Connections Tab

Usage: Click the Help button at any time to get online help for the settings in the current tab.

This opens a World Wide Browser, such as Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer, and displays information about the settings.

To close the help display, close the browser as you would any other program. For example, in Windows 95, click the X button at the upper right of the window or choose Exit from the File menu.

With some browsers, a new window will open each time you click the Help button. If this happens, simply close each window when you're done with it.

Finding setting descriptions: At the beginning of each help window is a table of contents for the window. To go information about a particular setting, click the hyperlink (the underlined text in most browsers) for that setting in the contents. To return to the contents, use the control in your browser for going back, such as the Back button in Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer 3.0.

Usage: Click this button to send the settings shown in the Java-Based Pipeline Configurator to the Pipeline.

These new settings replace the previous settings in the Pipeline. You can use this button at any time; you do not have to enter values for all settings before updating the Pipeline.

Usage: Click this to save the settings shown in the Java-Based Pipeline Configurator in a file on your computer.

You then use your operating system's facility for specifying a name and location for the file, such as the Save To dialog box in Windows 95.

You can later open a file in which you've saved settings by clicking the Open a Configuration File button in the first window that appears when you run the Java-Based Pipeline Configurator.

You can use this button at any time; you do not have to enter values for all settings before saving settings.

When you click the Connections tab, a list of current connection profiles, if any, appears. To select a profile, click it. There are also three buttons on the display:

• New

  Click this to create a new connection profile. This displays the Edit Settings window, which contains the settings for the profile.

• Edit

  Click this to change settings for the selected profile. This opens the Edit Connections window. This displays the Edit Settings window, which contains the settings for the profile.

• Delete

  Click this to delete the selected profile.

Usage: Enter the name or MAC address of the remote device.

You can enter up to 31 characters.

The value you specify is case sensitive, and must exactly match the name of the remote device. If you are not sure about the exact name, contact the administrator of the remote network.

Dependencies: Keep this additional information in mind:

• The Station setting appears in the list of Connection Profiles display when you click on the Connections tab; however, if you leave the setting blank, the IP Address setting appears instead in the Connection Profiles display.

• The remote device that the Station setting specifies is the device actually placing or answering the call; it is not necessarily the same as the source or destination of packets using the link.

• The Pipeline does not currently use the Domain Name System (DNS) to determine the IP address of the device specified by the Station setting.

• When the Pipeline receives a PPP or MP+ call from an Ascend unit, it tries to match the caller's Name to the value of the Station setting in some Connection Profile.

  If the Pipeline finds a match and authentication is turned on, the Pipeline then tries to match the caller's Password value to the Password value in that same Connection Profile.

Usage: When the box is checked, the profile is available for use.

Dependencies: Keep this additional information in mind:

• If the profile is active, the static route implied by the Connection Profile can appear in the static routing table.

• If you deactivate a Connection Profile, the static route implied by the Connection Profile is removed from the static routing table.

Usage: Choose one of the following:

• None

  This disables bridging.

• Transparent

  This enables transparent bridging. When the Pipeline is performing transparent bridging it keeps track of where a particular address is located and the Connection Profile needed to bring up that interface. As it forwards a packet, it notes the packet's source address and creates a bridge table that associates node addresses with a particular interface.

• IPX Client

  This enables IPX smart bridging. Use this option if you support only NetWare client on the local network, not NetWare servers. The Pipeline continues to act as a protocol-independent bridge, and applies a set of internal filters that enable it to bring down and idle IPX connection without breaking IPX client-server or peer-to-peer connections.

Usage: Choose one of the following:

• Switched
  This setting specifies a link that consists entirely of switched channels.

  The Switched setting is the default.

• Nailed
  This setting specifies a link that consists entirely of nailed-up channels.

  You must use the Group setting to specify which channels are in the connection.

• Nailed/MPP
  This setting specifies a link that consists of both nailed-up and switched channels. The Pipeline establishes this connection whenever any of its nailed-up or switched channels are connected end-to-end. If a Nailed/MPP link is down and the nailed-up channels are down, the link cannot re-establish itself until the Pipeline brings up one or more of the nailed-up channels, or dials one or more switched channels.

  Typically, the switched channels are dialed when the Pipeline receives a packet whose destination is the unit at the remote end of the Nailed/MPP connection. The packet initiating the switched call must come from the caller side of the connection.

  If a channel in a call fails for any reason, and the total number of channels in the Nailed/MPP connection falls below the value of the Min Channels setting (displayed when you click the Bandwidth button), the Pipeline tries to add a switched channel to bring the connection back up to the minimum.

