Networking features

Router mode

InfiNet Wireless device can be configured not only as a switch but also as a router. Moreover, a unit may act as both router and switch simultaneously.

In a router mode static routing is supported as well as dynamic routing with RIPv2 and OSPFv2 protocols.

RIP (version 2) protocol is supported by two modules - RIP and ARIP. RIP module is easier to work with but ARIP module is more advanced. ARIP module can cooperate with OSPF support module and therefore provide smart system performance.

OSPF module supports widely used OSPF (version 2) routing protocol for IP networks. Basic principles that form a current version of protocol are outlined in RFC 2328. OSPF protocol is a classical Link-State protocol which delivers the following functionality:

• no limitation for the network size
• routes information update sending using multicast addresses
• high speed route definition
• using authentication procedure while routes updating
• classless routing support

The router can work on any network interfaces, supporting IPv4 protocol. So broadcast and multicast packets transmission is restricted to the local segment of the appropriate interface.

InfiNet Wireless device in router mode is a complete and all-sufficient router so you don’t need to use third parties ones.

To improve the efficiency of the network MINT technology introduces a new type of OSPF “mesh” interface "mesh". It allows presenting all nodes’ connections with its OSPF neighbors as a point-to-multipoint network provided by OSPF protocol. But unlike standard point-to-multipoint network "mesh" interface does not require manual adjustment of the connection values (costs) between adjacent routers. Neighboring routers will be detected automatically by the OSPF neighbors search algorithm. The cost of a connection to a neighbor will be dynamically determined based on the information from network layer of MINT network. Now OSPF connection costs are always the optimal! In addition, "mesh" interface type can greatly reduce OSPF network topology design expenditures and increase the speed of this process.

OSPF "mesh" interface type can be used to avoid the "bottleneck” problem, when all the network traffic comes out through a one single channel. Now the network can have several default routes where each node (OSPF router) chooses the most appropriate gateway(s) and maintains its optimality.

Moreover, combined systems can be built where part of the traffic is routed, and the other is switched. At first every incoming packet is performed by the switch. If he recognizes that the package is intended for him, the packet will be switched to an appropriate group. If not, the packet will be given to the routing module, for a final decision what to do with it.

Tunneling

Tunnels are used to merge two remote and physically not connected networks into one logical structure. Tunnels are widely used to create corporate networks or the so-called virtual private networks (VPN): several remote offices, connected to the network through the same or different providers, are connected to the company headquarters or to each other by tunnels, thus forming one corporate structure. Common IP address space and registration/accounting policy can be used throughout the whole VPN-based corporate network, independently of network provider(s) used.

Tunnels also solve the problem of using common transport media in a public network so that different clients could be provided with services by several providers. It means that a client can be connected by a tunnel to a specific provider, to be serviced by that provider, irrespective of the client's connection point to a common transport network.

There are several approaches to build tunnels. One of these, IP into IP Encapsulation (described in RFC 2003), is implemented in InfiNet Wireless devices software. This technology is used, for example, in Cisco Systems routers, and is a subset of the IPSEC protocol supported by several operating systems.

Within this approach, tunnels are implemented as point-to-point (P2P) links between two endpoint routers. The whole data stream through such a link is encapsulated into IP packets at one end of a link and is delivered to its opposite end through the existing transport network.

IP-Firewall

IP Firewall is a mechanism of filtering packets crossing an IP network node, according to different criteria (protocol, source address and/or destination address, the network interface, TCP/IP connection request, head, tail or intermediate IP fragment, defined IP options).

NAT

NAT performs network address translation according to RFC1631. NAT allows several computers in the given LAN to connect to Internet via the same public IP address. NAT-module receives outgoing IP-packets, modifies sender's IP address to the public IP address and forwards it to Internet. Sender's IP address is modified in such a way that it is possible to identify the sender only when IP packet is received on the LAN incoming interface which forwards the IP packet to the initial sender.

DHCP

DHCP, or Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, is a network protocol that allows computers automatically receive an IP address and other parameters needed to work in a TCP/IP network. This avoids manual computer configuration in the network and reduces the number of errors.

InfiNet Wireless device can be configured as DHCP server, DHCP client and DHCP relay.

In DHCP server mode InfiNet Wireless device performs automated IP address and network parameters management.

DHCP client mode is used for automatic retrieving of different parameters from DHCP server for one or several device’s network interfaces. Among the parameters are IP-address, network mask, default gateway etc.

For DHCP protocol regular work, the server and the hosts that get the service should be allocated within one network segment – no routers should be placed in between. If the network consists of several segments, each segment should have its own DHCP server as routers block broadcast packets. One of the alternatives to this solution is installing in each segment that does not have the server DHCP Relay Agent which forwards the requests from network hosts to DHCP server. This is for DHCP relay mode is used.

Quality of Service

QoS manager is a convenient and flexible mechanism to manipulate data streams going through the unit. The user can create up to 17 logical channels characterized by different properties (such as priority levels and data transfer rates), and then assign data streams to these logical channels according to special rules of assignment. Packets going through different channels are thus modifying their own properties as well as properties of their respective data flows.

InfiNet Wireless smart QoS features:

• 17 priority queues
• IEEE 802.1p support
• IP TOS / DiffServ support
• Full voice support
• Traffic limiting (absolute, relative, mixed)
• Traffic redirection

Using these features will guarantee you an unsurpassed quality of service in your network.