[techtalk] Linux with ISDN

[Elizabeth Cortell]

I use a Pipeline 75 ISDN router and I recommend it highly.   It is a standalone piece
of hardware with ports for Ethernet, regular telephone, and the ISDN connection.
This neatly sidesteps the question of card support, and also eliminates any serial-port
bottleneck issues associated with regular terminal adaptors (TAs).

You assign it its own IP address to the Ethernet side, and your ISP assigns it an IP on
the WAN (ISDN) side.
Once configured with an IP address on your network, you can telnet into it from your
Linux box and watch its functioning.

The only glitch I found was with the initial setup.  You need to attach it to some
serial port and use communications software to access it the first time.  I tried the
fancy-pants Java client on my Windows box and it crashed it--repeatedly. Then I tried
to access it from the serial port on my Linux (on a Mac) box, and had no luck. I
finally connected from Windows Hyperterm.

Once I got in, I found it easy to set up. Be sure to read the manual first, though, and
have handy the job order sheets from the phone company that tell you what kind of
switch is at the phone company and what the SPIDS are.  I got my Pipeline set up in an
evening.

The Pipeline 75 can have a firewall installed. I downloaded the SecureConnect Manager
client, configured the firewall, loaded it into the router, and reset the router from
the Secure Connect client. Voila! firewall.

Liz Cortell, another satisfied ISDN user.