Ascend Pipeline Routers P75 and P130

Ascend Pipeline P75

• The Pipeline's full-featured IP and IPX routing and remote-access capabilities, as well as an optional Secure Access firewall and Frame Relay capability, make it an excellent choice. Moreover, an easy installation and intuitive GUI make the Pipeline approachable to beginners interested in the additional features.

  The Pipeline's rear panel has an ISDN jack, two POTS jacks, an RS-232 port to connect to your configuring PC, and both 10Base-T and AUI Ethernet connectors. The front panel has five LEDs that indicate power-on, ISDN connection, and activity. Like the Cisco 766, the Pipeline's gray plastic case includes two slots that let you mount the router on a wall. Ascend's excellent documentation includes three thick, detailed manuals. In case you prefer your documentation on-screen, a CD-ROM is also included.

Ascend Pipeline P130

• Breaking new ground in small T1 routers, Ascend Communications' $1,995 Pipeline 130 T1 is the only product in our roundup that includes an integral T1 Customer Service Unit (CSU)--the demarcation point between the phone company's equipment and the router--which can save you as much as $700. It's also the only product in our roundup that offers an optional application-level firewall (Secure Access Firewall, $1,000, reviewed in the Network Edition, October 7, 1997).

  Like the Cisco 1601, the Pipeline comes with support for the Network Address Translation (NAT) protocol and a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server. Like most products in this roundup, the Pipeline can route ISDN and T1 links to separate locations. In addition, you can configure the Pipeline to bring up the ISDN link as a backup line, as you can with all of these products. As for what it can handle, the Pipeline routes IP and IPX and acts as a bridge for all other Ethernet protocols. WAN protocols supported include PPP and Multilink PPP, as well as Ascend's MP+ and frame relay.

  Housed in a modem-size black plastic box and smaller than many external CSU units, the Pipeline has all its connectors on the rear panel and five indicator LEDs on the front. The rear panel has AUI and 10Base-T Ethernet connectors but lacks a link LED for the 10Base-T port.