcroft IP Australia Network Specialist +61 2 6283 3189 +61 2 6281 1353 (FAX) Stanley.Hopcroft@IPAustralia.Gov.AU ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Everybody is somebody else's weirdo. -- Dykstra To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-isp" in the body of the message
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