PortMaster 3
InterNetworking Systems Concentrator

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The versatile way to achieve connectivity

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and corporate network users have diverse sets of needs. Lucent Technologies now offers a versatile InterNetworking Systems concentrator to help meet them.

The Lucent PortMaster 3 access concentrator incorporates the ComOS® system -- one of the Internet industry's most proven InterNetworking Systems operating systems. As a result, the PortMaster 3 delivers the high reliability required for all types of applications. Our PortMaster 3 access concentrator also features advanced firewall packet filtering and comprehensive centralized management and security. So it delivers reliability ISPs and corporate network managers need. To date, over 2,000 ISPs and thousands of corporate networks trust PortMaster equipment for mission-critical connectivity. And that means you too can trust your network to PortMaster.

PortMaster 3's scalability is virtually unbeatable because it comes from a virtual chassis

PortMaster 3's "virtual chassis" provides cost-effective scalability that can grow with you. This capability results from several key features including:

Maximum port utilization

The PortMaster 3's dynamic port allocation eliminates the expense of separate chassis for each service and the associated waste of idle single-service ports. With a single PortMaster 3, all 48 or 60 ports are pooled and available for either Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) or analog service at anytime. As traffic comes in, the system allocates resources for ISDN or modem calls as required. When a call is terminated, the port returns to the "available" queue. As a result, you get maximum utility -- and revenue -- from every port. And the more units you add to the virtual configuration, the more you benefit.

Analog and ISDN access with a single incoming phone number

Thanks to its intelligent digital switching architecture, the PortMaster 3 can recognize whether incoming calls are made via ISDN, ISDN data over voice (d-o-v) or analog modem. It can intelligently switch between the two services over the same Primary Rate Interface (PRI) or channelized T1/E1 (CT1/CE1) line. This gives you the convenience and economy of being able to offer a single incoming phone number for multiple dial-in services.

Multi-chassis Point to Point Protocol (MCPPP)

All PortMaster 3s on a single hunt group allow any incoming Multi-link Point to Point Protocol (PPP) call (ISDN or Analog) to be terminated on separate chassis. This approach guarantees 128Kbps ISDN access.

Single Reported Internet Protocol (IP)

Routing remote Local Areat Networks (LANs) to the Internet over a dial-up link requires connection to a single IP address, no matter which access concentrator receives the call. Multiple PortMaster 3s can be configured to report the same IP address for PPP negotiation, throughout an entire hunt group. This helps enable routed ISDN connections to be put in the same hunt group as single user dial-up accounts.

PortMaster 3 units can be stacked to provide hundreds of multi-service dial-in ports. MCPPP enables the PortMaster 3 to combine a single user's ISDN connection of 128Kbps (2 x 64Kbps), even when it spans multiple server units. The PortMaster 3 automatically detects when MCPPP is required and redirects user packets via Ethernet to the unit which accepted the first call.

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PortMaster 3 units can be stacked to provide hundreds of multi-service dial-in ports. MCPPP enables the PortMaster 3 to combine a single user's ISDN connection of 128Kbps (2 x 64Kbps), even when it spans multiple server units. The PortMaster 3 automatically detects when MCPPP is requried and redirects user packets via Ethernet to the unit which accepted the first call.

PortMaster 3 delivers greater revenue-producing resources, without greater expense

The conventional Point of Presence (POP) features separate components for each service offering, so it is vastly inefficient. Server configurations are fixed and because each port is dedicated to one specific service, idle ports are wasted resources.

By contrast, whether you're running one PortMaster 3 chassis or 100, all port resources can be pooled and available for all services, all the time. And with the optional T1 WAN Router Card, the PortMaster 3 eliminates the need for any external router -- Lucent making it the ideal POP in the box solution. You get maximum utility and revenue from every port. You also get the flexibility to meet different subscriber needs at different times of the day or night, without additional capital investment.

There are a lot more benefits to the PortMaster 3.

Here are just a few of them:

Scales with your needs

You can gradually and effortlessly grow your POP in increments of 48 or 60 ports just by adding another PortMaster 3 chassis.

Optimized edge routing

The PortMaster 3 lets you initiate and terminate dial-up connections as needed, so you only pay for bandwidth actually used. What's more, multiple ISDN B-channels are available for higher throughput, with user-configurable idle timers.

