Multitech RouteFinder MTASR2-203, User Manual, Page: 33 / 90

Chapter 4 - RouteFinder Software
MTASR2-203 33
The Advanced tab contains options which control the routing of the protocol, enable auto learn of
Ethernet network numbers, define the broadcast name of the RouteFinder, and control IPX filtering.
If bridging of IPX packets is desired, IPX routing must be disabled and frame type support for the
frame type must be enabled. Bridging consumes more bandwidth; therefore, it should be used only
when required. For example, if all workstations are required to be on the same network operating
system (same backbone) then bridging should be used.
If there is a server on the local segment, then IPX network number auto learn should be enabled. If
there is no server, or if for some reason the router comes up before the server, the router will default to
some random network numbers after a short period of time.
The IPX Routing Enable feature enables IPX routing. By default, IPX routing is enabled (checked). If
you disable (uncheck) this feature, but have Spanning Tree Bridging enabled, IPX packets are bridged.
If you disable this feature and disable Spanning Tree Bridging, IPX packets are dropped.
The Auto Learn Ethernet Network Numbers feature means that the RouteFinder can automatically
learn the IPX network numbers set up on the Ethernet from a Novell file server (or any other server,
including routers that support SAP). If you have a file server on the LAN side, you can use this feature.
By default this feature is enabled. By disabling this feature you can decrease the amount of traffic that
the Router must learn. In such cases, it would be best for the network administrator to hard code the
network numbers.
The Router Name field defines the text name for the IPX router that is distributed to the other IPX
services via SAP messages. This name can be up to 48 characters in length. The Router Internal
Network feature displays a network number for a virtual LAN within the RouteFinder. This number is
provided for Novell compatibility. Novell file servers define a similar virtual network number upon which
the actual file server node resides in order to ensure that the file server remains equidistant from all
other services located on the attached IPX networks. The RouteFinder assumes the Ethernet port
address’s least significant 4 bytes for this value. In case this value clashes with any of your IPC
internetwork values, contact Multi-Tech technical support for advice.
The Message Printing Control Group (IPX) feature controls the display of various messages on the
console terminal. These messages can be a useful tool for troubleshooting and diagnostics. Normally
however, these items should be disabled (unchecked) to avoid a possible degradation of router
performance. The Printf feature enables generation of IPX print messages and the Alarm feature
enables generation of IPX alarm messages.
The Filters button (IPX) displays the IPX Filtering Setup dialog box used to add, edit and remove IPX
filters from the filtering database.