A two-part series dissects eight enterprise-level
remote-connection servers. Catch both issues!
On our tests, we looked at the Ascend Max 4048, Bay Networks
5399 Remote Access Concentrator, Cisco AS5200 Access Server,
Gandalf Xpressway RLAN, Microcom Access Integrator 1700, Shiva
LanRover Access Switch, 3Com AccessBuilder 5000, and 3Com
Total Control Enterprise Network Hub. We requested units
capable of handling up to 60 analog modem connections and 15
ISDN digital calls. The Max 4048, the AS5200 Access Server,
the LanRover, and the Total Control Hub each required us to
use two units for our test configuration. The Total Control
Hub can handle up to 235 ISDN calls but is limited to 48 analog
connections. We also requested units that could handle both
digital T1 and primary-rate interface (PRI) WAN connections.
The Access Integrator and AccessBuilder provided WAN interfaces
that can handle both T1 and PRI connections.
Representatives of 3Com quoted a MTBF of 85,514 hours, compared
with a quote of 50,000 from Bay Networks. ISO certification and
MTBF testing add significantly to the cost of production, but
they are useful indicators of product reliability.
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