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There are two basic ways to access network remotly:
A remote control connection or
A remote node connection.
Dial-up telephone line can be used to connect a PC from anywhere to a network.
In this approach, the remote PC performs no processing operations beyond executing the remote control software itself - it simply updates the display and sends keyboard and mouse input to the host. Exchanges between remote control computers and their hosts take place at the Application level, although some remote control applications can run over networks and therefore use the network protocol stack.
Over telephone lines, direct serial links, and wireless connections, remote control programs are indifferent to whether the host is on a network. Except for the ability of remote control software to perform file transfers to and from a host, remote control is a kind of terminal emulation.
In light of the obstacles to providing broad-based remote control capabilities to users, remote node software offers some significant advantages. Unlike remote control, which requires a remote user to have a dedicated modem, a PC, and a network interface, remote node sessions need only a dedicated modem and a serial port. Multiple sessions can readily share a single processor and network interface.
A remote node server is essentially a router (or sometimes a bridge) that translates frames on the serial port to a frame layout that the LAN can accommodate and then passes them along.
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Access server hardware
Remote node services can be provided through numerous hardware configurations Router or bridge processing can be accomplished on a processor in a dedicated box, on a communications server (including those that provide remote control services), or on a file server doing communication duty, as well as on a product sold as a router or bridge. (The file server must be able to accept add-on software that performs the routing or bridging jobs.) Multiple serial ports may be built in to a dedicated access box or mounted on boards that plug in to the communications server or file server.
Standalone modems may be mounted in an external rack and plugged into serial ports. Internal or modular modems may be installed on plug-in boards, or mounted in PC Card (PCMCIA) slots.
Remote connection ports may also support high-speed ISDN connections. ISDN ports may be supplied on plug-in boards for PC-type servers, on modular boards for dedicated servers, or on standalone terminal adapter units (sometimes called "digital modems") that connect to a serial port. In many cases, dedicated remote access boxes are the easiest way to provide network access to remote users. Configuration problems are minimal; in fact, some of these products approach the plug-and-play level of installation ease. They may not be the least expensive solution, however, and they are not likely to offer the most flexibility for upgrading and expanding. Routers and remote bridges may be effective remote node solutions when an organisation has standardised on a family of devices and wants to maintain consistency. Some devices that have been designed specifically for remote access are just about as easy to set up as a dedicated box-the primary difference is that modems or ISDN attachment equipment must be configured. PC servers that function, as remote node servers will offer the biggest configuration challenges - software will have to be configured, as well as the ports that attach to the dial-up lines. |
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Applications
The following applications are a few which can benefit from accessing devices remotely.
E-commerce
Remote maintenance
Internet fax
Voice over IP
Data collection
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