  If a failed channel is in the group specified by the Group setting, that channel is replaced with a switched channel, even if the call is online with more than the minimum number of channels. Failed nailed-up channels are replaced by switched channels, regardless of the Min Channels setting.

• Permanent Switched
  This setting specifies a permanent switched connection.

  A permanent switched connection is an outbound call that attempts to remain up at all times. If the unit or central switch resets, or if the link is terminated, the permanent switched connection attempts to restore the link at ten-second intervals.

  Use this setting if your telephone company charges for each incoming and outgoing connection attempt, but does not charge for connection time on local calls. Ascend's regular bandwidth-on-demand feature conserves connection time but causes many connection attempts. A permanent switched connection performs the opposite function-it conserves connection attempts but causes a long connection time.

  For the answering device at the remote end of the permanent switched connection, you should configure the Connection Profile to answer calls but not originate them. If the remote device initiates a call, the Pipeline simply does not answer it. This situation could result in repeated charges for calls that have no purpose. To keep the remote device from originating calls, set Dial In/Out to Dial In Only for that device.

• The Pipeline determines the minimum number of channels by the value of the Min Channels setting or the number of nailed-up channels in the group, whichever is greater.

  The Pipeline does not count a nailed-up channel that is unused.

• The Pipeline adds or subtracts switched channels on a Nailed/MPP connection as required by the settings on either side of the connection.

  Each side makes its calculations based on the traffic received at that side. If the two sides of the connection disagree on the number of channels needed, the side requesting the greater number prevails.

• The DO Hangup setting works only from the caller side of the connection when you choose Nailed/MPP.

• The Idle Setting works for both sides of the connection when you choose Nailed/MPP. However, if the answering side of the connection brings the link down because of an Idle timeout, the calling side can bring it back up.

• If the link consists entirely of switched channels (Call Type is Switched), the Group setting does not apply (Group is dimmed).

• In a Connection Profile, the encapsulation must be MPP (Encaps is MPP) in order to set Call Type to Nailed/MPP.

• When you set Call Type to Permanent Switched in a Connection Profile, the following settings do not apply and are dimmed:
  • Dial In/Out is dimmed because permanent switched connections are always outbound.

Usage: Enter a number between 0 and 65535. If you specify 0 (zero), Pipeline does not enforce a limit; an idle connection stays open indefinitely.

The default setting is 120 seconds.

Dependencies: Keep this additional information in mind:

• In the Answer tab or Connection Profile, Idle Timeout does not apply to nailed-up links; that is, the Idle Timeout setting is dimmed when the Call Type setting is Nailed.

• If MP+ encapsulation is in use and the bandwidth utilization on both sides of the connection drops below the value entered for the Idle % setting (in the Bandwidth setting of Connections tab), the Pipeline clears the call, regardless of the value you enter for the Idle Timeout setting.

• Idle Timeout in the Answer tab applies to incoming calls for which no Connection Profile exists; if a Connection Profile exists, the setting of its Idle Timeout setting takes precedence.

• If the Require Connection Profile setting is checked in the Answer tab, Idle Timeout does not apply (Idle Timeout setting is dimmed) in the Answer tab.

• Because the Idle % setting is dependent on traffic levels on both sides of the connection, we recommend that you use the Idle Timeout setting in preference to it.

To make a 64 Kbps data connection, all the telephone companies used for the connection must provide 64 Kbps service. If any of them provide only 56 Kbps service, you must specify a 56 Kbps connection.

In a few cases, it is necessary to use a voice connection to carry digital data. This technique, known as Data over Voice (DOV), also can be used when voice calls are less expensive than data calls.

Usage: Choose one of the following:

• 56K specifies a 56 Kbps data connection.

• 56KR specifies a restricted 56 Kbps data connection.

• 64K specifies a 64 Kbps data connection.

• Voice specifies a Data over Voice (DOV) connection, which uses a voice call to carry digital data. The Voice setting applies only to switched channels.

Note: Although 56KR service carries data at the same rate as 56K service, 56KR and 56K are different types of service. If the network to which you're connecting requires 56KR service, Link Type must be set to 56KR.

Dependencies: Keep this additional information in mind:

• Data over Voice (DOV)--the data transmission technique used when the value of Link Type is Voice--is often less reliable than a standard data connection. To avoid loss or corruption of data when using Data over Voice, do the following:

• Make sure that the connection carries only digital data.

• Make sure that the phone company is not using any intervening loss plans to economize on voice calls.

• Do not use echo cancellation; techniques for removing echoes from analog calls can corrupt data