Management Support; Basic Router Concepts; What Is A Router - NETGEAR RT338 Reference Manual

Reference Guide for the Model RT338 ISDN Router

Management Support

The router is designed to be installed and made operational within minutes after connection to the
network.
If you use a PC computer, you can use the FirstGear software to easily configure the unit from the
Windows environment. For more information about the FirstGear software, see Chapter 5, "Using
FirstGear to Configure Internet Access."
If you use a Macintosh, UNIX, or PC computer, you can connect to the built-in Manager interface,
which can be accessed through a terminal connected to the MANAGER port or through a Telnet
session across the network. The internal Manager interface manages and configures the
unit through an easily understood screen process. For more information about using the Manager
interface, see Chapter 6, "Using the Manager Interface to Configure Internet Access."

Basic Router Concepts

In general, the cost of providing network bandwidth is proportional to the data speed and the
distance over which the network extends. Large amounts of bandwidth are provided easily and
relatively inexpensively in a local area network, such as an office, department, or home. However,
providing high data speeds between two local networks that are physically distant may be costly.
To avoid this expense, high-speed local area networks (LANs) are usually interconnected by
slower-speed links to form a wide area network (WAN).
In order to make the best use of the slower WAN links, a mechanism must be in place for selecting
and transmitting only the data meant for another location. The router performs the function of
selecting and forwarding this data.

What is a Router?

A router is a device that forwards traffic between networks. A router uses network layer
information in the data and on routing tables it maintains. In these routing tables, a router builds up
a logical picture of the overall network by gathering and exchanging information with other
routers in the network. Using this information, the router chooses the best path for forwarding
network traffic.
Routers vary in performance and scale, number of routing protocols supported, and types of
physical WAN connections supported. The Model RT338 router is a small office router that routes
the IP protocol over a dial-up ISDN connection.
1-6 Introduction