Networking UPDATE, April 16, 2003

********************

Networking UPDATE--brought to you by Windows & .NET Magazine, the leading publication for IT professionals deploying Windows and related technologies. http://www.winnetmag.com

*********************

~~~~ THIS ISSUE SPONSORED BY ~~~~

Send/Receive FAXES via Email (Free Whitepaper & Trial)
http://list.winnetmag.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eA0DRxWW0A07NN0AW

HP & Microsoft Network Storage Solutions Road Show
http://list.winnetmag.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eA0DRxWW0A07cD0Ah
(below COMMENTARY)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~ SPONSOR: SEND/RECEIVE/MANAGE FAXES FROM EMAIL! ~~~~
Give your users the ability to send and receive FAX documents from their e-mail system or a browser-based fax application! --> http://list.winnetmag.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eA0DRxWW0A07NN0AW
Save money, and make your users more productive. NET SatisFAXtion fax servers seamlessly integrate with all e-mail systems. Register for whitepaper and 30-day evaluation at:
--> http://list.winnetmag.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eA0DRxWW0A07NN0AW
or call 800-329-2225, or email [email protected]

********************

April 16, 2003--In this issue:

1. COMMENTARY
- Configuring Cisco Routers

2. ANNOUNCEMENT
- Sample Our Security Administrator Newsletter!

3. RESOURCES
- Tip: Label It! - Hot Thread: VPN or Terminal Services?

4. NEW AND IMPROVED
- Eliminate Costly Visits to Remote Sites

5. CONTACT US
- See this section for a list of ways to contact us

********************

COMMENTARY

(contributed by Alan Sugano, [email protected])

* Configuring Cisco Routers
Two weeks ago, I wrote about the basics of connecting a Cisco Systems router and resetting the password. This time, I discuss how to use Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) and frame relay to configure a Cisco router. Let's assume that you have a frame-relay network with three locations and the following IP scheme:

Location Local Address WAN Address
Los Angeles 192.168.1.10/24 192.168.100.1/24
Chicago 192.168.2.10/24 192.168.100.2/24
New York 192.168.3.10/24 192.168.100.3/24

As you can see, the three locations share the same WAN subnet. Because of Cisco's support of PPP with frame relay, you can place each location on a separate subnet. The IP scheme with PPP and frame relay would be as follows:

Location Local Address WAN Address Data Link
Connection
Identifier (DLCI)

Los Angeles to 192.168.1.10/24 192.168.100.1/24 101
Chicago

Los Angeles to 192.168.1.10/24 192.168.101.1/24 102
New York

Chicago to 192.168.2.10/24 192.168.100.2/24 100
Los Angeles

New York to 192.168.3.10/24 192.168.101.2/24 100
Los Angeles

Using PPP with frame relay to reconfigure your routers gives you several significant benefits. One benefit is that you can shut down individual interfaces and locations. With the traditional router configuration, you can shut down only the entire WAN subnet. PPP lets you shut down locations individually, which is useful if you need to move a location or bring down a location for maintenance. To shut down an interface, go to the interface and issue the Shutdown command. For example, to shut down the Serial 0/0.1 point-to-point interface, you would issue the following commands:

Enable ! Enter enable mode on the router
password config terminal ! Configure from the terminal
int s0/0.1 ! Select the Serial 0/0.1 PPP interface
shutdown ! Shut down the interface

To turn the interface back on, issue the command

no shutdown

Another benefit of Using PPP with frame relay is that you can view Permanent Virtual Circuit (PVC) statistics. When you issue the command

show frame-relay pvc PVC_Number

the router displays a detailed list of statistics for the PVC you specify. This list is very helpful when you're troubleshooting PVC WAN problems.

Using PPP with frame relay also lets you view and debug frame-relay traffic. When you issue the command

debug frame-relay ppp

the router displays error messages for link states and Local Management Interface (LMI) changes for PPP over frame relay. To debug process-switched packets and view packets that the router has sent on a frame-relay interface, issue the command

debug frame-relay packet

To turn off debugging, issue the command

no debug frame-relay ppp

Statistics and debugging commands can provide valuable information that you can forward to your frame-relay provider to help identify problems with your WAN. Here's a summary of the commands that pertain to frame-relay interfaces for each router:

Los Angeles router:

interface FastEthernet0/0 ! Local Ethernet Interface description ACME Los Angeles ! Description of the ! interface Ip address 192.168.1.10 255.255.255.0 ! Local IP address speed auto ! Ethernet speed set to auto half-duplex ! Ethernet set to half-duplex

interface serial0/0 ! Frame relay WAN interface description ACME LA Frame relay ! Description of the ! Interface no ip address ! Interface has no IP address encapsulation frame-relay IETF ! Encapsulation set to frame- relay necessary ! to configure PPP service-module t1 timeslots 1-8 ! set speed to 512K

interface Serial0/0.1 point-to-point ! First PPP interface to ! Chicago description ACME Chicago ! Description of the first ! PPP interface ip address 192.168.100.1 255.255.255.0 ! IP address of the interface frame-relay interface-dlci 101 ! DLCI of the interface

interface Serial0/0.2 point-to-point ! Second PPP interface to New ! York description ACME New York ! Description of the second ! PPP interface ip address 192.168.101.1 255.255.255.0 ! IP address of the interface frame-relay interface-dlci 102 ! DLCI of the interface.

Chicago router interface FastEthernet0/0 ! Local Ethernet Interface description ACME Chicago ! Description of the ! interface Ip address 192.168.2.10 255.255.255.0 ! Local IP address speed auto ! Ethernet speed set to auto half-duplex ! Ethernet set to half-duplex

interface serial0/0 ! Frame relay WAN interface description ACME Chicago Frame relay ! Description of the ! interface no ip address ! Interface has no IP address encapsulation frame-relay IETF ! Encapsulation set to frame- ! relay necessary to ! configure PPP service-module t1 timeslots 1-8 ! set speed to 512K

interface Serial0/0.1 point-to-point ! PPP interface to Los ! Angeles description ACME Los Angeles ! Description of the PPP ! interface ip address 192.168.100.2 255.255.255.0 ! IP address of the interface frame-relay interface-dlci 100 ! DLCI of the interface.

New York router interface FastEthernet0/0 ! Local Ethernet Interface description ACME New York ! Description of the ! interface Ip address 192.168.3.10 255.255.255.0 ! Local IP address speed auto ! Ethernet speed set to auto half-duplex ! Ethernet set to half-duplex

interface serial0/0 ! Frame relay WAN interface description ACME New York Frame relay ! Description of the ! interface no ip address ! Interface has no IP address encapsulation frame-relay IETF ! Encapsulation set to frame- ! relay necessary ! to configure PPP service-module t1 timeslots 1-8 ! set speed to 512K

interface Serial0/0.1 point-to-point ! PPP interface to Los ! Angeles description ACME Los Angeles ! Description of the PPP ! interface ip address 192.168.101.2 255.255.255.0 ! IP address of the interface frame-relay interface-dlci 100 ! DLCI of the interface

To get to the point-to-point interface, issue the following commands:

enable ! Put route in enable mode <password> ! Enable password config terminal ! Configure router from the terminal int s0/0 ! Configure Interface Serial0/0 encapsulation frame-relay IETF ! Configure Serial0/0 for Frame Relay int s0/0.1 ! Configure Serial 0/0.1 point-to-point ctrl-z ! Exit configuration mode write ! Save the changes

This is Cisco's recommended way of configuring its routers with a frame-relay network. This way has the benefits of shutting down individual locations and quickly debugging frame-relay problems.

