Printing devices can be configured as local printers on a UNIX host using the Perle supplied software. This allows any system on the network to interlace printouts on one print queue or access a hunt group. Modems and other bi-directional devices are configured as local UNIX ports, using a combination of Perle utilities and reverse telnet. Security Individual ports can be password protected in one of two ways. Users may be authenticated with a valid host, where user names and passwords are required.
Administration is password protected.
All ports provide dial in and dial out access. Dial in provides authentication security and records duration of calls for billing purposes to a log host. Reverse Telnet allows a Unix system to access a remote serial port as though the port were a physical port on the UNIX box. The feature is greatly enhanced by the free host software provided known as 'ioland'. A Success Story Perle likes to quote the Jamaican Ministry Of Finance as an example of how best to use terminal servers.