Vigor 2600 ADSL - ISDN failover
Installation
Installation was a breeze. The router operates over Ethernet, so it’s simply a case of connecting a cable from it to a PC. It has a DHCP server built in, which is enabled by default, so there’s no need to even statically set an IP address on the local PC to be able to access it.
There’s no software to install, so once the Ethernet cable is connected it’s just a case of pointing a web browser to 192.168.1.1, which is where all the configuration of the device is carried out.
The actual presentation of the configuration menu is fairly straightforward:
Connecting The ADSL
The configuration of the ADSL connection was simple. The VCI / VPI values are already at default, and all I needed to set was the username and password. There’s even an option to auto detect MTU settings for the ADSL circuit if needed. The option of ‘Always On’ ensures the line won’t drop unless outside forces cause it to, without this setting the ADSL drops after the timeout period had elapsed, which is adjustable.
I also configured the router up for NO NAT on a 6-host subnet. It was slightly confusing setting this up but once configured correctly all was working fine, with the router correctly passing through traffic for another IP address on the LAN I was working with. A quick check on www.whatismyipaddress.com revealed it was working correctly as it gave the public IP of my PC.
Configuring the ISDN
Setting up the ISDN was almost identical to above, except that on ISDN there are two separate options of how you’d like it to behave:
The first is Packet Trigger, meaning that the ISDN will kick in if it detects the ADSL is down, and will drop off again when the idle timeout is reached (idle timeout is variable and changed from the ISDN config).
The other option is Always On, meaning that when the ADSL goes down, the ISDN will kick in and stay on until the ADSL is re-established.
The former option is likely to be the better option because if the ADSL goes down at 9pm at night when everyone’s gone home, and then comes back up at 7am the next morning, the ISDN would have been running all night and nobody would know until the phone bill comes through.
The ISDN failover supports RIP but I can’t find any mention of BGP support.
Testing the ISDN failover
I tested the ISDN failover by setting the Vigor up so that it would connect the ISDN on the Packet Trigger option. The ADSL was up and running, and with the ISDN cable connected, I disconnected the ADSL cable. During this time I had a continuous ping running to 195.12.1.1 and for the ADSL to die off and then come back up on the ISDN it only missed five pings, at which point the ISDN came up and everything was up and running again.
Once the ADSL was plugged back in, it immediately attempted to start to establish the PPPoA connection again, and once this was established, it dropped the ISDN channel. Incidentally, the product supports up to 128k dual bonded ISDN.
I then tested the ISDN failover with the 6-host configured on the router. This worked without any problems. As soon as the ISDN was up and running, the 6 host was then routed through it and traffic continued as normal. Once the ADSL was plugged back in, the 6 host went back to the ADSL and the ISDN was dropped.
A good point to add here is that when the ISDN is running, the router won’t drop it until the ADSL is properly up and running. I noticed that even though it could detect the ADSL was on the line and it had synchronised, it wouldn’t switch back to the ADSL until the PPPoA session was back up.
Wireless
Wireless was simple to setup. I used a Netgear PCMCIA card attached to a laptop, and this successfully connected to the Wireless LAN I had configured on the Vigor. It supports up to 128bit encryption, and can permit or deny connections depending on MAC address of the client connecting. The range was surprisingly good, with the two antennae provided on the Vigor helping it to reach further than other Wireless access points that only contain one.
Other Features
Remote management is available over both the ISDN port and the ADSL; this would be helpful for us when customers are having issues with the configuration of the device. It’s carried out through a web browser, and is identical to being connected to the box locally. Tested all ok.
Supports standard features of NAT, port opening, and also allows one IP on the network to be treated as a DMZ. Also contains a list of well-known port numbers for reference.
Provides ability to route to a Radius server for authentication of connecting devices
Supports PPTP, IPSec, L2TP VPN standards. Handles IPSec Low Level (AH) and also High Level (ESP).
Remote Access is available over either the Internet or via the ISDN line. It’s handled by a list of user accounts stored on the router, of which there are 20 available. Each account allows for an idle timeout to be set, and permissions for how each user may connect (ISDN, PPTP or L2TP). In addition, Callback is provided and can even has budget control set on it to disconnect a user after a certain amount of time, whether they’re using it or not.
It’s also possible to download the configuration, although unfortunately it’s not possible to open this in a text reader such as Notepad. The purpose of downloading it is to back it up so it can be re-loaded if anything happens to corrupt the configuration.
The router contains the function to act as a Syslog server, which enables
you to monitor the device to see it bringing the VPN up and other connection related issues. This could be particularly useful from a support point of view.
There’s also an FTP service on it; you can remotely FTP into it and upload a new firmware file, available from the Draytek website. It's already running the latest firmware so I wasn't able to test it, but I'm sure I wouldn't have run into problems.
VPN
The VPN on the Vigor is enabled out of the box, there's no extra licence to
purchase to enable it or connect to it. There's no VPN client available;
instead it operates through the VPN client included with Windows. The
maximum number of VPN tunnel connections available is 8, the 8 tunnels are simultaneous so can all be run at the same time.
There's a couple of options available for VPN connectivity:
There’s the capability of connecting 16 Lan-to-Lan connections, either over a VPN or through the ISDN, each supporting the protocols above.
Dial In - accounts are configured on the Vigor and remote machines connect
directly to it and authenticate with the Vigor. They can connect via PPTP,
L2TP, L2TP over IPSEC and through the ISDN port.
It doesn't matter which method is used though, the limit of 8 (even if
there's a mixture) still stands.
Support / Help
Paper manual is brief but concise and deals only with installation and some troubleshooting. The main manual is contained on the provided CD and is full of information on each area of the configuration. The English isn’t perfect, but is understandable. The online manual is also presented in the same format as the configuration screens, so you can select which feature you need help on as if you were configuring it. Well laid out, good details.
Online support is also available from http://www.draytek.co.uk, which is where they also publish new firmware revisions.
Conclusion
The Vigor is a superb product, with features included that you’d normally expect from a more expensive product. Configuration is easy, it proved to be a reliable product, and did exactly what it said on the box.
