Abbig RFP response: Cabletron

Cabletron Systems
RFP
Abbig Corporation
Product Solution
CSX7000 - Remote Access Server

Cabletron's remote access solution for Abbig Corporation consists of the CyberSwitch 7000 (CSX7000) and SPECTRUM Connection Services Manager (CSM). The CSX7000 is a high availability RAS concentrator that terminates both digital and analog connections. Providing redundant connections, power supplies and fans, the CSX7000 offers a flexible, scalable solution that will grow with Abbig's remote access needs. The CSX7000 terminates up to 144 digital and/or analog users in one system, and can daisy chain up to 31 systems for thousands of remote connections.

The CSX7000 meets Abbig's requirements for IP/IPX routing and remote access connectivity via the following features:

• IP, IPX, AppleTalk
• PPP, ML-PPP
• RFC1490 Frame Relay
• IP Host Mode
• Unnumbered IP Network Interface
• IP RIP 1 and 2
• IP Address Pool
• IP Filters for firewall capability
• RemoteLAN - allows remote bridging devices to connect as a "routed" subnet
• IPX Routing and Spoofing
• IPX Triggered RIP/SAP
• IPXWAN
• DHCP Relay Agent
• DHCP Proxy Client
• DHCP filtering
• SNMP, Telnet and Environment Management System
• PPP Encryption
• Compression
• Various Connection Management features: Global Call Control Settings, Connection Throughput Monitor, Configurable Call Interval, Bandwidth Reservation, Bandwidth Agility, Call Detail Recording
• Security: PPP PAP, PPP CHAP, IP Host Authentication, Calling Line ID, RADIUS, TACACS, ACE/Server, Encryption, SPECTRUM Connection Services Manager.

SPECTRUM Connection Services Manager - Remote Access Security, Accounting, and Reporting for Abbig Corporation's Dial-Up Network.

Cabletron's remote access solution for Abbig Corporation includes advanced, fault-tolerant connection management capabilities provided by SPECTRUM Connection Services Manager (CSM).

SPECTRUM CSM acts as a security and policy database for all remote users, supporting standard security schemes such as PPP PAP and CHAP, Calling Line ID, and ACE/Server token card security. SPECTRUM CSM can also be used as a proxy server to existing security databases like NT Domains and RADIUS. For added security or centralized billing, the CSX7000 and SPECTRUM CSM support callback to ISDN or analog users in either fixed or roaming locations.

From a policy perspective, Abbig's remote access administrators can define IP filters to apply to connections as they are established, and can define other access privileges such as connection duration limits, time-of-day restrictions, etc., on a per-user basis. Further, SPECTRUM CSM can be used to reserve ports for Abbig's most critical remote access users (e.g., key executives and remote system administrators), ensuring that they get priority access.

For users transmitting extremely sensitive data over ISDN connections, Cabletron also has the option of encrypting the transmissions at the PPP level.

SPECTRUM CSM also permits sophisticated remote access accounting and reporting options for Abbig's network administrators. CSM provides visibility into connection statistics such as start/stop times, octets transmitted, and bandwidth used. It also correlates each connection with the physical resources (e.g., digital modem resource) used, which helps when troubleshooting connectivity issues. Finally, if Abbig's remote users report connection or authentication problems, the CSM problem log will help to quickly pinpoint the source of the problem.

SPECTRUM CSM offers excellent flexibility for reporting on Abbig Corporation's remote access activities. Since CSM is architected to work directly with an SQL database, its standard reports can be greatly supplemented with customized reports that make sense for Abbig's management needs. If desired, this database can be queried to determine usage trends and departmental or geographic cost allocations for Abbig's central and regional offices.

Finally, SPECTRUM CSM offers a wealth of redundancy features critical to large-scale remote access programs. Redundant CSM servers allow for well-defined, automatic failover and recovery processes that are transparent to Abbig's remote users. Also, sophisticated SQL database replication options offer database redundancy for additional fault tolerance.

Network (RFP) Solution with the CSX7000/CSM

In accordance with the RFP specification, 6000 users will need remote access connectivity. Estimating an average 4:1 ratio of users to ports, the Central Office location would need 250 ports to accommodate 1,000 remote users, and 125 ports at each Regional Office to accommodate 500 remote users. The Cabletron solution that meets the requirements of the RFP is as follows:

Central Office:		2 CSX7000 for a total of 288 concurrent connections.
		2 SPECTRUM CSM servers (primary/backup)

Regional Office:		1 CSX7000 for a total of 144 concurrent connections

NOTE: The Central Office diagram shows primary/backup SPECTRUM CSM servers to provide the necessary accounting, security and reporting capabilities required for each site per the RFP. However, an option would be to install a SPECTRUM CSM server at each Regional Office to maintain local control as shown by dotted box in the above diagram.

Pricing:

Pricing for the configurations listed in this RFP is as follows:

For Central Office configuration: Approx. $118K

• 2 CSX7000 (288 concurrent connections)
• 2 SPECTRUM Connection Services Manager software (for redundancy)

For Regional Offices: Approx.$59K

• 1 CSX7000 (144 concurrent connections)

The diagram linked here shows the addition of the CSX7000 and SPECTRUM CSM in the network diagram.

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