Introduction
24
Models 2603, 2621, and 2635 User Manual
2
• Product Overview
Introduction
The OnSite Series Router operates as a bridge or a router and has two ports for communication:
•
The Ethernet port—Connects to the LAN side of the connection
•
The Serial port—Connects to local DTE devices (Model 2621 and 2635)
•
The T1/E1 port—Connects directly to T1/E1 lines (Model 2603)
The router provides all layer 2 and layer 3 protocols required for end-to-end-link communication.
When configuring the OnSite router, questions must be answered so the OnSite router functions as desired.
For example, when a router or bridge module needs to be activated, some questions would be:
•
Is a default gateway required?
•
Which encapsulation technique is best for this application: Frame Relay, PPP, or another?
These decisions can be made and implemented more easily if The OnSite Series router’s fundamental architec-
ture is understood. Also, while configuring The OnSite Series router via a browser using the built-in HTTP
server is very intuitive, an understanding of the architecture is essential when using the command-line interface
(CLI) commands.
The fundamental building blocks comprise a router or bridge, interfaces, and transports. the router and bridge
each have interfaces. A transport provides the path between an interface and an external connection. For exam-
ple, the Ethernet transport attaches to an Internet Protocol (IP) interface. A transport consists of layer 2 and
everything below it. Creating a transport and attaching it to a bridge or router’s interface enables data to be
bridged or routed. The supported transports are
PPPoE
,
Frame Relay
,
PPPoH
, and
Ethernet
.
Configuring an interface and transport for the router or bridge requires naming the interface and transport
before attaching them. When using the built-in HTTP server web browser, this is done automatically. But
when configuring The OnSite Series router via CLI commands through the RS-232 control port, it must be
done manually.
