1/19/98 CommunicationsWeek 55
1998 WL 2379838
InternetWeek
Copyright 1998 CMP Publications Inc.
Monday, January 19, 1998
698
Trends
Remote Access
Keeping Remote Access In-Site
Sam Masud
For those who don't yet trust the Internet and opt to buy and manage
their own remote access systems, equipment choices fall into two broad
categories: the more traditional proprietary solutions and the
increasingly popular open-solutions products.
Proprietary remote access servers generally aren't built around Intel
servers, according to research firm the Yankee Group. They may or may
not support remote access extensions built into de facto standard
network operating systems such as Windows NT Server or NetWare.
Sometimes referred to as "concentrators," these servers typically use RISC processors and often provide additional features such as built-in user authentication and data compression. Ascend Communications Inc.'s Max 4004, Cisco Systems Inc.'s AS5200 and Shiva Corp.'s LANrover Access Switch are popular products in this category, generally sold to midrange customers needing 16 to 64 remote access ports to support between 100 and 300 users. They usually have a base price range of $15,000 to $25,000.
3Com Corp.'s Total Control Enterprise Hub is another such product,
although its use of Windows NT for administration and security makes it unique.
Wellmont Health System, a group of three large medical facilities and 30 small clinics based in Kingsport, Tenn., uses a Xylan Omniswitch at each main location for its private ATM network. Wellmont runs voice and data traffic on its ATM network, says network specialist Darren Ramsey.
Each major site is equipped with an Ascend Max 4004 remote access
server, which lets remote clinics and mobile notebook users dial in. The Max's flexibility lets Wellmont support V.34, K56flex and ISDN. Novell's Radius for NDS, which runs on two NetWare systems for redundancy, authenticates remote users, regardless of which Max they dial into.
Open-solution products are based on popular operating system
standards, which make them easier to integrate into existing networks.
Sold by small vendors such as Netaccess Inc., RAScom Inc., Ariel Corp.
and Stallion Technologies Inc., these products take advantage of
Windows NT's built-in Remote Access Service or Novell's NetWare Connect or IntranetWare.
These products may be sold as an expansion card or a set of cards,
with or without integrated modems, or they can be delivered as a total
"remote-access-in-a-box" solution, complete with a Windows NT Server.
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