Introduction; What Does A Router Do - Lancom Office Series Manual

1

Introduction

The rapid development of the computer engineering led in the last years to a
shoot up of electronically transferred data volume. More and more users
want to send and receive more and more data. A demand, that clearly
exceeds the capabilities of past transmission technologies (analog modems
or ISDN devices) .
New technologies compensate these restrictions and offer genuine broad-
band communication with clearly higher data transmission rates. The most
important criterion for the spreading of these new access technologies is the
availability in as much as possible offices or private dwellings. One of the
new technologies is the transmission by means of DSL, using simple copper
wires for the "last mile". A broadband connection to the Internet can be real-
ized also over the domestic cable TV connection.
A LANCOM DSL/I-10 Office or LANCOM DSL/I-1611 Office does function
with nearly each high-speed Internet access based on DSL or cable TV. The
Internet access is always made via an external modem that is connected to
the router.
The most powerful representative in the series, the LANCOM DSL/I-1611
Office, additionally offers the possibility to be used as a VPN gateway.
The smallest member of the LANCOM Office series is the LANCOM 800
Office. This device hasn't got a DSL interface, but possesses all features
which are available for the ISDN interface and which are described in this
manual.
This chapter...
... introduces you briefly to the functions and application fields of routers. You
get an overview of the abilities of your LANCOM Office. You find a detailed
description of the functions, the software and its operation, as well as an
introduction to the technical basics in the following chapters.
1.1

What does a router do?

Routers connect Local Networks (LANs) and individual PCs to form a Wide
Area Network (WAN). In this WAN each computer can access (depending on
its rights) the other computers and services of the complete WAN. The router
thereby searches a way on which the data between the computers can be
exchanged.
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Introduction
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LANCOM Office