Cisco Systems TEG-S2500i Single IP Agent mode application, Reduce the demand of real IP public IP

5.3. “Single IP – Agent mode” application

Single IP is a management utility of network devices for administrator to access private IP devices through a single IP (real IP or private IP). By this utility, administrator can manage much more network devices than ever and reduce the demand of real IPs, because every real IP switch can be an agent host for any network devices in their private IP domain. The Single-IP feature is able to manage up to 32 devices in the LAN using one IP address.

There are some defects in the current solutions of network management. For example, switches with legacy “stack” capability have to stack together due to their special limited-length cables, and have the limitation of stacking quantities and brand compatibility due to hardware specification. Moreover, administrator always has troubles in finding out the target window among those multi-display interfaces. Though there are expert network management utilities available in the current market, like HP OpenView, expensive cost and difficult task of implementation into embedded system are main drawbacks for their practical application.

Because of the rapid development of Ethernet, the scare of real IP shortage becomes a serious issue when an enterprise continues its IA growth. It is a resource waste and cost a large expense that every individual host has its own real IP inside the enterprise’s network. Privates IPs and NAT function (provided by router, gateway or IP sharing) provide a solution to the shortage of real IP, but new issue gives rise to that remote user from Internet has no access permission into the private IP domain, thus an administrator has no choose but accesses the private IP devices from the very location of the local area network to trouble shoot any problems that network clients report, until now “Single IP-Agent mode”, one of this switch special features, provides a new solution for all issues above.

There are benefits of “Single IP-Agent mode”:

1.Reduce the demand of real IP (public IP).

Since there are up to 32 devices which have a IP agent as “Single IP” switch, meaning that the switch becomes a network agent and handles all functions of these devices, MIS can reduce the number of hosts that are directly connected to Internet, and make use the saved real IPs more efficiency.

2.Integrate network devices without modifying hardware or software.

“Single IP” is a technique mainly based on application layer in OSI standard. The connection between master and slave hosts is linked by Ethernet protocol. It is little concern of hardware and packet transmits. Modifications of hardware or software of the slave hosts are not necessary. Thanks to the characteristics, single IP switch gives the best compatibility with other network devices, router, gateway, web server and even another brand switch.

3.Handy User interface without learning complex setting or changing user’s habit of

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