~~~~ SPONSOR: JOIN THE HP & MICROSOFT NETWORK STORAGE SOLUTIONS ROAD SHOW! ~~~~ Now is the time to start thinking of storage as a strategic weapon in your IT arsenal. Attend the HP & Microsoft Network Storage Solutions Road Show, and learn how existing and future storage solutions can save your company money--and make your job easier! There is no fee for this event, but space is limited. Register now! http://list.winnetmag.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eA0DRxWW0A07cD0Ah

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ANNOUNCEMENT

(brought to you by Windows & .NET Magazine and its partners)

* SAMPLE OUR SECURITY ADMINISTRATOR NEWSLETTER! If you spend the better part of your day dealing with security concerns such as controlling user access, viruses, and tightening your network's permeability, then you can benefit from the type of information we publish each month in Security Administrator. Every issue shows you how to protect your enterprise with informative, in-depth articles, timely tips, and practical advice. Sample our most recent issue today! http://list.winnetmag.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eA0DRxWW0A08XJ0Ad

RESOURCES

(contributed by Alan Sugano, [email protected])

* TIP: LABEL IT! I use a label-making device to identify the IP address and subnet mask of each router interface on my network. I also label servers, listing the server name, IP address, subnet mask, and OS version. Any network device that has a fixed IP address gets a label that includes at least the device name, IP address, and subnet mask. If you install multiple devices in the same area, consider labeling each cable on both ends so that you can quickly determine what plugs go into a given server.

* HOT THREAD: VPN OR TEMINAL SERVICES? In this thread, AndyL considers VPN to let users connect to the network from their homes but wonders about more secure alternatives. http://list.winnetmag.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eA0DRxWW0A08oy0An

NEW AND IMPROVED

(contributed by Jason Bovberg, [email protected])

* ELIMINATE COSTLY VISITS TO REMOTE SITES Network Technologies announced the SERIMUX Console Serial Port Switch, which provides remote server management from one central location. This intelligent console switch lets you connect multiple RS232 devices for onsite communications and dial-up remote communications. You can manage server farms or data centers through serial ports and standard external modems (one at the local site and one at the remote site). You can also obtain server status, manage servers, and diagnose problems without shutting down devices. The SERIMUX Console Serial Port Switch is available in 8-, 16-, 24-, and 32-port models and costs from $740 to $1545. For more information, contact Network Technologies at 800-742-8324 or on the Web. http://www.nti1.com

CONTACT US

Here's how to reach us with your comments and questions:

* ABOUT THE COMMENTARY -- [email protected]

* ABOUT THE NEWSLETTER IN GENERAL -- [email protected] (please mention the newsletter name in the subject line)

* TECHNICAL QUESTIONS -- http://www.winnetmag.com/forums

* PRODUCT NEWS -- [email protected]

* QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR WINDOWS & .NET MAGAZINE UPDATE SUBSCRIPTION? Customer Support -- [email protected]

* WANT TO SPONSOR WINDOWS & .NET MAGAZINE UPDATE? [email protected]

******************** This email newsletter is brought to you by Windows & .NET Magazine, the leading publication for Windows professionals who want to learn more and perform better. Subscribe today. http://www.winnetmag.com/sub.cfm?code=wswi201x1z

Receive the latest information about the Windows and .NET topics of your choice. Subscribe to our other FREE email newsletters. http://www.winnetmag.com/email |-+-|-+-|-+-|-+-|-+-|

Thank you for reading Networking UPDATE.

You are subscribed as [email protected]

MANAGE YOUR ACCOUNT You can manage your entire Windows & .NET Magazine Network email newsletter account on our Web site. Simply log on, and you can change your email address, update your profile information, and subscribe or unsubscribe to any of our email newsletters all in one place. http://www.winnetmag.com/email

Comments

Plain text