Within that price range we found significant differences. The limitation on synchronous ports isn't a big deal for most sites, because one seldom needs more than one or two synchronous connections at a time in a frame relay environment. Total throughput could also be a problem if they had more ports, since few of these boxes could handle more than a small number of T1 circuits at full speed. The lack of support for multiple Ethernet ports at this price point can be a problem. As many organizations connect to the Internet, the need for simple packet filter routers that don't cost a fortune has grown.
Configuration Configuring routers is a hellish experience.
All vendors have a different paradigm for how they handle the problems of interfaces, protocols and services. Of course, in a branch office environment, this style may be just what the network manager is looking for. Engage offers the choice of Mac, PC or Unix user interfaces, but only the Mac is out of beta testing and shipping as we go to press. Source-Comm literally had to write new code before we could completely configure frame relay. The support was excellent, but it would have been nice not to have needed it.