In addition, PortMaster 3 supports Routing Information Protocol (RIP) and Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) with Not So Stubby Areas (NSSA) and Border Gateway Protocol (BGP). This lets you build complex networks efficiently. OSPF allows one Class A, B, or C address to be segmented into many subnet addresses of different sizes for use in multiple POPs.

True DigitalTM V.90 modem technology not only helps ensure reliability, but helps "insure" it

Our True Digital V.90 modems dissipate less heat for dramatically improved reliability. Modem cards are hot-swappable to maximize up-time when adding or reconfiguring. Once installed, True Digital modems feature automatic self-configuration and real-time diagnostics. As an added advantage, each PortMaster 3 chassis can be over-populated with modems beyond the total number of usable ports. This gives you a pool of "hot" spares as reliability insurance; that's especially valuable for remote or unstaffed POPs.

In addition, the PortMaster 3 supports Stac LZS/MS-Stac data compression for ISDN or Leased Line connections, providing up to four times greater throughput. The optional Stac compression card can be easily added in the field, and supports up to 60 concurrent sessions on high-speed digital links.



Uptime that won't let you down

When it comes to LAN-to-LAN and dial-up Internet access, nothing is more critical than reliability. Our ComOS operating system delivers it. Designed specifically for connecting networks, it supplies maximum up-time. No wonder over 2,000 ISPs and thousands of corporations trust it for around-the-clock operation -- month after month, year after year.

PortMaster 3 also supports Variable Length Submit Mask (VLSM). It lets scarce IP addresses be allocated more efficiently. And its support for NSSA further reduces traffic to backbone routers.

Easier management, centralized control

Instead of having to install, maintain, and manage numerous servers separately, you can easily manage a virtual-chassis PortMaster 3 from one console, reducing administrative time and costs dramatically.

For example, you can monitor, troubleshoot, and maintain InterNetworking Systems concentrators from a central site. This simplifies support and lowers maintenance costs. You can administer your PortMaster 3 virtual chassis through our PMconsoleTM graphical management utility or locally from a console port, via Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), Telnet, or over a dial-up connection. You can also collect modem statistics, upgrade modem software, busy-out modems, and monitor individual in-progress calls from a central site.

Since Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS) technology provides a central storage and delivery mechanism for user authentication, authorization, and accounting, you can even make and store user information updates in just one place, rather than storing data throughout the network.

The PortMaster 3 provides multi-level security

The PortMaster 3 provides everything network managers need to easily configure and modify hierarchical security schemes for maximum dial-in security. For example, our RADIUS software supports authentication via Password Authentication Protocol (PAP), Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP), or callback, as well as encrypted administrative passwords.

Our built-in firewall packet filtering lets you control exactly what type of traffic can enter and exit the network. Our ChoiceNetTM filter management software provides exceptional flexibility to customize Internet access on a per-user basis. Like RADIUS software, ChoiceNet software is client/server based and centralizes the storage and management of all user filters and site lists.

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Thanks to the PortMaster 3's management software, all user security information can be easily administered from a single central site -- for enhanced protection and simplified management.

A solution with the future built in

High performance microprocessor design

The PortMaster 3 features an advanced multiprocessor architecture that distributes server functions over many CPUs. This helps ensure optimum performance even when a chassis is fully loaded, so you get maximum throughput under all conditions. And new capabilities such as Stac compression cards can be seamlessly integrated with no performance loss. The PortMaster 3 also provides an easy migration path for Virtual Private Networks (VPN) and hardware-assisted data encryption via an optional IPSec encryption card.

The PortMaster 3 system integrates high-capacity and flexibility

PortMaster 3 combines V.90 modems, communications server, and router into a single 3-5 inch rack-mountable unit. It has six rear-panel expansion slots supporting up to ten modems per slot, for a maximum configuration of 60 modems per chassis. So you have all the capacity you need to grow.

The PortMaster also features up to two T1/E1 (CT1/CE1) interfaces to support analog, ISDN BRI, ISDN PRI, Frame Relay, and Leased Line services. In addition, multiple PortMaster 3s can work together as a single "virtual" chassis to provide all dial-up and dedicated services.

Between its high capacity and built-in flexibility, the Lucent PortMaster 3 system provides one of the most complete InterNetworking Systems solutions available for ISP and enterprise connectivity.

PortMaster 3 Specifications

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