Introduction; Accessing The Internet - Acer AIR-104 User Manual

1AIR-104/204
Chapter 1
Overview of the AIR-104/204

Accessing the Internet

User Guide for AIR-104/AIR-204
The AIR-104 and the AIR-204 are small desktop
devices that mediate between your local area network
(LAN) and the Internet. Each AIR-104/204 provides dual
modem connections to access the Internet (the AIR-104
has two external modem ports, while the AIR-204 has
one built-in modem and one external modem port). Your
LAN connects to the AIR-104/204 via a four-port dual-
speed Fast Ethernet repeater hub. The AIR-104/204
also features an auxiliary port for a directly connected management console. Data comes in to the
AIR-104/204 from your local network and then is "directed" to the Internet, and vice versa. The AIR-
104/204 dual-modem design allows connections to either one or two Internet accounts to be
opened and managed automatically.
Figure 1-1 Internet Access with the AIR-104/204
The AIR-104/204 provides shared Internet access, so that everyone on your LAN can surf the web
and send/receive e-mail or files.
The AIR-104/204 utilizes single IP address technology that greatly simplifies the configuration pro-
cess: the AIR-104/204 automatically acquires the necessary IP addresses when the connection to
the Internet is established, and distributes access to your entire network. You don' t need to apply for
and assign an IP address to each PC or workstation on your network.
The AIR-104/204 features "bandwidth on demand". Any user' s initial access of an Internet resource
will cause a connection to the Internet to be set up automatically. As the traffic builds up (e.g., more
users try to access the Internet, or the same user generates a lot of traffic), the AIR-104/204 will
automatically establish a second connection through a second Internet account, if one has been
configured. As traffic decreases, one Internet connection will be taken down, until finally, after a con-
figurable period of inactivity, the remaining Internet connection will also be disconnected.

Introduction

1-1