IP-marshrutizatory yavlyayutsya svyazuyushim zvenom v TCP/IP-setyah, obespechivayushim stykovku podsetei mezhdu soboi. Naprimer, dlya podklyucheniya lokal'noi seti k Internet neobhodim marshrutizator, podklyuchennyi k lokal'noi seti s odnoi storony, i k vneshnemu kanalu s drugoi. Vozmozhno neskol'ko reshenii zadachi IP-marshrutizacii.
Dannaya rabota osveshaet nekotorye voprosy primeneniya PC-routerov pri postroenii setei s protokolom TCP/IP.
Vybor komp'yuterov klassa IBM PC v kachestve apparatnoi platformy marshrutizatora obuslovlen horoshim sootnosheniem stoimost'/proizvoditel'nost'. Primenenie OS Linux trebuet processor ne huzhe i386, i minimum 4Mb operativnoi pamyati. Monitor, klaviatura, diskovody gibkih diskov ne trebuyutsya. Zhestkogo diska emkost'yu 40Mb vpolne dostatochno dlya prostyh primenenii.
V kachestve interfeisa lokal'noi seti mozhet ispol'zovat'sya deshevaya plata Ethernet NE2000, stabil'no rabotayushaya s sovremennymi versiyami OS Linux i obespechivayushaya real'nuyu skorost' peredachi pol'zovatel'skih dannyh poryadka 200Kbait/s. Vozmozhno takzhe primenenie bolee dorogih plat, obespechivayushih skorosti do 800Kbait/s.
Asinhronnyh posledovatel'nyh portov, prisutstvuyushih na mul'tikarte, dostatochno dlya prostyh primenenii; pri neobhodimosti mogut ustanavlivat'sya dopolnitel'nye mul'tiportovye asinhronnye adaptery, v tom chisle intellektual'nye, naprimer, 8-portovaya plata Comtrol Rocketport Board.
Pri neobhodimosti stykovki s setevym oborudovaniem, imeyushim sinhronnyi posledovatel'nyi interfeis, mozhet ispol'zovat'sya sinhronnyi adapter Riscom N2 firmy SDL Communications, obespechivayushii propusknuyu sposobnost' do 4 Mbit/s.
V kachestve OS PC-routera ispol'zovana OS Linux svobodnyi klon OS UNIX. Yadro Linux obespechivaet marshrutizaciyu IP-paketov, fil'traciyu paketov (IP firewalling), podschet paketov (IP accounting), i rabotu s razlichnymi tipami setevyh interfeisov. Nami ispol'zovalis': Ethernet, SLIP/CSLIP, PPP.
Ustoichivost' PC-routera k otklyucheniyu pitaniya v proizvol'nye momenty vremeni obespechivaetsya montirovaniem kornevogo razdela diska v rezhime tol'ko na chtenie . Razdel /var montiruetsya na "chtenie/zapis'", i pri vyklyuchenii pitaniya okazyvaetsya povrezhden, no pri puske PC-routera on razmechaetsya (mkfs) zanovo i inicializiruetsya s master-kopii, hranyasheisya na kornevom razdele.
Dlya mnogih primenenii PC-routerov dostatochno staticheskoi marshrutizacii, no vozmozhen i zapusk na PC-routere demona dinamicheskoi marshrutizacii, naprimer, routed, bcastd ili gated.
Pomimo marshrutizacii IP-paketov, PC-router mozhet vypolnyat' nekotorye drugie funkcii. Naprimer:
Tehnologiya PC-routerov vo mnogih sluchayah predlagaet nedorogoe, effektivnoe i gibkoe reshenie zadachi IP-marshrutizacii pri ob'edinenii TCP/IP setei. Po nashemu mneniyu, ona predstavlyaet interes pri postroenii TCP/IP setei organizacii i malyh gorodov, osobenno v usloviyah ogranichennogo finansirovaniya.
Laboratoriya telekommunikacii "Botik"