D-Link India used Linux to build a multi-service access router aimed at providing remote offices with network fault-tolerant access to corporate headquarters. The DRO-200i is based on an Intel XScale network processor, and uses V.35 as its primary WAN interface, with ISDN and dial-up backup.

V.35 emerged in the late 1980s as an ITU standard for synchronous 48Kbps connections over phone circuits. Today, it is commonly used to attach routers and DSUs to T1 lines. The DRO-200i includes a 34-pin V.35 port as its primary WAN interface, and supports synchronous connection speeds up to 2Mbps, D-Link India says.

The DRO-200i includes a pair of back-up WAN access channels, including an ISDN BRI (basic rate interface) supporting 128Kbps, and an asynchronous serial port to support a dial-up modem.

The DRO-200i also offers a 10/100 LAN port, along with a DMZ (de-militarized zone) Ethernet port, to connect subnets that need to be accessible both publicly and locally, such as those of webservers.

A DRO-200iv option adds two RJ-11 ports for voice communication devices that interface with corporate PBXs (private branch exchanges), the company says.

The DRO-200i is a 1U, 17.5-inch rack-mount device

The DRO-200i is based on an Intel XScale IXP425-B network processor with an ARM core clocked at 533MHz. It boots Linux from 16MB of Flash, and has 32MB of SDRAM.

The DRO-200i's XScale processor integrates a variety of NPEs (network processing engines) that accelerate packet processing functions. Cyptographic acceleration enables the DRO-200i to support VPNs based on IPsec, while integrated signal-processing capabilities support G.729 and G.723.1 compression for VoIP (voice-over-IP) applications.

The DRO-200i's Linux firmware supports a variety of advanced routing capabilities, including static and policy-based routing, RIP v1 and v2 (routing information protocol), OSPF (open shortest path first), and QoS (quality of service). The device includes a secure Web-based management interface, and supports remote firmware upgrades.

The 1U rack-mount unit measures 17.3 x 6.9 x 1.7 inches, and has a claimed maximum power dissipation of 6.6 Watts.

D-Link Corporation is a multi-national corporation with operations in more than 100 countries. Its US operation uses embedded Linux extensively, in products such as the Central Home Drive, NSLU-2 storage server, and DSM media player, to cite a few examples. The company has also marketed a neat Linux-based ADSL modem with built-in WiFi in Australia, Great Britain, and Russia.

 
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